Jonah 1:1-13 ▼

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,

2 |Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.|

3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to 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 LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.

5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten [it] 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, call on your god. Perhaps [your] god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.|

7 Each man said to his mate, |Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity [has struck] us.| So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

8 Then they said to him, |Tell us, now! On whose account [has] this calamity [struck] us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?|

9 He said to them, |I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.|

10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, |How could you do this?| For the men knew that he was 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 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 for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm [has come] upon you.|

13 However, the men rowed [desperately] to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming [even] stormier against them.