Jonah 1
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:
2 “Get up, go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim against it, because their wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, found a ship bound for Tarshish, paid the fare, and boarded it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
4 But the LORD hurled a great wind over the sea, and there was a great storm on the sea; the ship was in danger of breaking apart.
5 The sailors were afraid and cried out, each to his own god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it. Jonah, however, had gone down into the depths of the hold, lain down, and fallen fast asleep.
6 The captain of the ship came up to him and said, “What are you doing, sound sleeper? Get up, call out to your god! Perhaps God will take notice of us, and we will not die.”
7 Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s cast lots, so we may find out on whose account this trouble has come upon us.” They cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 Then they said to him, “Tell us now: on whose account has this trouble come upon us? What is your work? Where do you come from? What is your land? And what people are you from?”
9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then the men were terrified and said to him, “What have you done?” For they knew that Jonah was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
11 And they said to him, “What should we do with you, so that the sea may calm down for us?” For the sea was growing more and more violent.
12 He answered, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and the sea will calm down for you; for I know that this great storm has come upon you because of me.”
13 But the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, and they could not, because the sea was growing more and more violent against them.
14 Then they cried out to the LORD and said, “Please, LORD! Do not let us die because of this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for you, LORD, have done as you pleased.”
15 Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging.
16 Then the men feared the LORD greatly. They offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.
Read and listen to this chapter in the Shalem app, free: narration, chapter video and reading progress. Get the app