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Jonah 1:1-4:11 NWT
1 And the word of Jehovah began to occur to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying: 2 "Get up, go to Nineveh the great city, and proclaim against her that their badness has come up before me." 3 And Jonah proceeded to get up and run away to Tarshish from before Jehovah; and he finally came down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid its fare and went down into it, in order to go with them to Tarshish from before Jehovah. 4 And Jehovah himself hurled forth a great wind at the sea, and there came to be a great tempest on the sea; and as for the ship, it was about to be wrecked. 5 And the mariners began to fear and to call for aid, each one to his god. And they kept hurling out the articles that were in the ship to the sea, in order to lighten [it] of them. But Jonah himself had gone down to the innermost parts of the decked vessel, and he proceeded to lie down and go fast asleep. 6 At length the ship captain came near to him and said to him: "What is the matter with you, sleeper? Get up, call out to your god! Perhaps the [true] God will show himself caring about us, and we shall not perish." 7 And they began to say to one another: "Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account we have this calamity." And they kept casting lots, and finally the lot fell upon Jonah. 8 So they said to him: "Do tell us, please, on whose account it is that we are having this calamity? What is your work, and from where do you come? What is your country, and from which people are you?" 9 At that he said to them: "I am a Hebrew, and Jehovah the God of the heavens I am fearing, the One who made the sea and the dry land." 10 And the men began to fear greatly, and they went on to say to him: "What is this that you have done?" For the men had come to know that it was from before Jehovah that he was running away, because he had told them. 11 Finally they said to him: "What should we do to you, in order that the sea may become still for us?" For the sea was continually growing more tempestuous. 12 So he said to them: "Lift me up and hurl me into the sea, and the sea will become still for you; because I am aware that it is on my account that this great tempest is upon you." 13 But the men tried to work their way through, in order to bring [the ship] back to the dry land; yet they were unable, because the sea was continually growing more tempestuous against them. 14 And they proceeded to call out to Jehovah and to say: "Ah, now, O Jehovah, may we, please, not perish because of the soul of this man! And do not put upon us innocent blood, since you yourself, O Jehovah, have done according to what you have delighted in!" 15 Then they lifted up Jonah and hurled him into the sea; and the sea began to halt from its raging. 16 At that the men began to fear Jehovah greatly, and so they offered a sacrifice to Jehovah and made vows. 17 Now Jehovah appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, so that Jonah came to be in the inward parts of the fish three days and three nights. 2 Then Jonah prayed to Jehovah his God from the inward parts of the fish 2 and said: "Out of my distress I called out to Jehovah, and he proceeded to answer me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried for help. You heard my voice. 3 When you threw me [to] the depths, into the heart of the open sea, Then a very river encircled me. All your breakers and your waves—over me they passed on. 4 And as for me, I said, 'I have been driven away from in front of your eyes! How shall I gaze again upon your holy temple?' 5 Waters encircled me clear to [the] soul; the watery deep itself kept enclosing me. Weeds were wound around my head. 6 To the bottoms of [the] mountains I went down. As for the earth, its bars were upon me for time indefinite. But out of [the] pit you proceeded to bring up my life, O Jehovah my God. 7 When my soul fainted away within me, Jehovah was the One whom I remembered. Then my prayer came in to you, into your holy temple. 8 As for those who are observing the idols of untruth, they leave their own loving-kindness. 9 But as for me, with the voice of thanksgiving I will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will pay. Salvation belongs to Jehovah." 10 In time Jehovah commanded the fish, so that it vomited out Jonah onto the dry land. 3 Then the word of Jehovah occurred to Jonah the second time, saying: 2 "Get up, go to Nineveh the great city, and proclaim to her the proclamation that I am speaking to you." 3 At that, Jonah got up and went to Nineveh in accord with the word of Jehovah. Now Nineveh herself proved to be a city great to God, with a walking distance of three days. 4 Finally Jonah started to enter into the city the walking distance of one day, and he kept proclaiming and saying: "Only forty days more, and Nineveh will be overthrown." 5 And the men of Nineveh began to put faith in God, and they proceeded to proclaim a fast and to put on sackcloth, from the greatest one of them even to the least one of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, then he rose up from his throne and put off his official garment from himself and covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the ashes. 