This book is the account about Jonah, when he disobeyed God, was three days in a big fish's belly, and finally went to warn the wicked people in Nineveh city that God was going to destroy them. We call this book
JONAH
1
Jonah refuses to obey Yahweh
1 One day Yahweh said to the prophet Jonah, Amittai's son,
2 "I have seen how wicked are the people who live in the great city called Nineveh. Therefore, go there and warn the people that I am planning to destroy their city because they d sinned."
3 But Jonah did not go to Nineveh. Instead, he went in the direction opposite to where Yahweh told him to go. He went (down) to Joppa city. There he paid the fare to travel on a ship that was going to Tarshish city. Jonah wanted to escape from Yahweh and avoid doing what Yahweh had told him to do. He got on the ship, and then he went down to a lower deck inside the ship. He lay down, and went to sleep.
4 Then Yahweh caused a very strong wind to blow. There was such a violent storm that the sailors thought the ship would break apart.
5 The sailors were very frightened. So, they each started to pray to their own gods to save them. Then they threw the cargo into the sea to make the ship lighter in order that it would not sink easily.
6 Then the captain went down to where Jonah was sleeping deeply. He awoke him and said to him. "You should not be sleeping during a storm like this one! Get up and pray to your god! Perhaps he will pity us and save us, so that we will not drown!"
7 Then the sailors said to each other, "We must cast lots to determine who has caused all this trouble!" So they did that, and the lots showed that Jonah had caused the storm.
8 So various ones among them asked Jonah, "Are you the one who has caused all this trouble for us?" "What work do you do?" "Where are you coming from?" "What country and what people-group do you belong to?"
9 Jonah replied, "I am a Hebrew. I worship Yahweh, who lives in heaven. He is the God who made the sea and the land. I am trying to escape from doing what Yahweh told me to do."
10 After/When the sailors heard that, they were more terrified. So, they asked him, "Do you realize what trouble you have caused?"
11 The storm kept getting worse, and the waves kept getting bigger. So, one sailor among them asked Jonah, "What must we do to you, so that your god will make the sea become calm?"
12 Jonah replied to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. If you do that, then the sea will become calm. I know that this terrible storm is caused by my not doing what Yahweh told me to do."
13 But the sailors did not want to do that. Instead, they tried hard to row the ship back to land. But they could not do so, because the storm continued to get worse.
14 Therefore, the sailors prayed to Yahweh, "O Yahweh, please do not cause us to drown after we cause this man to die. O Yahweh, we beg you, do not consider us to be guilty when we cause this man to die. We know that you have sent this storm for your own good reasons."
15 Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea. Then the sea became calm.
16 When that happened, the sailors became greatly awed at/respected Yahweh's power. So, they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh. They also vowed to him that they would do things that would please him.
17 While they were doing that, Yahweh sent a huge fish that swallowed Jonah. Then Jonah was inside the fish's belly for three days and three nights.