Jonah Runs Away From the Lord
1A message from the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai. The Lord said, 2“Go to the great city of Nineveh. Preach against it. The sins of its people have come to my attention.”
3But Jonah ran away from the Lord. He headed for Tarshish. So he went down to the port of Joppa. There he found a ship that was going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went on board. Then he sailed for Tarshish. He was running away from the Lord.
4But the Lord sent a strong wind over the Mediterranean Sea. A wild storm came up. It was so wild that the ship was in danger of breaking apart. 5All the sailors were afraid. Each one cried out to his own god for help. They threw the ship’s contents into the sea. They were trying to make the ship lighter.
But Jonah had gone below deck. There he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6The captain went down to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call out to your god for help! Maybe he’ll pay attention to what’s happening to us. Then we won’t die.”
7Here is what the sailors said to one another. “Someone is to blame for getting us into all this trouble. Come. Let’s cast lots to find out who it is.” So they did. And Jonah was picked. 8They asked him, “What terrible thing have you done to bring all this trouble on us? Tell us. What do you do for a living? Where do you come from? What is your country? What people do you belong to?”
9He answered, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship the Lord. He is the God of heaven. He made the sea and the dry land.”
10They found out he was running away from the Lord. That’s because he had told them. Then they became terrified. So they asked him, “How could you do a thing like that?”
11The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down?”
12“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied. “Then it will become calm. I know it’s my fault that this terrible storm has come on you.”
13But the men didn’t do what he said. Instead, they did their best to row back to land. But they couldn’t. The sea got even rougher than before. 14Then they cried out to the Lord. They prayed, “Please, Lord, don’t let us die for taking this man’s life. After all, he might not be guilty of doing anything wrong. So don’t hold us responsible for killing him. Lord, you always do what you want to.” 15Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard. And the stormy sea became calm. 16The men saw what had happened. Then they began to have great respect for the Lord. They offered a sacrifice to him. And they made promises to him.
Jonah Prays to the Lord
17Now the Lord sent a huge fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.
Yona Anamkimbia Bwana
11:1 Mt 16:4; 12:39-41; 2Fal 14:25; Lk 11:29-32Neno la Bwana lilimjia Yona mwana wa Amitai: 21:2 Mwa 10:11; 18:20; Yon 3:3; Nah 2:8; Mt 12:41; Ezr 9:6; Yak 5:4“Nenda katika mji mkubwa wa Ninawi ukahubiri juu yake, kwa sababu uovu wake umekuja juu mbele zangu.”
31:3 Za 139:7; Yos 19:46; Mdo 9:36-43; Mwa 4:16; 10:4; Kut 4:13; Isa 23:1; Yer 20:9Lakini Yona alimkimbia Bwana na kuelekea Tarshishi. Alishuka mpaka Yafa, ambapo alikuta meli iliyokuwa imepangwa kuelekea bandari ile. Baada ya kulipa nauli, akapanda melini na kuelekea Tarshishi ili kumkimbia Bwana. 41:4 Za 107:23-26Ndipo Bwana akatuma upepo mkali baharini, nayo dhoruba kali sana ikavuma hata meli ikawa hatarini kuvunjika. 51:5 Mdo 27:18-19Mabaharia wote waliogopa na kila mmoja akamlilia mungu wake mwenyewe. Nao wakatupa mizigo baharini ili meli ipungue uzito.
Lakini Yona alikuwa ameteremkia chumba cha ndani ya meli, mahali ambapo alilala na kupatwa na usingizi mzito. 61:6 Yon 3:8; Mt 8:25; Za 78:34; 107:28Nahodha akamwendea na kusema, “Wewe unawezaje kulala? Amka ukamwite mungu wako! Huenda akatuangalia, tusiangamie.”
71:7 Yos 7:10-18; Hes 32:23; Mit 16:33; Mdo 1:26; 1Sam 10:20; 14:43Kisha mabaharia wakasemezana wao kwa wao, “Njooni, tupige kura tumtafute anayehusika na maafa haya.” Wakapiga kura, kura ikamwangukia Yona.
81:8 Yos 7:19Kwa hiyo walimuuliza, “Tuambie, ni nani anayehusika kwa kutuletea tatizo hili lote? Unafanya kazi gani? Umetoka wapi? Nchi yako ni ipi? Wewe ni kutoka taifa lipi?”
91:9 Dan 2:18; Mdo 17:24; Za 146:6; 96:9; Neh 9:6Akajibu, “Mimi ni Mwebrania, nami namwabudu Bwana, Mungu wa Mbinguni, aliyeumba bahari na nchi kavu.”
10Hili liliwaogopesha nao wakamuuliza,
“Umefanya nini?” (Walijua alikuwa anamkimbia Bwana, kwa sababu alishawaambia hivyo.)
11Bahari ilikuwa inazidi kuchafuka. Kwa hiyo walimuuliza, “Tukutendee nini ili kufanya bahari itulie kwa ajili yetu?”
121:12 Mhu 9:18; 2Sam 24:17; 1Nya 21:17Akawajibu, “Niinueni mnitupe baharini, nayo itakuwa shwari. Ninajua mawimbi haya makubwa yamewatokea kwa ajili ya kosa langu.”
131:13 Mit 21:30Badala yake, wale watu walijitahidi kupiga makasia wawezavyo ili wapate kurudi pwani. Lakini hawakuweza, kwa kuwa bahari ilizidi kuchafuka kuliko mwanzo. 141:14 Kum 21:8; Za 115:3; Dan 4:35Ndipo wakamlilia Bwana, “Ee Bwana, tafadhali usituue kwa kuondoa uhai wa mtu huyu. Usituhesabie hatia kwa kuutoa uhai wa mtu asiyekuwa na hatia, kwa kuwa wewe, Ee Bwana, umefanya kama ilivyokupendeza.” 151:15 Za 107:29; Lk 8:24Kisha walimchukua Yona, wakamtupa baharini nayo bahari iliyokuwa imechafuka ikatulia. 161:16 Mk 4:41; Hes 30:2; Za 66:13-14Katika jambo hili watu wakamwogopa Bwana sana, wakamtolea Bwana dhabihu na kumwekea nadhiri.
171:17 Mt 12:40; 16:4; Lk 11:30; Yn 4:6-7Lakini Bwana akamwandaa nyangumi1:17 Yaani samaki mkubwa sana. kummeza Yona, naye Yona alikuwa ndani ya tumbo la nyangumi kwa siku tatu, usiku na mchana.
