Every post in Jonah, in order. Tap a post for the whole conversation, or the book icon for the verses.
Meet Jonah son of Amittai, a prophet in Israel. The LORD tells him to get up and go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach against it, because its wickedness has reached him. Nineveh is east. A long way east.
Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me.”
Down at Joppa. Found a ship going to Tarshish, about as far west as anyone sails. Paid the fare. Don't ask.
Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
Never seen a storm come up like this, and I've seen a few. Ship's about to break apart. Every guy on board is yelling to his own god, and we've dumped the cargo over the side to lighten her.
Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart. The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
Replying to @deckhand.tarshish
Our passenger from Israel was down in the hold. Asleep. In this. I went down and woke him. How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god. Maybe he'll notice us and we won't die.
The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain approached him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call upon your God. Perhaps this God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”
We drew lots to find out who's brought this on us. Came up him. So we asked him everything. What's your job? Where are you from? What country? Whose people are you?
“Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. “Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?”
Replying to @deckhand.tarshish
I'm a Hebrew. I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.
“I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”
The sea kept getting worse and they asked me what they had to do to me to calm it. Told them: pick me up and throw me in. I know this storm is my fault.
Now the sea was growing worse and worse, so they said to Jonah, “What must we do to you to calm this sea for us?” “Pick me up,” he answered, “and cast me into the sea, so it may quiet down for you. For I know that I am to blame for this violent storm that has come upon you.”
Replying to @jonah
We didn't. Not yet. We rowed as hard as we've ever rowed, trying to get back to land. The sea just got wilder.
Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was raging against them more and more.
So we prayed to his God. The LORD. Please don't let us die for this man's life, and don't hold his blood against us. You've done what you wanted. Then we threw him over. And the sea went still.
So they cried out to the LORD: “Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life! Do not charge us with innocent blood! For You, O LORD, have done as You pleased.” Then they picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm.
Replying to @deckhand.tarshish
Every one of us was terrified of the LORD after that. We offered him a sacrifice and made him vows. Men who'd each been crying out to their own god.
Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him.
Meanwhile the LORD has a great fish ready. It swallows Jonah. He's inside it for three days and three nights.
Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.
Prayed from inside the fish. Thrown into the deep. The current swirling round me, the waves breaking over me, seaweed wrapped round my head. I went down to the roots of the mountains and thought I'd been thrown out of his sight for good. As my life was slipping away, I remembered the LORD. And he heard me. Salvation comes from the LORD.
From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God, saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me. At this, I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.’ The waters engulfed me to take my life; the watery depths closed around me; the seaweed wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I descended; the earth beneath me barred me in forever! But You raised my life from the pit, O LORD my God! As my life was fading away, I remembered the LORD. My prayer went up to You, to Your holy temple. But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!”
Then the LORD speaks to the fish, and it vomits Jonah out onto dry land.
And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
The LORD told me a second time. Get up, go to Nineveh, say what I tell you. Fine. I'm going.
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.” This time Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, in accordance with the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, requiring a three-day journey.
Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.
On the first day of his journey, Jonah set out into the city and proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!”
Replying to @jonah
It takes three days to walk across Nineveh. This is day one. That's the whole sermon.
This time Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, in accordance with the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, requiring a three-day journey. On the first day of his journey, Jonah set out into the city and proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!”
No because a prophet from Israel just walked in and said the city has forty days. And people believe God. A fast has been called and everyone's in sackcloth, from the most important people down to the least.
And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.
By order of the king and his nobles. Nobody, man or animal, herd or flock, eats or drinks anything. Everyone, animals too, in sackcloth. Everyone call out to God with all you've got. Turn from your evil ways and the violence on your hands. Who knows? God may change his mind and turn from his anger, and we won't die.
When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink. Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”
Replying to @king.of.nineveh
He literally means the animals too. Sackcloth on the cattle.
Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink. Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands.
God sees what they do, that they've turned from their evil ways. And he doesn't bring the disaster he'd threatened.
When God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them.
Isn't this exactly what I said back home? It's why I ran for Tarshish. I knew you're a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry, full of love, and you hold back from sending disaster. So take my life. I'd rather die than live.
Moses@moses · Mount SinaiThe LORD passed in front of me, calling out his own name. Compassionate and gracious. Slow to get angry. Overflowing with love that doesn’t quit, and faithfulness. Forgives wrongdoing, but never lets the guilty off.Jonah, however, was greatly displeased, and he became angry. So he prayed to the LORD, saying, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion—One who relents from sending disaster. And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Replying to @jonah
The LORD asks him one thing. Do you have any right to be angry?
But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”
Out of the city. Built myself a shelter on the east side and sat in its shade. Going to watch what happens to Nineveh.
Then Jonah left the city and sat down east of it, where he made himself a shelter and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city.
A plant grew up overnight right over my shelter. Proper shade on my head. Honestly, very happy about this plant.
So the LORD God appointed a vine, and it grew up to provide shade over Jonah’s head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant.
A worm. At dawn a worm got into my plant and it's withered. Then a scorching wind off the desert and the sun beating on my head. I feel faint. I'd rather die than live.
Jonah@jonahA plant grew up overnight right over my shelter. Proper shade on my head. Honestly, very happy about this plant.When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered. As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint and wished to die, saying, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
Replying to @jonah
He asked if I've any right to be angry about the plant. I do. Angry enough to die.
Then God asked Jonah, “Have you any right to be angry about the plant?” “I do,” he replied. “I am angry enough to die!”
The LORD's last word to him: you cared about a plant you never tended and never made grow. It came up in a night and died in a night. And shouldn't I care about Nineveh, that great city, with more than 120,000 people who can't tell their right hand from their left, and all those animals?
But the LORD said, “You cared about the plant, which you neither tended nor made grow. It sprang up in a night and perished in a night. So should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well?”
Replying to @bookofjonah
That's where the book ends. On the question.
So should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well?”
