Jonah

Jonah, son of Amittai, was a prophet whom God sent to preach against Nineveh. He fled by sea, was swallowed by a great fish, and after his deliverance preached in Nineveh, which repented.

Prophet and flight

• 2 Kings 14:25
  He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath–hepher.This Jeroboam restored the boundary of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word that the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.
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• Jonah 1:1-3
  ¹Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ²Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.“Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me.” ³But 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.Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
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The storm and the great fish

• Jonah 1:11-17
  ¹¹Then 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.Now the sea was growing worse and worse, so they said to Jonah, “What must we do to you to calm this sea for us?” ¹²And 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.“Pick me up,” he answered, “and cast me into the sea, so it may quiet down for you. For I know that I am to blame for this violent storm that has come upon you.” ¹³Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was raging against them more and more. ¹⁴Wherefore 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.So they cried out to the LORD: “Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life! Do not charge us with innocent blood! For You, O LORD, have done as You pleased.” ¹⁵So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.At this, they picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm. ¹⁶Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him. ¹⁷Now 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.Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.
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Prayer from the fish

• Jonah 2:1-2
  ¹Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God, ²And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.
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• Jonah 2:9-10
  ⁹But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!” ¹⁰And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
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Preaching to Nineveh

• Jonah 3:1-5
  ¹And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ²Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.“Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.” ³So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.This time Jonah got up and went to Nineveh, in accordance with the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, requiring a three-day journey. ⁴And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.On the first day of his journey, Jonah set out into the city and proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!” ⁵So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.
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• Jonah 3:10
  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.When God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them.
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Jonah's anger

• Jonah 4:1-4
  ¹But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.Jonah, however, was greatly displeased, and he became angry. ²And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.So he prayed to the LORD, saying, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion—One who relents from sending disaster. ³Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” ⁴Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”
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• Jonah 4:9-11
  ⁹And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.Then God asked Jonah, “Have you any right to be angry about the plant?” “I do,” he replied. “I am angry enough to die!” ¹⁰Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:But the LORD said, “You cared about the plant, which you neither tended nor made grow. It sprang up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?So should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well?”
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In the New Testament

• Matthew 12:39-41
  ³⁹But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.
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• Luke 11:29-30
  ²⁹And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.As the crowds were increasing, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.
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See also

• Repentance
• Obedience
• Anger
• Grace

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.