The word of the Lord came to Jonah that day,
"Arise, go to Nineveh, preach and don't delay."
But Jonah arose to flee far away,
From the presence of God, he would not obey.
Down to Joppa he went, a ship he found there,
Bound for Tarshish, escaping his care.
He paid the fare, descending below,
Hoping to hide where God couldn't know.
But the Lord sent a tempest, a mighty storm's roar,
The ship was in danger, about to be torn.
The sailors were frightened, casting lots in despair,
To find who brought this curse, this burden to bear.
The book of Jonah
Down in the depths, swallowed whole and deep,
Jonah descended where sunlight couldn't creep.
Three days and nights in the belly he dwelled,
A watery prison, a story to be spelled.
He cried to the Lord from the depths of the grave,
Remembering God's mercy, His power to save.
"I'm cast from Your sight, yet I'll look to Your shrine,
From the depths of despair, Your deliverance is mine."
The weeds wrapped around him, the ocean's cold grasp,
But Jonah remembered, His promise to clasp.
He vowed to give thanks with a sacrifice true,
And pay what he promised, salvation in view.
Then the Lord spoke, and the fish understood,
It vomited Jonah back onto the land, as He would.
A second chance given, a lesson to heed,
Jonah emerged changed, ready to plant the seed.
The book of Jonah
Jonah arose and went to Nineveh,
A city immense, a three-day journey to survey.
He cried, "In forty days, Nineveh shall fall!"
A message of doom, he delivered to all.
The people believed, from the greatest to least,
They proclaimed a fast, from man and from beast.
They put on sackcloth, repenting with might,
Turning from evil, seeking God's light.
The king heard the word, from his throne he descended,
He covered himself in sackcloth, his pride now ended.
He issued a decree, "Let no one taste food,
Let everyone call on God, seeking what's good."
God saw their deeds, their hearts turned around,
He relented from judgment, His mercy profound.
He did not destroy them, His anger subsided,
Nineveh spared, their fate now decided.
The book of Jonah
Jonah was angry, displeased with God's grace,
He prayed, "Wasn't this what I feared in the first place?
That You are a God of compassion and love,
Slow to anger, abounding in mercy from above."
He went from the city, sat down to the east,
Made a shelter, awaiting what might be released.
The Lord provided a plant, giving shade from the sun,
Jonah was grateful, his comfort had begun.
But God sent a worm, which devoured the vine,
And a scorching east wind, making Jonah repine.
He wished for his death, "Better to die than live!"
God questioned his anger, the lesson to give.
"You pity the plant, which you did not grow,
Should I not pity Nineveh, where countless souls flow?
With people and cattle, who cannot discern,
Between right and wrong, a lesson to learn.”
The book of Jonah
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