Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is the entire book
of Jonah, chapters 1 through 4. Chapter 1 Now
the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of
Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great
city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness
has come up before me. But Jonah arose to flee
to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He
went down to Joppa and found the ship going to
Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into
it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence
of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind
on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on
the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken
up. Then the mariners were afraid, and every
man cried out to his God and threw the cargo
that was in the ship into the sea to lighten
the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest
parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast
asleep. So the captain came to him and said to
him, What do you mean, sleeper? Arise. Call on
your God, perhaps your God will consider us,
so that we may not perish. And they said to one
another, Come, let us cast lots, that we may
know for whose cause this trouble has come upon
us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
Then they said to him, Please tell us, for whose
cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation,
and where do you come from? What is your country,
and of what people are you? So he said to them,
I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of
heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. Then
the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him,
Why have you done this? For the men knew that
he fled from the presence of the Lord, because
he had told them. Then they said to him, What
shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for
us? For the sea was growing more tempestuous.
And he said to them, Pick me up and throw me
into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for
you, for I know that this great tempest is because
of me. Nevertheless the men rode hard to return
to land, but they could not, for the sea continued
to grow more tempestuous against them. Chapter
2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from
the fish's belly, and he said, I cried out to
the Lord because of my affliction, and he answered
me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and he
heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded
me. All your billows and your waves passed over
me. Then I said, I have been cast out of your
sight. Yet I will look again toward your holy
temple. The waters surrounded me, even to my
soul. The deep closed around me. Weeds were wrapped
around my head. I went down to the moorings of
the mountains. The earth with its bars closed
behind me forever. Yet you have brought up my
life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my soul
fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and
my prayer went up to you, into your holy temple.
Those who regard worthless idols forsake their
own mercy, but I will sacrifice to you with the
voice of thanksgiving. I will pay what I have
vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. So the Lord
spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah. On to
dry land. Chapter 3 So the people of Nineveh
believed God, proclaimed the fast, and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of
them. Then the word came to the king of Nineveh,
and he arose from his throne and laid aside his
robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat
in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and
published throughout Nineveh by the decree of
the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither
man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything.
Do not let them eat or drink water. Chapter 4
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became
angry. So he prayed to the Lord and said, Ah,
Lord, was not this what I said when I was still
in my country? Therefore I fled previously to
Tarshish, for I know that you are a gracious
and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant
in lovingkindness, one who relents from doing
harm. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life
from me, for it is better for me to die than
to live. Then the Lord said, Is it right for
you to be angry? So Jonah went out of the city
and sat on the east side of the city. There he
made himself a shelter and sat under it in the
shade, till he might see what would become of
the city. And the Lord God prepared a plant and
made it cover up over Jonah, that it might be
shade for his head to deliver him from his misery.
So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But
as morning dawned, the next day God prepared
a worm And it so damaged the plant that it withered.
And it happened when the sun arose that God prepared
a vehement east wind and the sun beat on Jonah's
head so that he grew faint. Then he wished death
for himself and said, It is better for me to
die than to live. Then God said to Jonah, Is
it right for you to be angry about the plant?
And he said, It is right for me to be angry even
to death. But the Lord said, You have had pity
on the plant for which you have not labored nor
made it grow. which came up in a night and perished
in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that
great city, in which are more than 120 ,000 persons
who cannot discern between their right hand and
their left, and much livestock? I hope you enjoyed
today's reading as much as I did, and I look
forward to seeing you again tomorrow to continue
on our journey. God bless you and have a great
day.