— select-a-version↑ 1.
1Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness 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; so he paid the fare, and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of Yahweh.
4But Yahweh hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god; and they threw the wares that were 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. 6So the captain came and said to him, "What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call upon your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we do not perish."
7And 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 upon Jonah. 8Then they said to him, "Tell us, on whose account this evil has come upon us? What is your occupation? And whence do you come? What is your country? And of what people are you?" 9And he 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 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 Yahweh, because he had told them.
11Then 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. 12He said to them, "Take me up and throw 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." 13Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14Therefore they cried to Yahweh, "We beseech you, O Yahweh, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood; for you, O Yahweh, have done as it pleased you." 15So they took up Jonah and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. 16Then the men feared Yahweh exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh and made vows.
17And Yahweh appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
↑ 2.
1Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God from the belly of the fish, 2saying,
↑ 3.
1Then the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." 3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth. 4JONAH began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he cried, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" 5And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
6Then tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water, 8but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry mightily to God; yea, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?"
10When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.
↑ 4.
1But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2And he prayed to Yahweh and said, "Please, Yahweh, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. 3Therefore now, O Yahweh, take my life from me, I beseech you, for it is better for me to die than to live." 4And Yahweh said, "Do you do well to be angry?" 5Then Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.
6And Yahweh God appointed a plant, and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm which attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8When the sun rose, God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah so that he was faint; and he asked that he might die, and said, "It is better for me to die than to live." 9But God said to Jonah, "Do you do well to be angry for the plant?" And he said, "I do well to be angry, angry enough to die." 10And Yahweh said, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labour, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night, and perished in a night. 11And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?"