Jonah 1:1-3

Expanded Bible

God Calls and Jonah Runs

1 The ·Lord spoke his word [^Lword of the Lord came] to Jonah son of Amittai: ² “Get up, go to the great city of Nineveh [^Cthe capital of Assyria; Gen. 10:11, 12; 2 Kin. 19:36], and ·preach [cry out] against it, because ·I see the evil things they do [its wickedness has come to my attention/^Lup before me].”

³ But Jonah got up to run away from the Lord by going to Tarshish [^Cprobably Tartessos in southwest Spain, the opposite direction from Nineveh]. He went to the city of Joppa, where he found a ship that was going to the city of Tarshish. Jonah paid for the trip and went aboard, planning to go to Tarshish to run away from the Lord.