Jonah 1:1 | New International Reader’s Version

New International Reader’s Version

Jonah runs away from the Lord

1 A message from the LORD came to Jonah, the son of Amittai. The LORD said, 2 ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh. Preach against it. The sins of its people have come to my attention.’ 3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD. He headed for Tarshish. So he went down to the port of Joppa. There he found a ship that was going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went on board. Then he sailed for Tarshish. He was running away from the LORD. 4 But the LORD sent a strong wind over the Mediterranean Sea. A wild storm came up. It was so wild that the ship was in danger of breaking apart. 5 All the sailors were afraid. Each one cried out to his own god for help. They threw the ship’s contents into the sea. They were trying to make the ship lighter. But Jonah had gone below deck. There he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went down to him and said, ‘How can you sleep? Get up and call out to your god for help! Maybe he’ll pay attention to what’s happening to us. Then we won’t die.’ 7 Here is what the sailors said to one another. ‘Someone is to blame for getting us into all this trouble. Come. Let’s cast lots to find out who it is.’ So they did. And Jonah was picked. 8 They asked him, ‘What terrible thing have you done to bring all this trouble on us? Tell us. What do you do for a living? Where do you come from? What is your country? What people do you belong to?’ 9 He answered, ‘I’m a Hebrew. I worship the LORD. He is the God of heaven. He made the sea and the dry land.’ 10 They found out he was running away from the LORD. That’s because he had told them. Then they became terrified. So they asked him, ‘How could you do a thing like that?’ 11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, ‘What should we do to you to make the sea calm down?’ 12 ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea,’ he replied. ‘Then it will become calm. I know it’s my fault that this terrible storm has come on you.’ 13 But the men didn’t do what he said. Instead, they did their best to row back to land. But they couldn’t. The sea got even rougher than before. 14 Then they cried out to the LORD. They prayed, ‘Please, LORD, don’t let us die for taking this man’s life. After all, he might not be guilty of doing anything wrong. So don’t hold us responsible for killing him. LORD, you always do what you want to.’ 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard. And the stormy sea became calm. 16 The men saw what had happened. Then they began to have great respect for the LORD. They offered a sacrifice to him. And they made promises to him.

Jonah prays to the Lord

17 Now the LORD sent a huge fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.

English Standard Version

Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, (2Ki 14:25) 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil^[1] has come up before me.” (Ge 10:11; 2Ki 19:36; Jon 3:3; Jon 4:11; Na 1:1; Zep 2:13; Mt 12:41; Lu 11:30; Lu 11:32; Re 18:5)

Ge 10:112Ki 19:36Jon 3:3Jon 4:11Na 1:1Zep 2:13Mt 12:41Lu 11:30Lu 11:32Re 18:5

3 But Jonah rose 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, away from the presence of the Lord. (Ge 4:16; Jos 19:46; 1Ki 10:22; Ps 139:9; Jon 4:2)

Ge 4:16Jos 19:461Ki 10:22Ps 139:9Jon 4:2

4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. (1Ki 22:48; Ps 48:7; Ps 107:25) 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. (Ps 107:28; Ac 27:18; Ac 27:38) 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” (Jon 1:5; Jon 3:9)

Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. (Jud 20:9) 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” (Ps 146:6; Re 11:13) 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. (Jon 1:3) 11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” (Jos 7:20) 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard^[2] to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” (De 21:8; Ps 115:3) 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. (Ps 65:7; Lu 8:24) 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. (Ge 8:20; Ge 31:54; Jon 2:9)

A Great Fish Swallows Jonah

17 ^[3] And the Lord appointed^[4] a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Mt 12:40; Mt 16:4; Lu 11:30)