7 Furthermore, he had the cry made, and he had it said in Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his great ones, saying: "No man and no domestic animal, no herd and no flock, should taste anything at all. None should take food. Even water they should not drink. 8 And let them cover themselves with sackcloth, man and domestic animal; and let them call out to God with strength and come back, each one from his bad way and from the violence that was in their hands. 9 Who is there knowing whether the [true] God may turn back and actually feel regret and turn back from his burning anger, so that we may not perish?" 10 And the [true] God got to see their works, that they had turned back from their bad way; and so the [true] God felt regret over the calamity that he had spoken of causing to them; and he did not cause [it]. 4 To Jonah, though, it was highly displeasing, and he got to be hot with anger. 2 Hence he prayed to Jehovah and said: "Ah, now, O Jehovah, was not this an affair of mine, while I happened to be on my own ground? That is why I went ahead and ran away to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, and feeling regret over the calamity. 3 And now, O Jehovah, take away, please, my soul from me, for my dying is better than my being alive." 4 In turn Jehovah said: "Have you rightly become hot with anger?" 5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city; and gradually he made for himself there a booth, that he might sit under it in the shade until he would see what would become of the city. 6 Accordingly Jehovah God appointed a bottle-gourd plant, that it should come up over Jonah, in order to become a shade over his head, to deliver him from his calamitous state. And Jonah began to rejoice greatly over the bottle-gourd plant. 7 But the [true] God appointed a worm at the ascending of the dawn on the next day, that it should strike the bottle-gourd plant; and it gradually dried up. 8 And it came about that, as soon as the sun shone forth, God also went on to appoint a parching east wind, and the sun kept striking upon the head of Jonah, so that he was swooning away; and he kept asking that his soul might die, and he repeatedly said: "My dying off is better than my being alive." 9 And God proceeded to say to Jonah: "Have you rightly become hot with anger over the bottle-gourd plant?" At that he said: "I have rightly become hot with anger, to the point of death." 10 But Jehovah said: "You, for your part, felt sorry for the bottle-gourd plant, which you did not toil upon or make get big, which proved to be a mere growth of a night and perished as a mere growth of a night. 11 And, for my part, ought I not to feel sorry for Nineveh the great city, in which there exist more than one hundred and twenty thousand men who do not at all know the difference between their right hand and their left, besides many domestic animals?"
Jonah 1-4 LITV
(1) And the Word of Jehovah was to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying,
(2) Rise up, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against it; for their evil has come up before Me.
(3) But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the face of Jehovah. And he went down to Joppa, and he found a ship going to Tarshish. And he gave its fare and went down into it in order to go with them to Tarshish, from before the face of Jehovah.
(4) But Jehovah hurled a great wind into the sea, and there was a great storm in the sea, and the ship was thought to be broken.
(5) And the sailors were afraid, and each man cried to his god. And they threw out the ship's articles into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship; and he lay down, and was sound asleep.
(6) And the chief of the seamen came near to him and said to him, What is it to you, O fast sleeping one? Rise up and cry out to your God! Perhaps our god will notice us, and we will not perish.
(7) And they said, each man to his companion, Come and let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil occurred to us. And they made lots fall, and the lot fell on Jonah.
(8) And they said to him, Please tell us on account of whom has this evil occurred to us? What is your work? And from where do you come? What is your country, and of what people are you?
(9) And he said to them, I am a Hebrew. And I fear Jehovah, the God of Heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.
(10) And the men were terrified with fear and said to him, What is this you have done? For the men knew that he was fleeing from before the face of Jehovah, because he had told them.
(11) And they said to him, What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm from being upon us? For the sea was going on and being stormy.
(12) And he said to them, Take me up and throw me out into the sea. And the sea will be calm from being upon you. For I know that this great storm is upon you on account of me.
(13) But the men rowed to return to the dry land, but they were not able, for the sea was going on and being stormy against them.
(14) And they cried out to Jehovah, and said, We beseech You, O Jehovah, we beseech You, do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not lay innocent blood on us. For You, O Jehovah, have done as You desired.
