Chap. I. God sendeth Ionas vnto Niniue, he fleyth, and is cast in to the see.

Chap. II. A fysh swaloweth vp Ionas, which crieth vnto God, and prayseth hym, and the fysh casteth him out agayne vpon the londe.

Chap. III. God sendeth him agayne to Niniue, to shewe them the punyshment for to come, yf they wil not repent: they amende, and God is mercifull to them.

Chap. IIII. Ionas is angrie, and complayneth of God, which refourmeth him. The first Chapter.

A    ^noteThe worde of the LORDE came vnto Ionas the sonne of Amithai, sayenge: Aryse, and get the to Niniue that greate cite: and preach vnto them, ^note how þt; their wickednesse is come vp before me. And Ionas made him ready to fle vnto Tharsis from the presence of the LORDE, and gat him downe to Ioppa: where he founde a shippe ready for to go vnto Tharsis. So he payde his fare, and wente aborde, that he might go

with them vnto Tharsis from the presence of the LORDE. But the LORDE hurled a greate wynde in to the see, and there was a mightie tempest in the see: so that the shippe was in ioperdy of goinge in peces. Then the maryners were afrayde, and cried euery man vnto his god: and the goodes that were in the shippe, they cast in to the see, to lighten it off them. But Ionas gat him vnder þe; hatches, where he layed him downe and slombred.

B   So the master of the shippe came to him and sayde vnto him: why slomberest thou? Vp, call vpon thy God: yf God (happly) wil thynke vpon vs, that we peryshe not. And they sayde one to another: come, let vs cast lottes: that we maye knowe, for whose cause we are thus troubled. ^noteAnd so they cast lottes, and the lot fell vpon Ionas.

Th&ebar; sayde they vnto him: tell vs, for whose cause are we thus troubled? what is thine occupacion? whence commest thou? what countre man art thou, and of what nacion? He answered them: I am an Ebrue, and I feare the LORDE God of heauen, which made both the see and drie londe. Then were þe; men exceadingly afrayed, ∧ sayde vnto him: why didest thou so? (for they knewe, that he was fled from the presence of the LORDE, because he had tolde them) and sayde morouer vnto him: What shall we do vnto the, that the see maye ceasse from troublinge vs? C   (for the see wrought and was troublous) he answered them: Take me, and cast me in to the see, so shal it let you be in rest: for I wote, it is for my sake, that this greate tempest is come vpon you.

Neuerthelesse, the men assayed with rowinge, to brynge the shippe to l&obar;de: but it wolde not be, because the see wrought so, ∧ was so troublous agaynst them. Wherfore they cried vnto the LORDE, and sayde: ^note O LORDE, let vs not perish for this mans death, nether laye thou innocent bloude vnto oure charge: for thou (o LORDE) hast done, euen as thy pleasure was.

So they toke Ionas, and cast him in to the see, and the see lefte ragynge. And the men feared the LORDE exceadingly, doynge sacrifices &abar;d makynge vowes vnto the LORDE. The II. Chapter.

A    ^noteBvt the LORDE prepared a greate fyshe, to swalow vp Ionas. So was Ionas in the bely of the fysh, thre dayes and thre nightes. And Ionas prayed vnto the LORDE his God, out of the fysshes bely, and sayed: ^note In my trouble I called vnto þe; LORDE, and he herde me: out off the bely off hell I cried, and thou herdest my voyce. Thou haddest cast me downe depe in þe; middest off the see, and the floude compased me aboute: ^note yee all thy wawes and rowles of water went ouer me, I thought that I had bene cast awaye out of thy sight: but I wil yet agayne loke towarde thy holy temple.

B   The waters compased me, euen to the very soule: the depe laye aboute me, and the wedes were wrapte aboute myne heade. I wente downe to the botome of the hilles, ∧ was barred in with earth for euer. But thou (o LORDE my God) hast brought vp my lyfe agayne out of corrupcion. When my soule faynted within me, I thought vpon the LORDE: and my prayer came in vnto the, euen in to thy holy temple, They that holde of vayne vanyties, wil forsake his mercy. But I wil do the sacrifice with the voyce of thankesgeuynge, and wil paye that I haue vowed: for why? saluacion commeth of the LORDE. And þe; LORDE spake vnto þe; fysh, and it cast out Ionas agayne vpon the drye londe. The III. Chapter.

A    ^noteThen came the worde of the LORDE vnto Ionas agayne, sayenge: vp, and get the to Niniue that greate cite, ∧ preach vnto them the preachinge, which I bade the. So Ionas arose, and wente to Niniue at the LORDES commaundement. Niniue was a greate cite vnto God, namely, off thre dayes iourney.

And Ionas wente to, and entred in to þe; cite: euen a dayes iourney, and cried, sayenge: There are yet xl. dayes, and then shal Niniue be ouerthrowen. ^noteAnd the people of Niniue beleued God, and proclamed fastinge, and arayed them selues in sack cloth, as well the greate as the small of them. And the tydinges came vnto þe; kinge of Niniue, which arose out off his seate, and dyd his apparell off, and put on sack cloth, and sate him downe in asshes.

B   And it was cried and commaunded in Niniue, by the auctorite of the k&ibar;ge and his lordes, sayenge: ^note se that nether man or beest, oxe or shepe taist ought at all: and that they nether fede ner drincke water: but put on sack cloth both man and beest, and crye mightely vnto God: ^note yee se that euery man turne fr&obar; his euell waye, and from the wickednesse, þt; he hath in honde.

Who can tell? God maye turne, and rep&ebar;te, and cease from his fearce wrath, that we perish not. And when God sawe their workes, how they turned from their wicked wayes: ^note he repented on the euell, which he sayde he wolde do vnto them, and dyd it not. The IIII. Chapter.

A   Wherfore Ionas was sore discont&ebar;t, and angrie. And he prayed vnto the LORDE, and sayde: O LORDE, was not this my sayenge (I praye the) when I was yet in my countre? therfore I haisted rather to fle vnto Tharsis, for I knowe well ynough that thou art a mercifull God, full of compassion, l&obar;ge sufferinge, and of greate kyndnesse, and repentest when thou shuldest take punyshment. ^noteAnd now o LORDE, take my life fro me (I beseke the) for I had rather dye then lyue. Then sayde the LORDE: art thou so angrie? And Ionas gat him out of the cite, and sat downe on þe; east syde therof: and there made him a bothe, and sat vnder it in the shadow, till he might se, what shulde chaunce vnto the cite.

And the LORDE God prepared a wylde vyne, which sprange vp ouer Ionas, that he might haue shadowe aboue his heade, to delyuer him out of his payne. And Ionas was exceadinge glad of the wylde vyne. But vp&obar; the nexte morow agaynst the springe of the daye, the LORDE ordened a worme, which smote the wylde vyne, so that it wethered awaye. And when the S&obar;ne was vp God prepared a feruent east wynde: and the Sonne bete ouer the heade of Ionas, that he faynted agayne, and wy&esset;shed vnto his soule, that he might dye, and sayde: It is better for me to dye, th&ebar; to lyue. And God sayd vnto Ionas: Art thou so angrie for the wylde vyne? And he sayde: yee very angrie am I euen vnto the deeth. And the LORDE sayde: thou hast compassion vpon a wylde vyne, wher&obar; thou bestowdest no laboure, ner maydest it growe: which sprange vp in one night and perished in another: And shulde not I then haue compassion vpon Niniue that greate cite, wherin there are aboue an C. and xx. thousande personnes, þt; knowe not their right h&obar;de fr&obar; the lefte, besydes moch catell? The ende of the prophet Ionas.

Previous section

Next section