Jonah
From the Greek Septuagint
About
Jonah is a story about a prophet of the same name, who reluctantly delivered God’s warning message to the Assyrian capital city of Nineveh.
Although the story is set sometime in the mid-8th Century BC, it’s a third-person account, and its Hebrew text shows influence from Aramaic – so it may have been penned by someone else after the Babylonian exile, possibly Ezra.
History or a story?
Is it an historical account, or was it just a popular story to teach a moral lesson? After all, archaeologists have not (yet) found evidence outside of the Bible for these events.
Well, JesusYeshuaIshoa spoke about the trials of Jonah at Matthew 12:39-41, leading many to conclude that it’s a real story. However, JesusYeshuaIshoa also used fictional stories (parables) to teach – so modern Bible scholars are divided on the matter. The traditional Jewish view is that the events were real, and the early Christians appear to have believed the same thing.
Source
We’ve translated it from Greek Septuagint manuscripts dating from the 300s AD; that makes our sources about 600 years older than the traditional Hebrew text used by other Bibles. Learn why.
Translation
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- The original texts had no chapter or verse numbers, paragraph breaks, line breaks, margins, punctuation, or capital letters. These are all added for clarity, but be aware that they can sometimes subtly alter the meaning. Learn more.
- Words [inserted] by the translator for clarity are always in [brackets]. These are not part of the original source text. Learn more.
Approval
This translated text has been proofread against our original Greek source manuscript. It was approved by the editor on July 13, 2025.
1
Jonah Appointed, and Flees
1The Word of [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” came to Jonah (son of AmaThi), and said:
2‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and make this proclamation against it; for, cries of their evil have reached up to Me.’
3However, Jonah got up to flee from the face of [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” [all the way] to Tharsis! For he went down to JopPa and there he found a boat that was sailing to Tharsis… He paid his fare, boarded, and proceeded to sail with them to Tharsis, away from the face of [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord”.
The Wind Blows, and the Sea Rises
4But then [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” raised a wind over the sea that created a huge swell, and the boat was in danger of breaking up! 5[Of course,] the sailors were so frightened that they each started crying out to their own gods, and they threw goods into the sea to lighten the ship.
Yet Jonah had gone down into the ship’s hold and was asleep, snoring! 6So the ship’s captain went down to him and said:
‘Why are you [just lying there] snoring? Get up and call to your God so He will save us and we won’t be destroyed!’
7Well at that, each man started saying to his companion:
‘Come, let’s throw lots to find out why this evil has fallen on us!’
So they threw lots… And the lot fell to Jonah. 8So they asked him:
‘Tell us, what do you do for a living? Where did you come from? And what country and people are you from?’
9Then he told them:
‘I’m a servant of [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord”, I worship the Lord God of the heavens… the One who made the sea and the dry land.’
10Well at that, the men became very frightened. And they asked him:
‘What have you done?!’
Because the men knew that he was running away from [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord”, for he had explained [it] to them.
11Then, since the sea was moving and stirring up an even greater swell, they asked him:
‘So, what do we have to do to you, in order to calm the sea for us?’
12And Jonah told them:
‘Just pick me up and throw me into the sea… Then it’ll become calm for you. I know that these great swells have come upon you because of me.’
13[Nevertheless,] the men were really pushing themselves in trying to return to land… But they couldn’t – the sea was moving and rising up more against them.
14So they called out to [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” and said:
‘Please don’t let us die over this man’s life, and don’t hold the blood of the righteous against us! Because You, O Lord, have done what You wanted.’
15So they took Jonah and threw him into the sea… And the sea became still from its tossing about!
16As a result, the men became very frightened of [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord”, so they offered sacrifices to the Lord and made vows.
17Then [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” ordered a great sea creature to swallow Jonah, and he stayed in its belly for three days and three nights.
2
Jonah is Swallowed by a Whale
1Well, from the belly of the sea creature, Jonah prayed to [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” his God, 2saying this:
‘In my affliction, I called out to You,
O [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord”, my God,
And You paid attention to me.
I’ve called from the belly of the place of the dead,
And from there, You listened to my voice!
