Study Desk

On the day that you stood aside, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you too were like one of them.

But you should not have gloated over your brother on the day of his misfortune; you should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah on the day of their ruin; you should not have boasted on the day of distress.

You should not have entered the gate of my people on the day of their calamity; you should not have joined in the gloating over Judah's disaster on the day of his calamity; you should not have looted his goods on the day of his calamity.

You should not have stood at the crossings to cut off his fugitives; you should not have handed over his survivors on the day of distress.

But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord . He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord .

Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep.

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish,

When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water.

Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish."

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush.

Hear, you peoples, all of you; listen, O earth, and all that is in it; and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.

For lo, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.

Should this be said, O house of Jacob? Is the Lord 's patience exhausted? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to one who walks uprightly?

Then they will cry to the Lord , but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have acted wickedly.

But as for me, I am filled with power, with the spirit of the Lord , and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.

and many nations shall come and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord ; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.

Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.