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.
1:1. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonas, the son of Amathi, saying:
1:2. Arise and go to Ninive, the great city, and preach in it: For the
wickedness thereof is come up before me.
Nineve.... The capital city of the Assyrian empire.
1:3. 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,
Tharsis.... Which some take to be Tharsus of Cilicia, others to be
Tartessus of Spain, others to be Carthage.
1:4. 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.
1:5. 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.
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.
1:6. 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.
1:7. 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.
1:8. 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?
1:9. 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.
1:10. 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.)
1:11. 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.
1:12. 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.
1:13. And the men rowed hard to return to land, but they were not able:
because the sea tossed and swelled upon them.
1:14. 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.
1:15. And they took Jonas, and cast him into the sea, and the sea
ceased from raging.
1:16. And the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and sacrificed victims
to the Lord, and made vows.