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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 out against it, because their ^(C3)wickedness has come up before Me."³ But Jonah got up to flee to ^(C1)Tarshish ^(C2)from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to ^(C3)Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and ^(F1)boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the LORD.

⁴ However, 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 out to ^(C1)his ^(F1)god, and they ^(C2)hurled the ^(F2)cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it ^(F3)for them. But Jonah had gone below into the stern of the ship, had 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 And each man said to his mate, "Come, let's ^(C1)cast lots so that we may ^(F1)find out on whose account this catastrophe 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 catastrophe struck us? What is your ^(C2)occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, and from what people are you?"⁹ So 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 afraid, 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 so that the sea will become calm ^(F1)for us?"—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.¹² And he said to them, "Pick me up and hurl me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm ^(F1)for you, because 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, because the sea was becoming even stormier against them.¹⁴ Then they cried out to 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, LORD, have done as You pleased."

¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ^(C1)stopped its raging.¹⁶ Then the men became extremely afraid of the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made ^(C1)vows.

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