Jonah and Nineveh

During the era of the Divided Monarchy, the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, commanding him to go to Nineveh and cry out against it because of its wickedness. Jonah instead went to Joppa and boarded a ship bound for Tarshish to flee from the presence of the Lord (Jonah 1:1-3). The Lord sent a great wind upon the sea, resulting in a tempest that threatened the ship. The mariners cast lots to determine who was responsible for the calamity, and the lot fell on Jonah. After Jonah instructed them to throw him into the sea to calm the storm, the men did so, and the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow him (Jonah 1:4-17).

Jonah remained inside the fish for three days and three nights, where he prayed to the Lord. Following this prayer, the fish vomited Jonah onto dry land. The Lord commanded Jonah a second time to go to Nineveh, and Jonah obeyed. He entered the city, which was a three days' journey across, and proclaimed that in forty days Nineveh would be overturned (Jonah 3:1-4). The people of Nineveh believed God, called for a fast, and put on sackcloth. The king of Nineveh issued a decree for all people and animals to fast and cry mightily to God, hoping that God would turn from His fierce anger.

When God saw that the people turned from their evil way, He did not bring the disaster He had threatened. This outcome displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, stating he had fled to Tarshish because he knew God was gracious and merciful. Jonah went out of the city and sat under a shelter to see what would happen to the city (Jonah 4:1-5). God prepared a plant to shade Jonah, then a worm to wither the plant, and a vehement east wind. When Jonah expressed a desire to die because of his discomfort, the Lord questioned Jonah's pity for the plant while noting His own compassion for the more than 120,000 persons in Nineveh (Jonah 4:6-11).