Jonah 1

1The word of Yahweh came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying,

2Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against it, because their evil has come up before me.

3But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid its fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of Yahweh.

4But Yahweh hurled a great wind onto the sea, and there was a great storm on the sea, so that the ship seemed about to be broken up.

5Then the sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for themselves. But Yonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the vessel, and he lay down and fell fast asleep.

6So the captain came near to him and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps the god will give thought to us, so that we may not perish.”

7And they said, each man to his companion, “Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

8Then they said to him, “Please tell us on whose account this trouble has come upon us. What is your occupation, and where do you come from? What is your land, and from what people are you?”

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

10Then the men were greatly afraid, and they said to him, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Yahweh, because he had told them.

11Then they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea was growing more and more stormy.

12And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm for you, for I know that this great storm is upon you because of me.”

13But the men rowed hard to return to the dry land, but they could not, because the sea kept growing more and more stormy against them.

14Then they cried out to Yahweh and said, “Please, Yahweh, do not let us perish on account of this man's life, and do not put innocent blood on us, for you, Yahweh, have done as you pleased.”

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

16Then the men feared Yahweh with great fear, and they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh and made vows.