Jonah Flees from the LORD (Nahum 1:1–15)
1 UDB One day Yahweh said to the prophet Jonah son of Amittai, BSB BSB: Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying,
2 UDB "I have seen how wicked the people are who live in the great city of Nineveh. Therefore go there and warn the people that I am planning to destroy their city because of their sins." BSB BSB: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me.”
3 UDB But instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah went in the direction of the city of Tarshish to get away from Yahweh. He went down to the city of Joppa. There he paid the money to travel on a ship that was going to the city of Tarshish, and he got on. BSB BSB: Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
The Great Storm (Acts 27:13–26)
4 UDB Then he went down to a lower deck, lay down, and went to sleep. But Yahweh caused a very strong wind to blow, and there was such a violent storm that the sailors thought that the ship would break apart. BSB BSB: Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart.
5 UDB The sailors were very frightened. Because of that, they each started to pray to their own gods to save them. Then they threw the cargo into the sea to make the ship lighter so that it would not sink easily. BSB BSB: The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
6 UDB Then the captain went down to where Jonah was sleeping soundly. He awoke him and said to him, "How can you sleep during a storm like this? Get up and pray to your god! Perhaps he will pity us and save us so that we will not drown!" BSB BSB: The captain approached him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call upon your God. Perhaps this God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”
7 UDB Then the sailors said to each other, "We need to cast lots to determine who has caused all this trouble!" So they did that, and the lot indicated Jonah. BSB BSB: “Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 UDB So various ones of them asked him, "Who is the one who has caused us all this trouble?" "What work do you do?" "Where are you coming from?" "What country and what people do you belong to?" BSB BSB: “Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?”
9 UDB Jonah replied, "I am a Hebrew. I worship Yahweh God, who lives in heaven. He is the one who made the sea and the land. BSB BSB: “I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 UDB I am running away from Yahweh; he is the one who called me to be a prophet." After the sailors heard that, they were terrified. So they said to him, "Do you realize what trouble you have caused?" BSB BSB: Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
Jonah Cast into the Sea 11 UDB The storm kept getting worse and the waves kept getting bigger. So one of the sailors asked Jonah, "What should we do with you in order to make the sea become calm for us?" BSB BSB: Now the sea was growing worse and worse, so they said to Jonah, “What must we do to you to calm this sea for us?”
12 UDB He replied, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. If you do that, it will become calm for you. I know that this terrible storm happened because I did not do what Yahweh told me to do." BSB BSB: “Pick me up,” he answered, “and cast me into the sea, so it may quiet down for you. For I know that I am to blame for this violent storm that has come upon you.”
13 UDB But the sailors did not want to do that. Instead, they tried hard to row the ship back to the land. But they could not do that, because the storm continued to get worse. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was raging against them more and more.
14 UDB Therefore they prayed to Yahweh, and one of them prayed, "O Yahweh, please do not say we are guilty if we make this man die; please do not kill us. O Yahweh, you have done what you wanted to do." BSB BSB: So they cried out to the LORD: “Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life! Do not charge us with innocent blood! For You, O LORD, have done as You pleased.”
15 UDB Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea. Then the sea became calm. BSB BSB: Then they picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm.
16 UDB When that happened, the sailors became greatly awed at Yahweh's power. So they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh, and they strongly promised him that they would do things that would please him. BSB BSB: Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him.