God came to Jonah, son of Amittai.
“You must go to Nineveh and preach, says I.”
But Jonah ran, avoiding the Lord.
Found a Tarshish-bound boat and climbed aboard.
But the winds grew strong and up came great waves.
They said, “Hopefully, by our god we’ll be saved.”
Then Jonah said, “I’ve been filled with insanity!
I am the cause for all this calamity.”
They could have ditched him, but they waited some more.
They picked up their paddles and headed for shore.
But they couldn’t make it, decided to toss him.
They prayed to God, hoping they hadn’t crossed Him.
They threw Jonah over, and calm grew the water.
Then something happened, perhaps even odder.
Jonah was swallowed by a great big fish!
God wouldn’t let Jonah run to Tarshish.
From inside the fish Jonah prayed, wet and icky:
“You’ve been with me, Lord, even when things got sticky.
You listen to me from the depths of this pit.
You take care of me. That I’ll never forget.”
When the fish threw Jonah upon dry land,
God said, “Go where I tell you and preach, I command.”
He said, “Okay, but since I’m gross and gritty,
Can I take a bath ‘fore I go to Your city?”
Jonah preached like God wanted, and it came to pass
That the king heard about Him and declared a fast.
God had threatened to kill them in forty days,
But He had compassion when they changed their ways.
But when God showed them mercy, Jonah got mad.
God didn’t destroy them like he wished God had.
So he went for a walk just outside of the town.
It was hot and dry when Jonah sat down.
So God made a vine grow to give Jonah shade.
He said, “I really like this here vine that You’ve made.”
But the next morning, a worm made it rot.
The heat again made Jonah sweaty and hot.
God said, “Don’t be angry.” Here’s Jonah’s reply:
“This heat is so hot, I would rather die!”
God said, “You had nothing to do with that vine.
And now that it’s gone, you do nothing but whine.”
“Now, Jonah, perhaps you should change your mood.
I know what I’m doing and you’ve been sort of rude.
When it comes to the city, you should prob’ly cool down,
For I have saved many by sparing the town.”
