Jonah:1-4

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* Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai , saying , * Arise , go to Nineveh , that great city , and cry against it ; for their wickedness is come up before me . * 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 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 ? * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land ; but they could not : for the sea wrought , and was tempestuous 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 . * So they took up Jonah , and cast him forth into the sea : and the sea ceased from her raging . * Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly , and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD , and made vows . * 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 . * Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish 's belly , * And said , I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD , and he heard me ; out of the belly of hell cried I , and thou heardest my voice . * For thou hadst cast me into the deep , in the midst of the seas ; and the floods compassed me about : all thy billows and thy waves passed over me . * Then I said , I am cast out of thy sight ; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple . * The waters compassed me about , even to the soul : the depth closed me round about , the weeds were wrapped about my head . * I went down to the bottoms of the mountains ; the earth with her bars was about me for ever : yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption , O LORD my God . * When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD : and my prayer came in unto thee , into thine holy temple . * They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy . * But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving ; I will pay that that I have vowed . Salvation is of the LORD . * And the LORD spake unto the fish , and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land . * And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time , saying , * Arise , go unto Nineveh , that great city , and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee . * So Jonah arose , and went unto Nineveh , according to the word of the LORD . Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days ' journey . * And Jonah began to enter into the city a day 's journey , and he cried , and said , Yet forty days , and Nineveh shall be overthrown . * So the people of Nineveh believed God , and proclaimed a fast , and put on sackcloth , from the greatest of them even to the least of them . * For word came unto the king of Nineveh , and he arose from his throne , and he laid his robe from him , and covered him 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 : * But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth , and cry mightily unto God : yea , let them turn every one from his evil way , and from the violence that is in their hands . * Who can tell if God will turn and repent , and turn away from his fierce anger , that we perish not ? * And God saw their works , that they turned from their evil way ; and God repented of the evil , that he had said that he would do unto them ; and he did it not . * But it displeased Jonah exceedingly , and he was very angry . * And he prayed unto the LORD , and said , I pray thee , O LORD , was not this my saying , when I was yet in my country ? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish : for I knew that thou art a gracious God , and merciful , slow to anger , and of great kindness , and repentest thee of the evil . * Therefore now , O LORD , take , I beseech thee , my life from me ; for it is better for me to die than to live . * Then said the LORD , Doest thou well to be angry ? * So Jonah went out of the city , and sat on the east side of the city , and there made him a booth , and sat under it in the shadow , till he might see what would become of the city . * And the LORD God prepared a gourd , and made it to come up over Jonah , that it might be a shadow over his head , to deliver him from his grief . So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd . * But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day , and it smote the gourd that it withered . * And it came to pass , when the sun did arise , that God prepared a vehement east wind ; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah , that he fainted , and wished in himself to die , and said , It is better for me to die than to live . * And God said to Jonah , Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd ? And he said , I do well to be angry , even unto death . * Then said the LORD , Thou hast had pity on the gourd , for the which thou hast not laboured , neither madest it grow ; which came up in a night , and perished in a night : * And should not I spare Nineveh , that great city , wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand ; and also much cattle ?

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