1Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

3But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

4But the Lord 1:4 Lit. hurledsent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.

5Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten 1:5 Lit. from upon themthe load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.

6So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”

7And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

8Then they said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

9So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear 1:9 Heb. YHWHthe Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

10Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

11Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous.

12And he said to them, “Pick me up and 1:12 Lit. hurlthrow me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.”

13Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them.

14Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.”

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

16Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.

17Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.