Study Desk

The dead man's brother, who is to take care of the body, will lift him up to carry his bones from the house. And he will say to the one inside the house, "Is anyone else with you?" That one will say, "No." Then he will say, "Keep quiet! For the name of the Lord must not be spoken."

So the Lord changed His mind about this. "It will not be," said the Lord.

So the Lord changed His mind about this. "This also will not be," said the Lord God.

This is what He showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall made straight by a string held in His hand.

Then Amaziah, the religious leader of Bethel, sent word to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has made plans against you among the people of Israel. His words will destroy the land.

The Lord builds His upper rooms in the heavens and sets His sky over the earth. He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the earth. The Lord is His name.

O how Esau will be robbed! His hidden riches will be looked for until they are found.

You stood aside on that day when strangers carried his riches away. Men from another land went in through his gate and divided Jerusalem among themselves. And you were like one of them.

Do not look down on your brother in the day of his trouble. Do not be happy about the sons of Judah in the day they are destroyed. Yes, do not speak with pride in the day of their trouble.

The sailors became afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the things that were in the ship into the sea so that it would not be so heavy. But Jonah had gone below in the ship and had lain down and fallen asleep.

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God while in the stomach of the fish,

When the news came to the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne and laid aside his beautiful clothing. Then he covered himself with cloth made from hair, and sat in ashes.

And he sent word through all of Nineveh, saying, "By the law of the king and his leaders, do not let man or animal, cattle or flock, taste anything. Do not let them eat or drink water.

Both man and animal must be covered with cloth made from hair. Everyone must pray to God with all his heart, so each person may turn from his sinful way and from the bad things he has done.

Who knows? God may change His mind and stop being angry so that we will not die."

When God saw what they did, and that they turned from their sinful way, He changed His mind about the trouble He said He would bring upon them, and He did not destroy Nineveh.

Then the Lord God made a plant grow up over Jonah to cover him from the hot sun and to stop his suffering. Jonah was very happy about the plant.

When the sun came up, God sent a hot east wind. And the sun's heat came upon Jonah's head so that he became weak and begged with all his heart to die. He said, "Death is better to me than life."

Hear, O people, all of you. Listen, O earth and all who are in it. The Lord God will speak against you from His holy house.

See, the Lord is coming from His place. He will come down and walk on the high places of the earth.