Jonas being sent to preach in Ninive, fleeth away by sea: a tempest riseth: of which he being found, by lot, to be the cause, is cast into the sea, which thereupon is calmed.
N ow the word of the Lord came to Jonas, the son of Amathi, saying:
2 Arise and go to Ninive, the great city, and preach in it: For the wickedness thereof is come up before me. *
2.1 C Nineve — The capital city of the Assyrian empire.
3 And Jonas 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, *
3.1 C Tharsis — Which some take to be Tharsus of Cilicia, others to be Tartessus of Spain, others to be Carthage.
4 But the Lord sent a great wind into the sea: and a great tempest was raised in the sea, and the ship was in danger to be broken.
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 Jonas went down into the inner part of the ship, and fell into a deep sleep. *
5.1 C A deep sleep — This is a lively image of the insensibility of sinners, fleeing from God, and threatened on every side with his judgments: and yet sleeping as if they were secure.
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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.
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 Jonas.
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?
9 And he said to them: I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made both the sea and the dry land.
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.)
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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.
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 that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
13 And the men rowed hard to return to land, but they were not able: because the sea tossed and swelled upon them.
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, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 And they took Jonas, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from raging.
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16 And the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and sacrificed victims to the Lord, and made vows.