3‘You threw me into the heart of the sea…
Into the depths [of its waters],
By the currents, I was surrounded.
All your surges and waves passed over me.
4‘Then I said:
‘I have been pushed away from Your eyes…
Will I ever gaze at Your Holy Temple again?
5‘But the waters poured around me,
And then, they reached my soul…
By the deep, I was encircled,
And my head went under the water,
To the very foundations of the mountains.
6‘Into the earth, I descended…
Whose bars were eternal restraints.
‘[And I said:]
‘Let my life rise from corruption,’
O [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord”, my God.’
7‘Then, as my life was failing within me,
I remembered the Lord,
For my prayer ascended to You…
[Yes, it came] into Your Holy Temple!
8‘Those who pay attention to vain things,
And those who will listen to lies…
They have abandoned their mercy.
9But, I’ll offer you [a] sacrifice,
With [a] voice of praise and thanks!
I’ll pay back everything I’ve vowed
To you, the Lord of Salvation!’
10And at that, the Lord gave orders to the large sea creature, and it vomited Jonah out on dry land.
3
Jonah is Sent to Nineveh, Again
1Well thereafter, The Word of [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” came to Jonah a second time and said:
2‘Now, you must get up and travel to the great city of Nineveh, and proclaim to it the message I told you before.’
3So Jonah got up and traveled to Nineveh, just as [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” had told him (for The God viewed Nineveh to be a great city), about [a] three-day road journey.
Jonah Arrives at Nineveh
4Then when Jonah arrived at the city, he spent [a full] day traveling through it proclaiming:
‘In just three days, Nineveh will be destroyed!’
5Well, because the men of Nineveh believed in The God, they called for a fast, and then everyone (from their least to their greatest) put on sackcloth. 6And when [Jonah’s] words reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, removed all of his clothes and put on sackcloth, and then he sat in ashes.
7A proclamation was then sent throughout Nineveh by the king and his great men. It said:
‘The people, the cattle, the oxen, the sheep… They’re not allowed to eat, to graze, nor to drink water!
8‘They must each wrap themselves and their cattle in sackcloth as they all fervently call out to God! Also, every man must turn from his wicked ways and from the sins of his hands and say:
9‘Who knows if God will change His mind and turn from the anger of His rage, so that we’ll not perish?’
10Well, when The God saw what they were doing and that they’d turned from their wicked ways, He changed His mind about the evil that He said He’d do to them, and He didn’t do it.
4
Jonah is Upset by the Ninevites’ Repentance
1However, Jonah was very, very upset and confused by this…
2So he prayed to [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” and said:
‘O Lord,
‘Wasn’t this what I said [would happen] when I was back in my own land?
‘It was because of something like this that I thought about fleeing to Tharsis! For I knew that because You are kind, sympathetic, lenient, and full of mercy, You’d change Your mind about doing such evil!
3‘So now, O Master and Lord, please take my life from me… For it’s better for me to die than to live!’
4And [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” asked Jonah:
‘Has this [really] grieved you that much?’
Jonah Builds a Shelter
5Well after that, Jonah left the city and sat down in front of it… He built a shelter and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to the city.
6Then [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” The God provided a gourd [plant] that grew up over Jonah’s head to shade him from his troubles. And Jonah became very happy over the gourd [plant] with great joy.
7But then, early the next morning, The God commanded a worm [to appear], and it attacked the [plant] and killed it, and [the plant] dried up. 8And just as the sun was rising, The God also commanded a scorching wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head. He became so discouraged that he just wanted to resign from life.
For he said:
‘It’s better for me to die than to live!’
9Then God asked Jonah:
‘Are you [really] that grieved over the gourd [plant]?’
And he replied:
‘Yes, I’m grieved to the point of death!’
10And [Jehovah][Yahweh]“Lord” said:
‘You treated that plant so tenderly… Despite the fact that you didn’t work hard over it, didn’t nourish it, and even though it grew up in a single night and was gone in a single night!
11‘So, shouldn’t I spare Nineveh, this great city, where more than 120,000 people live… [People] who haven’t known their right hands from their left, and many cattle?’
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