1-2. One day long ago, God’s Word came to Jonah, Amittai’s son: “Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They’re in a bad way and I can’t ignore it any longer.”
3. But Jonah got up and went the other direction to Tarshish, running away from God. He went down to the port of Joppa and found a ship headed for Tarshish. He paid the fare and went on board, joining those going to Tarshish—as far away from God as he could get.
7. Then the sailors said to one another, “Let’s get to the bottom of this. Let’s draw straws to identify the culprit on this ship who’s responsible for this disaster.”So they drew straws. Jonah got the short straw.
8. Then they grilled him: “Confess. Why this disaster? What is your work? Where do you come from? What country? What family?”
9. He told them, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship God, the God of heaven who made sea and land.”
10. At that, the men were frightened, really frightened, and said, “What on earth have you done!” As Jonah talked, the sailors realized that he was running away from God.
11. They said to him, “What are we going to do with you—to get rid of this storm?” By this time the sea was wild, totally out of control.