11 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai
saying .
12 Arise go to Nineveh that great city and cry against it for
their wickedness is come up before me .
13 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence
of the LORD and went down to Joppa and he found a ship going to
Tarshish so he paid the fare thereof and went down into it to go
with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD .
14 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea and there
was a mighty tempest in the sea so that the ship was like to be
broken .
15 Then the mariners were afraid and cried every man unto his
god and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea
to lighten it of them But Jonah was gone down into the sides of
the ship and he lay and was fast asleep .
16 So the shipmaster came to him and said unto him What
meanest thou O sleeper arise call upon thy God if so be that God
will think upon us that we perish not .
17 And they said every one to his fellow Come and let us cast
lots that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us So
they cast lots and the lot fell upon Jonah .
18 Then said they unto him Tell us we pray thee for whose
cause this evil is upon us What is thine occupation and whence
comest thou what is thy country and of what people art thou .
19 And he said unto them I am an Hebrew and I fear the LORD
the God of heaven which hath made the sea and the dry land .
110 Then were the men exceedingly afraid and said unto him Why
hast thou done this For the men knew that he fled from the
presence of the LORD because he had told them .
111 Then said they unto him What shall we do unto thee that
the sea may be calm unto us for the sea wrought and was
tempestuous .
112 And he said unto them Take me up and cast me forth into
the sea so shall the sea be calm unto you for I know that for my
sake this great tempest is upon you .
113 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land
but they could not for the sea wrought and was tempestuous
against them .
114 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD and said We beseech
thee O LORD we beseech thee let us not perish for this man's
life and lay not upon us innocent blood for thou O LORD hast
done as it pleased thee .
115 So they took up Jonah and cast him forth into the sea and
the sea ceased from her raging .
116 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly and offered a
sacrifice unto the LORD and made vows .
117 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah
And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three
nights .
* 21 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's
belly .
22 And said I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD
and he heard me out of the belly of hell cried I and thou
heardest my voice .
23 For thou hadst cast me into the deep in the midst of the
seas and the floods compassed me about all thy billows and thy
waves passed over me .
24 Then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look
again toward thy holy temple .
25 The waters compassed me about even to the soul the depth
closed me round about the weeds were wrapped about my head .
26 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains the earth with
her bars was about me for ever yet hast thou brought up my life
from corruption O LORD my God .
27 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD and my
prayer came in unto thee into thine holy temple .
28 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy .
29 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of
thanksgiving I will pay that that I have vowed Salvation is of
the LORD .
210 And the LORD spake unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah
upon the dry land .
* 31 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time
saying .
32 Arise go unto Nineveh that great city and preach unto it
the preaching that I bid thee .
33 So Jonah arose and went unto Nineveh according to the word
of the LORD Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three
days' journey .
34 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey and
he cried and said Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown
.
35 So the people of Nineveh believed God and proclaimed a fast
and put on sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least
of them .
36 For word came unto the king of Nineveh and he arose from
his throne and he laid his robe from him and covered him with
sackcloth and sat in ashes .
37 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through
Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles saying Let
neither man nor beast herd nor flock taste any thing let them
not feed nor drink water .
38 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry
mightily unto God yea let them turn every one from his evil way
and from the violence that is in their hands .
39 Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from
his fierce anger that we perish not .
310 And God saw their works that they turned from their evil
way and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would
do unto them and he did it not .
* 41 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry .
42 And he prayed unto the LORD and said I pray thee O LORD was
not this my saying when I was yet in my country Therefore I fled
before unto Tarshish for I knew that thou art a gracious God and
merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and repentest thee
of the evil .
43 Therefore now O LORD take I beseech thee my life from me
for it is better for me to die than to live .
44 Then said the LORD Doest thou well to be angry .
45 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of
the city and there made him a booth and sat under it in the
shadow till he might see what would become of the city .
46 And the LORD God prepared a gourd and made it to come up
over Jonah that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver
him from his grief So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd .
47 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day
and it smote the gourd that it withered .
48 And it came to pass when the sun did arise that God
prepared a vehement east wind and the sun beat upon the head of
Jonah that he fainted and wished in himself to die and said It
is better for me to die than to live .
49 And God said to Jonah Doest thou well to be angry for the
gourd And he said I do well to be angry even unto death .
410 Then said the LORD Thou hast had pity on the gourd for the
which thou hast not laboured neither madest it grow which came
up in a night and perished in a night .
411 And should not I spare Nineveh that great city wherein are
more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between
their right hand and their left hand and also much cattle .
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