1   And the word of our Lord was made to Ionas the sonne of Amathi, saying:

2   Arise, and goe into ^note Niniue the great citie, and preach in it: because the malice therof is ascended before me.

3   And Ionas arose, ^note to flee into Tharsis from the face of our Lord, and he went downe into Ioppe, and found a shippe going into Tharsis: and he gaue the fare therof, & went downe into it, that he might goe with them into Tharsis from the face of our Lord.

4   But our Lord sent a great winde into the sea: and a great tempest was made in the sea, & the shippe was in danger to be broken.

5   And the mariners were afrayd, and the men cried to their god: & they threw the vessels, that were in the shippe, into the sea, that it might be lightned of them: and Ionas went downe into the inner part of the shippe, and slept a deepe sleepe.

6   And the gouerner came to him, & sayd to him: Why art thou oppressed with sleepe? Rise, inuocate thy God, if perhaps God wil thinke of vs, and we perish not.

7   And euerie one sayd to his felow: Come, and ^note let vs cast lottes, and know why this euil is to vs. And they cast lottes, and the lot fel vpon Ionas.

8   And they sayd to him: Tel vs for whose cause this euil is to vs, what is thy worke? what is thy countrie? and whither goest thou? or of what people art thou?

9   And he sayd to them: I am an Hebrew & the Lord God of heauen I feare, which made the sea and the drie land.

10   And the men feared with great feare, and they sayd to him: Why hast thou done this? (For the men knew that he fled from the face of our Lord: because he had told them.)

11   And they sayd to him: What shal we do to thee, and the sea shal cease from vs? because the sea went, and swelled.

12   And he sayd to them: Take me vp, and cast me into the sea, and the sea shal cease from you: for I know that for me this great tempest is vpon you.

13   And the men rowed, to returne to the land, and they were not able: because the sea went and swelled vpon them.

14   And they cried to our Lord, and sayd: We besech thee ô Lord, let vs not perish in the life of this man, and geue not vpon vs innocent bloud: because thou ô Lord, hast done as thou wouldest.

15   And they tooke Ionas, and cast him into the sea: and the sea ceased from his rage.

16   And the men feared our Lord with great feare, & ^note immolated hostes to our Lord, and vowed vowes.

Chap. II. ^note Ionas is swallowed by a great fish; 3. prayeth with confidence in God; 11. and the fish casteth him on the drie land.

1   And our Lord prepared ^note a great fish to swallow done Ionas: and Ionas was in the bellie of the fish three dayes and three nightes.

2   And Ionas ^note prayed to our Lord his God out of the bellie of the fish.

3   And he sayd:

3   I cryed out of my tribulation to our Lord, & he hath heard me: out of the bellie of hel cried I, and thou hast heard my voice.

4   And thou hast cast me forth into the depth in the hart of the sea, and a floud hath compassed me: al thy surges, & thy waues haue passed ouer me.

5   And I sayd: I am cast away from the sight of thine eyes: but yet I shal see thy holie temple againe.

6   The waters haue compassed me euen to the soule: the depth hath inclosed me, the sea hath couered my head.

7   I am descended to the ^note extreme parts of the mountaines: the barres of the earth haue shut me vp for euer: and thou wilt lift vp my life from corruption, ô Lord my God.

8   When my soule was in distresse within me, I remembred our Lord: that my prayer may come to thee vnto thy holie temple.

9   They that kepe vanities in vaine, forsake their mercie.

10   But I in the voice of prayse wil immolate to thee: what thinges soeuer I haue vowed I wil render for saluation to our Lord.

11   And our Lord ^note spake to the fish: and it vomited vp Ionas vpon the drie land. Chap. III. ^note Againe Ionas is commanded to preach in Niniue, that within fourtie dayes it shal be destroyed: 5. They al fast, and repent: 10. and God recalleth his sentence.

1   And the word of our Lord was made to Ionas the second time, saying:

2   Arise, & goe into Niniue ^note the great citie: and preach in it the preaching which I speake to thee.

3   And Ionas arose, & went into Niniue according to the word of our Lord: & Niniue was a great citie of three dayes iorney.

4   And Ionas began to enter into the citie on dayes iorney: & he cried,

and sayd: As yet fourtie dayes, and Niniue ^note shal be subuerted.

5   And the men of Niniue beleued in God: and they proclamed a fast, and were clothed with sackcloths from the greater to the lesser.

6   And the word came to the king of Niniue: and he rose vp out of his throne, and cast away his garment from him, and was clothed with sackcloth, and sate in ashes.

7   And he cried, and sayd in Niniue from the mouth of the king & of his princes, saying: Men, ^note and beasts, and oxen, and cattel let them not taste any thing: nor feede, and let them not drinke water.

8   And let men, and beasts be couered with sackcloths, and crie to our Lord in strength, and let euerie man conuert from his euil way, & from the iniquitie, that is in their handes.

9   Who knoweth if God wil conuert, and forgeue: and wil returne from the furie of his wrath, and we shal not perish?

10   And God saw their workes, that they were conuerted from their euil way: and God had mercie on the euil which he had spoken, that he would do to them, and he did it not. Chap. IIII. The prophet lamenteth for that he was commanded to preach otherwise then it came to passe. 5. Going forth he stayeth nere the citie to see the end; 6. an yuie growing couereth his head from the sunne; 7. but withereth the next day; 8. & he lamenting desireth to dye; 10. and God sheweth that it is more meete to saue Niniue then the yuie.

1   And Ionas ^note was afflicted with great affliction, and was ^note angrie:

2   and he prayed to our Lord, and sayd: I besech thee ô Lord, Why, is not this my word, when I was yet in my countrie? for this did I preuent to flee into Tharsis. For I know that thou art a clement, and merciful God, patient, and of much compassion, and forgeuing vpon the euil.

3   And now Lord take I besech thee my soule from me: because better is death to me then life.

4   And our Lord sayd: Art thou angrie wel thinkest thou?

5   And Ionas went out of the citie, and sate against the East part of the citie: and he made himself a bowre there, and he sate vnder it in the shadow, til he might see what would befal to the citie.

6   And our Lord God prepared an iuie tree, & it came vp ouer the head of Ionas, to be a shadow ouer

his head, and to couer him: for he had laboured: and Ionas reioyced vpon the iuie with great ioy.

7   And God prepared a worme in the rysing of the morning against the morrow: and it stroke the iuie, and it withered.

8   And when the sunne was risen, our Lord commanded an hotte, and burning winde: and the sunne beate vpon the head of Ionas, and he broyled for heate: and he desired for his soule to dye, and sayd: It is better for me to dye then to liue.

9   And our Lord sayd to Ionas: Art thou angrie wel, thinkest thou, for the iuie? And he sayd: ^note I am ^note angrie wel euen vnto death.

10   And our Lord sayd: Thou art sorie for the iuie, wherin thou hast not laboured, nor made it to grow, which in one night came forth, and in one night is perished.

11   And shal not I spare Niniue the great citie, wherin are more then a hundred twentie thousand men, that know not what is betwen their right hand and their left, and manie beastes?

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