Jonah Sent to Nineveh, Flees to Tarshish

(Nahum 1:1-15)

1{21}And saviours shall come up into mount Sion to judge the mount of Esau: and the kingdom shall be for the Lord. 2{1}Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amathi, saying: 3{2}Arise and go to Ninive, the great city, and preach in it: For the wickedness thereof is come up before me.

The Great Storm

(Jeremiah 6:10-21; Jeremiah 25:15-33; Acts 27:13-26; Romans 1:18-32)

4{3}And Jonah rose up to flee into Tharsis from the face of the Lord, and he went down to Joppe, and found a ship going to Tharsis: and he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tharsis from the face of the Lord, 5{4}But the Lord sent a great wind to the sea: and a great tempest was raised in the sea, and the ship was in danger to be broken. 6{5}And the mariners were afraid, and the men cried to their god: and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship, into the sea, to lighten it of them: and Jonah went down into the inner part of the ship, and fell into a deep sleep.

7{6}And the ship master came to him and said to him: Why art thou fast asleep? rise up call upon thy God, if so be that God will think of us that we may not perish. 8{7}And they said every one to his fellow: Come and let us cast lots, that we may know why this evil is upon us. And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 9{8}And they said to him: Tell us for what cause this evil is upon us, what is thy business? of what country art thou? and whither goest thou? or of what people art thou?

10{9}And he said to them: I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, and the God of heaven, who made both the sea and the dry land.

Jonah Cast Into the Sea and Swallowed

11{10}And the men were greatly afraid, and they said to him: Why hast thou done this? (For the men knew that he fled from the face of the Lord: because he had told them.) 12{11}And they said to him: What shall we do with thee, that the sea may be calm to us? for the sea flowed and swelled. 13{12}And he said to them: take me up, and cast me into the sea, and the sea shall be calm to you: for I know for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 14{13}And the men rowed hard to return the land, but they were not able: because the sea tossed and swelled upon them.

15{14}And they cried to the Lord, and said: We beseech thee, O Lord let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, oh Lord, hast done as it pleased thee. 16{15}And they took Jonah, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from raging.

17{16}And the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and sacrificed victims to the Lord, and made vows.