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Jonah's Disobedience

¹ The word of the LORD came to ^(C1)Jonah the son of Amittai saying,² "Arise, go to ^(C1)Nineveh the great city and ^(C2)cry against it, for their ^(C3)wickedness has come up before Me."³ But Jonah rose up to flee to ^(C1)Tarshish ^(C2)from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to ^(C3)Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

⁴ The ^(C1)LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to ^(F1)break up.⁵ Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to ^(C1)his god, and they ^(C2)threw the ^(F1)cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it ^(F2)for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.⁶ So the captain approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, ^(C1)call on your god. Perhaps your ^(C2)god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish."

⁷ Each man said to his mate, "Come, let us ^(C1)cast lots so we may ^(F1)learn on whose account this calamity has struck us." So they cast lots and the ^(C2)lot fell on Jonah.⁸ Then they said to him, "^(C1)Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your ^(C2)occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"⁹ He said to them, "I am a ^(C1)Hebrew, and I ^(C2)fear the LORD ^(C3)God of heaven who ^(C4)made the sea and the dry land."

¹⁰ Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, "^(F1)How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was ^(C1)fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.¹¹ So they said to him, "What should we do to you that the sea may become calm ^(F1)for us?"--for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.¹² He said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm ^(F1)for you, for I know that ^(C1)on account of me this great storm has come upon you."¹³ However, the men ^(F1)rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them.¹⁴ Then they called on the ^(C1)LORD and said, "We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man's life and do not put innocent blood on us; for ^(C2)You, O LORD, have done as You have pleased."

¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea ^(C1)stopped its raging.¹⁶ Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made ^(C1)vows.

^17 (F1)And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the ^(C1)stomach of the fish three days and three nights.