Book of Jonah

==Outline==
An outline of the book of Jonah:<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hindson |first1=Ed |title=Illustrated Bible Survey, An Introduction |last2=Towns |first2=Elemer |publisher=B&H Publishing Group |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4336-8221-6 |location=Nashville, TN |pages=293}}</ref>
# Jonah flees his mission ([[Jonah 1|chapters 1]][[Jonah 2|–2]])
## Jonah's Disobedience and its Consequences (1:1–17)
## Jonah's Deliverance and Thanksgiving (2:2–9)
# Jonah reluctantly fulfills his mission ([[Jonah 3|chapters 3]][[Jonah 4|–4]])
## Jonah's Obedience and Nineveh's Repentance (3:1–10)
## Jonah's Displeasure at the Lord's Salvation<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hindson |first1=Ed |title=Illustrated Bible Study, An Introduction |last2=Towns |first2=Elmer |publisher=B&H Publishing Group |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4336-8221-6 |location=Nashville, TN |pages=293}}</ref>

===Summary===
[[File:Dore jonah.jpg|thumb|right|upright|''[[Gustave Doré's illustrations for La Grande Bible de Tours|Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites]]'' (1866) by [[Gustave Doré]]]]
[[File:(f. 431v) Miniature 12 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Jonah in four scenes: bottom left Jonah thrown into the sea by the crew of the boat which was to take him to Tarsis, bottom right, Jonah praying in the mouth of the whale, top left, Jonah preaching to the people of Nineveh outside the city gates, and top right, Jonah praying to God on a rock. ''[[Paris Psalter]]'', f. 431v.]]
Jonah is the central character in the Book of Jonah, in which [[Yahweh]] commands him to go to the city of [[Nineveh]] to prophesy against it for their great wickedness against him.<ref>[[Jonah 1:2]]</ref> However, Jonah instead attempts to run from Yahweh by going to [[Jaffa]] and sailing to [[Tarshish#In later history|Tarshish]].<ref>[[Jonah 1:3]]</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 states 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 are eventually forced to throw Jonah overboard.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|1:13-15|9}}</ref> As a result, the storm calms and the sailors then offer sacrifices to Yahweh.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|1:15-16|9}}</ref> Jonah is miraculously saved by being swallowed by a large fish, in whose belly he spends 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 thanksgiving and to paying what he has vowed.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|2:1-9|9}}</ref> God then commands the fish to vomit Jonah out.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|2:10|9}}</ref>

God then once again commands Jonah to travel to Nineveh and prophesy to its inhabitants.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|3:1-2|9}}</ref> This time he reluctantly goes into 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 of Nineveh begin to believe his word and proclaim a fast.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|3:5|9}}</ref> The king of Nineveh then 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 animals)<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|3:8|9}}</ref>{{sfn|Gaines|2003|page=25}} in 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 then leaves the city and makes himself 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 {{transliteration|he|[[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, now being exposed to the full force of the sun, becomes faint and pleads for God to kill him.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Jonah|4:8|9}}</ref> In response, God offers Jonah one final rebuke:

{{poemquote|
God said to Jonah, "Does your anger over the ''kikayon'' do any good?" And he said, "My anger does good, even to death!"
The LORD said, "You had pity over the ''kikayon'', for which you had not labored, nor made grow, which was in a night, and was lost in a night;
and I should not have pity over the great city of Nineveh, within which are more than twelve myriads of man, whom do not know between their right and their left, and much livestock?"|Book of Jonah, {{Bibleverse||Jonah|4:9-11|9|chapter 4, verses 9-11}}}}
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