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42. Jonah
comes to know God God
spoke to his prophet Jonah: Set out on a journey. Go to But
the Lord sent a great storm at sea. It shook the ship from stem to stern.
Everyone was afraid. Everyone prayed to his own god. But Jonah was sleeping
below decks. The captain woke Jonah: How can you go on sleeping? Get up! Pray
to your God! Perhaps he will save us.
The sailors said: Let us cast lots to find out who is to blame for this
disaster. The lot fell upon Jonah. Jonah said: Throw me into the sea; then
you will be saved. It is my fault that this storm has come upon you. The
sailors rowed with all their might. But they saw that they were getting
nowhere against the storm. Then they prayed: Lord, do not hold what we are
about to do as an offence against an innocent man. Then they took hold of
Jonah and threw him into the sea. At once the sea grew calm. But
the Lord sent a great fish. It swallowed Jonah. For three days and three
nights Jonah was in the belly of the fish. There he prayed to the Lord, his
God. The fish swam to the shore and spat Jonah out. Once more, God ordered
Jonah: Go to Niniveh, into the great city. Proclaim there everything that I
will tell you. Jonah went to Niniveh. He announced: Only forty days more and
Niniveh will be destroyed! The
people of Niniveh listened to Jonah. They believed God. They began a great
fast and put on sackcloth by way of repentance. All of them: high and low,
rich and poor, the entire population. God saw the repentance of the people of
Niniveh. He withdrew his threat. But Jonah was unhappy and indignant. He
prayed: Ah, Lord, I did not want to go to Niniveh. For I knew that you love
people and forgive them. I would rather be dead than live through that! Jonah
left Niniveh and headed east. He sat down and waited to see what would
happen. God caused a castor-oil plant to spring up and shelter Jonah with its
shade. Jonah was delighted with the plant. But in the night a worm gnawed
through its roots and the plant withered. The sun was scorching. Jonah could
not bear the heat. He said: I wish I were dead. But God asked Jonah: You are
upset about a castor-oil plant that sprang up in a night and withered in a
night. So, should I not feel sorry for the great city of (Jonah) |
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