Et factum est verbum Domini ad Jonam, filium Amathi, dicens:

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonas the son of Amathi, saying:

The Lord’s voice came to Jonas, the son of Amathi:

Surge, et vade in Niniven, civitatem grandem, et prædica in ea, quia ascendit malitia ejus coram me.

Arise, and go to Ninive the great city, and preach in it: for the wickedness thereof is come up before me.

Up, and to the great city of Nineve make thy way; I would have thee preach to them; great guilt of theirs claims my cognizance.

Et surrexit Jonas, ut fugeret in Tharsis a facie Domini, et descendit in Joppen: et invenit navem euntem in Tharsis, et dedit naulum ejus, et descendit in eam ut iret cum eis in Tharsis a facie Domini.

And Jonas rose up to flee into Tharsis from the face of the Lord, and he went down to Joppe, and found a ship going to Tharsis: and he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tharsis from the face of the Lord.

Rise up he did, but his thought was, he would escape to Tharsis, and there avoid the Lord’s scrutiny. So he made his way to Joppa, and there, sure enough, was a ship bound for Tharsis; passage-money was paid, and aboard went Jonas with the rest of them, sailing for Tharsis to be out of the Lord’s way.

Dominus autem misit ventum magnum in mare: et facta est tempestas magna in mari, et navis periclitabatur conteri.

But the Lord sent a great wind into the sea: and a great tempest was raised in the sea, and the ship was in danger to be broken.

But now the Lord sent out a boisterous wind over the sea, that raised a great tempest there, and the ship was like to have been broken all to pieces.

Et timuerunt nautæ, et clamaverunt viri ad deum suum, et miserunt vasa quæ erant in navi, in mare, ut alleviaretur ab eis; et Jonas descendit ad interiora navis, et dormiebat sopore gravi.

And the mariners were afraid, and the men cried to their god: and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship, into the sea, to lighten it of them: and Jonas went down into the inner part of the ship, and fell into a deep sleep.

Sore afraid the mariners were, and loud they called upon their god; ay, and fell to throwing the tackle overboard, to lighten ship. And what of Jonas? He had gone down into the ship’s hold, and fallen fast asleep.

Et accessit ad eum gubernator, et dixit ei: Quid tu sopore deprimeris? surge, invoca Deum tuum, si forte recogitet Deus de nobis, et non pereamus.

And the shipmaster came to him, and said to him: Why art thou fast asleep? rise up, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think of us, that we may not perish.

But that would not serve; up came the captain and asked what he meant, to lie there sleeping? Up, said he, and cry out upon thy God! Who knows but God will take pity on us, and grant us our lives yet?

Et dixit vir ad collegam suum: Venite et mittamus sortes, et sciamus quare hoc malum sit nobis. Et miserunt sortes, et cecidit sors super Jonam.

And they said every one to his fellow: Come and let us cast lots, that we may know why this evil is upon us. And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonas.

By this, the ship’s company were of another counsel; Nay, said one to other, cast we the lot, and so find out how it is that such peril has befallen us! Cast lots they did, and Jonas was singled out.

Et dixerunt ad eum: Indica nobis cujus causa malum istud sit nobis: quod est opus tuum? quæ terra tua, et quo vadis? vel ex quo populo es tu?

And they said to him: Tell us for what cause this evil is upon us, what is thy business? of what country art thou? and whither goest thou? or of what people art thou?

Tell us, they cried, for whose sake it is that we are come into such peril! Tell us what thy errand is, whence thou art journeying and whither, what nation it was gave thee birth.

Et dixit ad eos: Hebræus ego sum, et Dominum Deum cæli ego timeo, qui fecit mare et aridam.

And he said to them: I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, and the God of heaven, who made both the sea and the dry land.

I am a Hebrew, he told them, and worship the Lord, the God of heaven, that made the sea and the dry land both.

Et timuerunt viri timore magno, et dixerunt ad eum: Quid hoc fecisti? cognoverunt enim viri quod a facie Domini fugeret, quia indicaverat eis.

And the men were greatly afraid, and they said to him: Why hast thou done this? (for the men knew that he fled from the face of the Lord: because he had told them.)

And when they heard (for he told them all) that this was a man who would escape from the Lord’s sight, they were in a great taking of fear. What ailed thee? they asked.

Et dixerunt ad eum: Quid faciemus tibi, et cessabit mare a nobis? quia mare ibat, et intumescebat.

And they said to him: What shall we do to thee, that the sea may be calm to us? for the sea flowed and swelled.

And how must we use thee, if we would have yonder seas calmed for us? (Even as they spoke, the waves grew more angry yet.)

Et dixit ad eos: Tollite me, et mittite in mare, et cessabit mare a vobis: scio enim ego quoniam propter me tempestas hæc grandis venit super vos.

And he said to them: Take me up, and cast me into the sea, and the sea shall be calm to you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

Why, said he, take me up and throw me over the ship’s side, and the sea will grant you respite; doubt there is none, I am the cause of all this peril that has befallen you.

Et remigabant viri ut reverterentur ad aridam, et non valebant, quia mare ibat, et intumescebat super eos.

And the men rowed hard to return to land, but they were not able: because the sea tossed and swelled upon them.

What would you? They fell to the oars, hoping to make land thus, but could nothing avail; ever angrier grew the seas about them.

Et clamaverunt ad Dominum, et dixerunt: Quæsumus, Domine, ne pereamus in anima viri istius, et ne des super nos sanguinem innocentem: quia tu, Domine, sicut voluisti, fecisti.

And they cried to the Lord, and said: We beseech thee, O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.

And at last they cried out upon the Lord; Take we this man’s life, they said, let it not be to our own undoing! Do not charge us with the death of an innocent man, thou who hast so manifested thy divine will!

Et tulerunt Jonam, et miserunt in mare: et stetit mare a fervore suo.

And they took Jonas, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from raging.

And with that, they took Jonas up, and threw him over the ship’s side. All at once, the raging of the sea was stilled;

Et timuerunt viri timore magno Dominum: et immolaverunt hostias Domino, et voverunt vota.

And the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and sacrificed victims to the Lord, and made vows.

what awe fell on those mariners! What sacrifices they made, what vows they offered to the Lord!