Jonah Does the Opposite
Jonah 1Now the word of YHWH came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Get up, go to the massive city of Nineveh and preach against it, because their wickedness has come up before me.”
But Jonah got up and fled to Tarshish, away from YHWH’s presence. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid its fare, and went aboard to go with them to Tarshish away from YHWH’s presence.
But YHWH sent out a massive wind on the sea, and there was such a massive storm on the sea that the ship threatened to break up. The sailors were afraid, and every man cried out to his god. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, and he was lying down in a deep sleep. So the captain came to him, and said, “How are you asleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe your god will notice us so that we won’t perish.”
Jonah Gets Found Out
The men said to each other, “Y’all come! Let’s cast lots to find out who is responsible for this evil upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they asked him, “Tell us, please, who caused this evil that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, and what people are you from?”
He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear YHWH, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.”
Then the men were afraid with massive fear, and said to him, “What have you done?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of YHWH, because he had told them. Then they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea may become calm for us?” For the sea was growing more and more stormy.
He said to them, “Y’all pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for y’all. I know that it is because of me that this massive storm has come on y’all.”
Instead, the men rowed hard to get back to the land. But they could not, for the sea became even stormier against them. So then they cried out to YHWH, “Please, YHWH, we beg you, don’t let us die for this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood. For you, YHWH, have done as you have pleased.” So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men were overcome with a massive fear of YHWH, and they offered a sacrifice to YHWH and made vows.
YHWH appointed a massive fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.