Jonah 1
1
God Calls and Jonah Runs
1The Lord spoke to Jonah#1:1 Jonah This is probably the same prophet mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. son of Amittai: 2“Nineveh#1:2 Nineveh The capital city of the country of Assyria. Assyria destroyed Israel in 722–721 B.C. is a big city. I have heard about the many evil things the people are doing there. So go there and tell them to stop doing such evil things.”
3But Jonah tried to run away from the Lord. He went to Joppa#1:3 Joppa A town on the coast of Israel by the Mediterranean Sea. and found a boat that was going to the faraway city of Tarshish. Jonah paid money for the trip and went on the boat. He wanted to travel with the people on this boat to Tarshish and run away from the Lord.
The Great Storm
4But the Lord brought a great storm on the sea. The wind made the sea very rough. The storm was very strong, and the boat was ready to break apart. 5The men wanted to make the boat lighter to stop it from sinking, so they began throwing the cargo#1:5 cargo The Hebrew word can mean “dishes,” “jars,” or “tools.” Here, this could mean all the jars and boxes the boat carried on its way to Tarshish or the rigging and other heavy tools on the boat. into the sea. The sailors were very afraid. Each man began praying to his god.
Jonah had gone down into the boat to lie down, and he went to sleep. 6The captain of the boat saw Jonah and said, “Wake up! Why are you sleeping? Pray to your god! Maybe your god will hear your prayer and save us!”
What Caused This Storm?
7Then the men said to each other, “We should throw lots to find out why this is happening to us.”
So the men threw lots. The lots showed that the troubles came to them because of Jonah. 8Then the men said to Jonah, “It is your fault that this terrible thing is happening to us. Tell us, what have you done? What is your job? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?”
9Jonah said to them, “I am a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the land and the sea.”
10Jonah told the men he was running away from the Lord. The men became very afraid when they learned this. They asked Jonah, “What terrible thing did you do against your God?”
11The wind and the waves of the sea were becoming stronger and stronger. So the men said to Jonah, “What should we do to save ourselves? What should we do to you to make the sea calm?”
12Jonah said to the men, “I know I did wrong—that is why the storm came on the sea. So throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm.”
13Instead, the men tried to row the ship back to the shore, but they couldn’t do it. The wind and the waves of the sea were too strong—and they were becoming stronger and stronger.
Jonah’s Punishment
14So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t say we are guilty of killing an innocent man. Please don’t make us die for killing him. We know you are the Lord, and you will do whatever you want.”
15So the men threw Jonah into the sea. The storm stopped, and the sea became calm. 16When the men saw this, they began to fear and respect the Lord. They offered a sacrifice and made special promises to the Lord.
17When Jonah fell into the sea, the Lord chose a very big fish to swallow Jonah. He was in the stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Jonah 1
1
Jonah’s Flight
1The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: # 2Kg 14:25; Jnh 3:1; Mt 12:39-41; 16:4; Lk 11:29-30,32 2“Get up! # Nm 22:20; Dt 10:11; Jos 7:10 Go to the great city # Jnh 3:2-3; 4:11 of Nineveh # Gn 10:11; 2Kg 19:36; Is 37:37; Nah 1:1; Zph 2:13 and preach against it, # Dt 15:9; 24:15; 2Kg 23:17; Is 58:1 because their wickedness # Jnh 3:8 has confronted # Or has come up to Me.” # Gn 18:20; Hs 7:2 3However, Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish # Is 23:1,6,10; Jr 10:9 from the Lord’s presence. # Gn 4:16; Ps 139:7,9-10 He went down # Jnh 2:6 to Joppa # 2Ch 2:16; Ezr 3:7; Ac 9:36,43 and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, from the Lord’s presence.
4Then the Lord hurled # 1Sm 18:11; 20:33; Is 22:17; Jr 22:26-28 a violent wind on the sea, # Ps 107:25-28; 135:7 and such a violent storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. 5The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. # 1Kg 18:26 They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. # Ac 27:18-19,38 Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep. # Gn 2:21; 15:12; Jdg 4:21; Dn 8:18; 10:9; 1Th 5:6
6The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. # Or God # Ps 107:28 Maybe this god will consider us, # 2Sm 12:22; Am 5:15; Jnh 3:9 and we won’t perish.”
7“Come on! ” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots. # Jos 7:14-18; 1Sm 10:20-21; 14:41-42; Pr 16:33; Ac 1:23-26 Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah. # Nm 32:23; Pr 16:33 8Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in. # Jos 7:19; 1Sm 14:43 What is your business # Gn 47:3; 1Sm 30:13 and where are you from? What is your country and what people are you from? ”
9He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew. # Gn 14:13; 39:14; Ex 1:15; 2:13; 1Sm 4:6 I worship # Or fear Yahweh, # 2Kg 17:25,28,32-33 the God of the heavens, # Gn 24:3,7; Ezr 1:2; Neh 1:4; Ps 136:26; Dn 2:18 who made the sea # Neh 9:6; Ps 95:5; 146:6 and the dry land.”
10Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What is this you’ve done? ” The men knew he was fleeing from the Lord’s presence, # Jb 27:22; Jnh 1:3 because he had told them. 11So they said to him, “What should we do to you to calm this sea that’s against us? ” For the sea was getting worse and worse.
12He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea # Lit sea that’s against you so it may quiet down for you, for I know that I’m to blame # 2Sm 24:17; 1Ch 21:17 for this violent storm that is against you.” 13Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more.
14So they called out to the Lord: # Ps 107:28 “Please, Yahweh, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For You, Yahweh, have done just as You pleased.” # Ps 51:18; 115:3; 135:6; Pr 21:1; Is 55:11; Lm 3:37-39; Dn 4:34-35; Mt 11:25 15Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. # Ps 65:7; 93:3-4; 107:29 16The men feared the Lord # Is 59:19; Mc 7:17; Zph 2:11; Mal 1:14; Lk 8:22-25 even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. # Ps 50:14; 66:13-14; 76:11; 116:17-18
17Now the Lord had appointed a huge fish # Gn 9:2; Nm 11:22; 1Kg 4:33; Ps 8:8 to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in # Lit in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. # Mt 12:40; 16:4; Lk 11:29-30; Jn 11:6,14
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