Editing Jonah (section)

==Book of Jonah==
{{main|Book of Jonah}}
[[File:Pieter Lastman - Jonah and the Whale - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|''Jonah and the Whale'' (1621) by [[Pieter Lastman]]]]
[[File:Dore jonah.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|''[[Gustave Doré's illustrations for La Grande Bible de Tours|Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites]]'' (1866) by [[Gustave Doré]], in ''La Grande Bible de Tours'']]
Jonah is the central character in the Book of Jonah, in which [[Yahweh|God]] commands him to go to the city of [[Nineveh]] to prophesy against it "for their great wickedness is come up before me",<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|1:2|9}}</ref> but Jonah instead attempts to flee from "the presence of the Lord" by going to [[Jaffa]] (sometimes [[transliteration|transliterated]] as ''Joppa'' or ''Joppe''). He sets sail for [[Tarshish#In later history|Tarshish]].<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|1:3|9}}</ref> A huge storm arises and the sailors, realizing that it is no ordinary storm, [[Cleromancy|cast lots]] and discover that Jonah is to blame.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|1:4-7|9}}</ref> Jonah admits this and says that if he is thrown overboard, the storm will cease.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|1:8-12|9}}</ref> The sailors refuse to do this and continue rowing, but all their efforts fail, and they eventually throw Jonah overboard.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|1:13-15|9}}</ref> As a result, the storm calms and the sailors offer sacrifices to God.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|1:15-16|9}}</ref>

After being cast from the ship, Jonah is swallowed by a large fish, within the belly of which he remains for three days and three nights.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|1:17|9}}</ref> While in the great fish, Jonah prays to God in his affliction and commits to giving thanks and to paying what he has vowed.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|2:1-9|9}}</ref> God commands the fish to vomit Jonah out.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|2:10|9}}</ref>

God again commands Jonah to travel to Nineveh and prophesy to its inhabitants.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|3:1-2|9}}</ref> This time he travels there and enters the city, crying, "In forty days Nineveh shall be overthrown."<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|3:2-4|9}}</ref> After Jonah has walked across Nineveh, the people begin to believe his word and proclaim a fast.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|3:5|9}}</ref> The king of Nineveh puts on [[sackcloth]] and sits in ashes, making a proclamation which decrees fasting, the wearing of sackcloth, prayer and repentance.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|3:6-9|9}}</ref> God sees their repentant hearts and spares the city at that time.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|3:10|9}}</ref> The entire city is humbled and broken, with the people (and even the livestock)<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|3:8|9}}</ref>{{sfn|Gaines|2003|page=25}} wearing sackcloth and ashes.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|3:|9}}</ref>

Displeased by this, Jonah refers to his earlier flight to Tarshish while asserting that, since God is merciful, it was inevitable that God would turn from the threatened calamities.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|4:1-4|9}}</ref> He leaves the city and makes a shelter, waiting to see whether or not the city will be destroyed.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|4:5|9}}</ref> God causes a plant (in Hebrew a ''[[kikayon]]'') to grow over Jonah's shelter to give him some shade from the sun.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|4:6|9}}</ref> Later, God causes a worm to bite the plant's root and it withers.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|4:7|9}}</ref> Jonah, exposed to the full force of the sun, becomes faint and pleads for God to kill him.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|4:8|9}}</ref>

{{blockquote|But God said to Jonah: "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" And he said: "I do. I am angry enough to die."<br />But the LORD said: "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight, and died overnight.<br />But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"|Jonah 4:9–11 (NIV)|source=}}