Jonas 1

(Writer: Jonah) (Hebrew: Yoh-nah’ means Dove) (844 B.C.E.)

¹ Now the word of Jehovah came to Jonah the son of Amittai. He said:

² »Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim against her that Jehovah has seen their terrible wickedness.«

³ Jonah tried to run away from the presence of Jehovah. He went to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of Jehovah.

⁴ Jehovah sent out a great windstorm upon the sea and the ship was about to break up.

⁵ The sailors were so afraid that each man cried out to his own god. They threw the cargo that was on the ship into the sea to lighten the load. At that time Jonah was fast asleep down in the innermost parts of the ship.

⁶ So the captain came to him, and said: »Why are you sleeping? Get up and call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.«

⁷ The sailors said to each other, »Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know whom to blame for this evil.« So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

⁸ Then they said to him, »Please tell us who is the cause of this evil? What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? What people are they?«

⁹ He replied: »I am Hebrew and I respect Jehovah, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.«

¹⁰ Then the men were very afraid, and they asked: »What is this you have done?« For the men knew that he was running away from the presence of Jehovah, because he told them.

¹¹ Then they said: »What shall we do to you to make the sea calm for us?« But the sea grew more and more stormy.

¹² He replied: »Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you. I know that it is my fault the great storm came upon you.«

¹³ The men rowed hard to get back to the land; but they could not! The sea grew more and more stormy against them.

¹⁴ So they cried to Jehovah, and said: »We earnestly request that you, O Jehovah, do not let us perish because of this man. Do not allow the loss of innocent blood! For you, O Jehovah, have done as you pleased.«

¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah, and threw him into the sea. Immediately the sea ceased from its raging.

¹⁶ The men greatly reverenced Jehovah. They offered a sacrifice to Jehovah, and made vows.

¹⁷ However, Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.