Jonah 1

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

One day, God's message found its way to Jonah, Amittai's son, whispering to him,

Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

Get up, head to the vast city of Nineveh, and speak out against its evil; for I am deeply troubled by their wrongdoings.

But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

But Jonah ran the other way, trying to escape to Tarshish, away from the Lord. He headed to Joppa, found a ship bound for Tarshish, paid his fare, and boarded, hoping to leave God's presence behind.

But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

But God unleashed a powerful storm at sea, causing such violent waves that the ship was on the verge of shattering.

Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

The sailors were terrified, each praying to his own god, frantically throwing the ship's cargo overboard to lighten the load. Meanwhile, Jonah had retreated to the depths of the ship, where he was sound asleep, oblivious to the chaos above.

So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

The captain approached him, asking, "Why are you sleeping? Wake up, pray to your God! Maybe He will remember us and save us from this disaster."

And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

In a shared sense of urgency, they turned to each other, "Let's draw straws to figure out who's responsible for this disaster." So they did, and fate pointed at Jonah.

Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

They pleaded with him, "Please, tell us, why has this misfortune fallen upon us? What do you do for a living? Where are you from? What's your homeland? Who are your people?"

And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

He declared to them, "I am a Hebrew, in awe of the Lord, the Creator of heaven, sea, and land."

Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

The men were terrified beyond measure, questioning him, "Why have you done this?" They knew he was running from God, for he had confessed it to them.

Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

They asked him anxiously, "What should we do to you to calm this raging sea?" For the sea was wild and stormy.

And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

He pleaded with them, "Throw me into the sea. It will calm down for you. I know it's my fault this storm is raging."

Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

Despite their best efforts, the men struggled fiercely to reach the shore, but the sea, wild and furious, fought against them.

Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

In desperation, they pleaded with God, "Please, don't let us die for taking this man's life, and don't hold us guilty of shedding innocent blood. After all, God, you have done as you pleased."

So they look up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

They lifted Jonah, throwing him into the sea, and instantly, the sea's fury calmed.

Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

Overwhelmed with awe and reverence for God, the men humbly offered sacrifices and made solemn promises to Him.

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

God had arranged for a massive fish to engulf Jonah. Jonah spent three long days and nights in the fish's belly, filled with fear and uncertainty.