1. A message from the Lord came to Jonah. He was the son of Amittai. The Lord said,
2. "Go to the great city of Nineveh. Preach against it. The sins of its people have come to my attention."
3. But Jonah ran away from the Lord. He headed for Tarshish. So he went down to the port of Joppa. There he found a ship that was going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went on board. Then he sailed for Tarshish. He was running away from the Lord.
4. But the Lord sent a strong wind over the Mediterranean Sea. A wild storm came up. It was so wild that the ship was in danger of breaking apart.