Get Up, Go, Proclaim
Jonah 1:1-16
Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord
1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh,that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah roseto flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a shipgoing to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, awayfrom the presence of the LORD.
4 But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea,so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out tohis god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. ButJonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 Sothe captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god!Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea
7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose accountthis evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him,“Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where doyou come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “Iam a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” Forthe men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” Forthe sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into thesea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempesthas come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldnot, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out tothe LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you,O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea,and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and theyoffered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.
(ESV)