CH. I.]

JONAH.

I.

Jonah's commission to Nineveh, his disobedience, and his punishment. - CH. I.

1 Now the word of Jehovah came to Jonah, the son of 2 Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

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

4 But Jehovah sent forth a great wind

upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the 5 ship was like to be broken in pieces. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man to his god. And they cast forth the things that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was ship, and he lay

gone down to the lower part of the

6 and was fast asleep. And the ship-master came to him, and said to him, What meanest thou, O` sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God! Perhaps God will think upon

7 us, that we perish not. And they said one to another, Come and let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil is upon us! And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

8 Then said they to him, Tell us, whose account this evil is upon us.

ness?

we pray thee, on

What is thy busiWhat is thy country? And of what people art 9 thou? And he said to them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who made the sea 10 and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly

afraid, and said to him, Wherefore hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of 11 Jehovah, because he had told them. Then said they to him, What shall we do to thee, that the sea may be calm to us? For the sea grew more and more tem12 pestuous. And he said to them, Take me up, and cast

13

me forth into the sea; and the sea shall be calm to you. For I know, that because of me this great tempest is upon you.

Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship to the land; but they could not; for the sea grew 14 more and more tempestuous against them. And they cried to Jehovah and said, We beseech thee, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us not perish for the life of this man, and lay not upon us innocent blood! For 15 thou, O Jehovah, doest what pleaseth thee. And they

took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea; and 16 the sea ceased from its raging. Jehovah exceedingly, and offered

17

and made vows.

Then the men feared sacrifice to Jehovah,

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

1

THEN Jonah prayed to Jehovah from the belly of the

2 fish, and said;

I cried, by reason of my distress, to Jehovah, And he heard me ;

Out of the depth of the under-world I cried,

And thou didst hear my voice.

3 Thou didst cast me into the deep, into the heart of the

sea,

And the flood compassed me about;

All thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

4 And I said, "I am cast out from before thine eyes!
"O might I once more look to thy holy temple ! "
5 The waters compassed me about, even to the life,
The deep enclosed me round about;

Sea-weeds were bound around my head;

6 I sank down to the foundations of the mountains, The bars of the earth were about me forever;

Yet hast thou brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah, my God!

7 When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Jeho

vah,

And my prayer came to thee,

To thine holy temple.

8 They, that honor lying vanities, forsake their mercy;

9 But I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of thanksgiv

ing;

I will pay that which I have vowed;

Salvation is from Jehovah.

10 And Jehovah commanded the fish, and it cast out Jonah upon the dry land.

III.

Jonah's second commission to Nineveh, which he does not decline. The effect of it. His displeasure, and its reproof. CH. III., IV.

1 AND the word of Jehovah came to Jonah the second 2 time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to her the words which I shall speak to thee. 3 And Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah.

Now Nineveh was a great city through God, 4 three days' journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried out and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

5 And the men of Nineveh believed God, and pro

claimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the great6 est of them even to the least of them. For when the matter came to the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, and put away his robe from him, and covered 7 himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing; let them not feed, nor drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God. Yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their