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- JONAH:
-
-
- CHAPTER 1
-
-
- 1. Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai,
- saying,
-
- 2. 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 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.
-
- 4. 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.
-
- 5. 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.
-
- 6. 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.
-
- 7. 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.
-
- 8. 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?
-
- 9. 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.
-
- 10. 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.
-
- 11. 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.
-
- 12. 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.
-
- 13. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but
- they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against
- them.
-
- 14. 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.
-
- 15. So they look up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and
- the sea ceased from her raging.
-
- 16. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a
- sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.
-
- 17. 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.
-
-
- CHAPTER 2
-
-
- 1. Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's
- belly,
-
- 2. 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.
-
- 3. 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.
-
- 4. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look
- again toward thy holy temple.
-
- 5. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth
- closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.
-
- 6. 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.
-
- 7. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my
- prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.
-
- 8. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
-
- 9. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of
- thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of
- the LORD.
-
- 10. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah
- upon the dry land.
-
-
- CHAPTER 3
-
-
- 1. And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time,
- saying,
-
- 2. Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it
- the preaching that I bid thee.
-
- 3. 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.
-
- 4. 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.
-
- 5. 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.
-
- 6. 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.
-
- 7. 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 unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way,
- and from the violence that is in their hands.
-
- 9. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from
- his fierce anger, that we perish not?
-
- 10. 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.
-
-
- CHAPTER 4
-
-
- 1. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
-
- 2. 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.
-
- 3. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me;
- for it is better for me to die than to live.
-
- 4. Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
-
- 5. 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.
-
- 6. 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.
-
- 7. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day,
- and it smote the gourd that it withered.
-
- 8. 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.
-
- 9. 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.
-
- 10. 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:
-
- 11. And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are
- more then sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between
- their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
-