The Message Bible MSG
English Standard Version ESV
1 One day long ago, God's Word came to Jonah, Amittai's son:
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Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 "Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They're in a bad way and I can't ignore it any longer."
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“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me. ”
3 But Jonah got up and went the other direction to Tarshish, running away from God. He went down to the port of Joppa and found a ship headed for Tarshish. He paid the fare and went on board, joining those going to Tarshish - as far away from God as he could get.
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But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
4 But God sent a huge storm at sea, the waves towering.
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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 The sailors were terrified. They called out in desperation to their gods. They threw everything they were carrying overboard to lighten the ship. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship to take a nap. He was sound asleep.
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Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.
6 The captain came to him and said, "What's this? Sleeping! Get up! Pray to your god! Maybe your god will see we're in trouble and rescue us."
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So the 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. ”
7 Then the sailors said to one another, "Let's get to the bottom of this. Let's draw straws to identify the culprit on this ship who's responsible for this disaster." So they drew straws. Jonah got the short straw.
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And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us. ” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 Then they grilled him: "Confess. Why this disaster? What is your work? Where do you come from? What country? What family?"
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Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you? ”
9 He told them, "I'm a Hebrew. I worship God, the God of heaven who made sea and land."
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And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. ”
10 At that, the men were frightened, really frightened, and said, "What on earth have you done!" As Jonah talked, the sailors realized that he was running away from God.
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Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done! ” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
11 They said to him, "What are we going to do with you - to get rid of this storm?" By this time the sea was wild, totally out of control.
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Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us? ” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.
12 Jonah said, "Throw me overboard, into the sea. Then the storm will stop. It's all my fault. I'm the cause of the storm. Get rid of me and you'll get rid of the storm."
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He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you. ”
13 But no. The men tried rowing back to shore. They made no headway. The storm only got worse and worse, wild and raging.
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Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
14 Then they prayed to God, "O God! Don't let us drown because of this man's life, and don't blame us for his death. You are God. Do what you think is best."
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Therefore they called out to the 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 They took Jonah and threw him overboard. Immediately the sea was quieted down.
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So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
16 The sailors were impressed, no longer terrified by the sea, but in awe of God. They worshiped God, offered a sacrifice, and made vows.
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Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
17 Then God assigned a huge fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the fish's belly three days and nights.
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And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025