1 N ow the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2 A rise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

“Get up and go to the large city of Nineveh, and preach against it. For their sin has come up before Me.”

3 B ut 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 Jonah ran away from the Lord going toward Tarshish. He went down to Joppa and found a ship which was going to Tarshish. Jonah paid money, and got on the ship to go with them, to get away from the Lord.

4 B ut 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 Lord sent a powerful wind upon the sea, and there was such a big storm that the ship was about to break up.

5 T hen 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.

The sailors became afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the things that were in the ship into the sea so that it would not be so heavy. But Jonah had gone below in the ship and had lain down and fallen asleep.

6 S o 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.

So the captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god. It may be that your god will care about us, and we will not die.”

7 A nd 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 the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us draw names so we can find out who is to blame for this trouble.” So they drew names, and Jonah’s name was drawn.

8 T hen 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?

Then they said to him, “Now tell us! Who is to blame for this? What is your work? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

9 A nd 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.

Jonah said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord God of heaven Who made the sea and the dry land.”

10 T hen 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 the men were filled with fear and said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was running away from the Lord, because he had told them.

11 T hen 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.

So they said to him, “What should we do to you to make the sea quiet down for us?” For the storm was getting worse.

12 A nd 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.

Jonah said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will quiet down for you. For I know that this bad storm has come upon you because of me.”

13 N evertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

The men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the wind was blowing even worse against them.

14 W herefore 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.

Then they called on the Lord and said, “We beg You, O Lord, do not let us die for what this man has done. And do not let us become guilty for killing someone who is not to blame. For You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.”

15 S o they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the storm stopped.

16 T hen the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.

Then the men feared the Lord very much. They gave a gift in worship to the Lord and made promises to Him.

17 N ow 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.

The Lord sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, and he was in the stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.