(15) And they lifted Jonah up and threw him into the sea. And the sea ceased from its raging.
(16) Then the men feared Jehovah with a great fear and offered a sacrifice to Jehovah, and vowed vows.
(17) And Jehovah had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 2:1-10 LITV
(1) And Jonah prayed to Jehovah his God out of the belly of the fish.
(2) And he said, I cried out to Jehovah from my distress. And He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried for help, and You heard my voice.
(3) For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current surrounded me; all Your breakers and Your waves passed over me.
(4) And I said, I am cast off from Your eyes; yet I will again look to Your holy temple.
(5) Waters encompassed me, even to my soul; the depth closed around me; seaweed was clinging to my head.
(6) I went down to the bases of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever. But You brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah my God.
(7) When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Jehovah; and my prayer came to You, to Your holy temple.
(8) Those who observe vanities of idolatry forsake their faithfulness;
(9) but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will fulfill that which I have vowed. Salvation belongs to Jehovah!
(10) And Jehovah spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out onto the dry land.
Jonah 3:1-10 LITV
(1) And the Word of Jehovah was to Jonah the second time, saying,
(2) Rise up, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out to it the proclamation that I am declaring to you.
(3) And Jonah rose up and went to Nineveh according to the Word of Jehovah. And Nineveh was a great city to God, of three days' journey.
(4) And Jonah began to enter a day's journey into the city. And he cried out and said, Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overturned!
(5) And the men of Nineveh believed in God, and they called a fast and put on sackclothes, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
(6) And the word touched even to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he took his robe from him and covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.
(7) And he cried and said in Nineveh by the decree of the king and of his great ones, saying, Do not let man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them feed nor let them drink water.
(8) But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. And let them call with strength to God. And let them each one turn from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.
(9) Who knows? He may turn, and God may have pity and turn away from the glow of His anger, that we do not perish.
(10) And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. And God was compassionate over the evil that He had spoken to do to them, and He did not do it.
Jonah 4:1-11 LITV
(1) But it was a great calamity in Jonah's sight, and it kindled anger in him.
(2) And he prayed to Jehovah, and said, Please, O Jehovah, was this not my word while I was on my own land? On account of this, I fled to Tarshish before, for I knew that You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and One who repents over calamity.
(3) And now, O Jehovah, please take my life from me. For better is my death than my life.
(4) And Jehovah said, Is anger rightly kindled in you?
(5) And Jonah went out from the city and sat on the east of the city. And he made there a booth for himself and sat under it in the shade until he should see what would happen in the city.
(6) And Jehovah God appointed a plant, and it came up over Jonah to be shade over his head, in order to deliver him from his misery. And Jonah rejoiced over the plant with great joy.
(7) But God appointed a worm at the rising of the dawn of the next day, and it struck the plant, and it withered.
(8) And it happened when the sun shone, God had appointed a scorching east wind; and the sun struck Jonah's head, so that he fainted; and he asked for his life to die. And he said, Better is my death than my life.
(9) And God said to Jonah, Is your anger rightly kindled over the plant? And he said, My anger is rightly kindled, even to death.
(10) And Jehovah said, You have had pity on the plant for which you had not labored, nor made it grow, which was the son of a night and perished the son of a night,
(11) and should I not have pity on Nineveh, the great city in which are more than a hundred and twenty thousand of mankind who do not know between the right and the left hand, and many cattle?
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You will note the reference windows often include more than one translation of the Bible. The reason is to strive to gain the best possible understanding of the original Hebrew and Greek. Since we don't speak those languages, we rely on those who have come before and made the effort to translate those texts into English for us. Considering several translations gives the benefit of the understanding of several translation committees or individuals.
The Translations we quote are:
ALT - Analytical Literal Translation
ASV - American Standard Version (by the American revision committee in 1897).
Darby - 1889 Darby Bible
DRB - 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible
BBE - 1965 Bible in Basic English
LITV - Literal Translation of the Holy Bible
KJV - King James Version
MKJV - Modern King James Version
NWT - New World Translation
Webster - 1833 Webster Bible
RV - Revised Version
YLT - Young's Literal Translation