To The Word – Day 124

₁One day the LORD spoke to Jonah son of Amittai. ₂He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware how wicked its people are.” ₃Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the LORD. ₄But the LORD sent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up. ₅The sailors were terrified and cried out for help, each one to his own god. Then, in order to lessen the danger, they threw the cargo overboard. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone below and was lying in the ship's hold, sound asleep.

₆The captain found him there and said to him, “What are you doing asleep? Get up and pray to your god for help. Maybe he will feel sorry for us and spare our lives.”

₇The sailors said to one another, “Let's draw lots and find out who is to blame for getting us into this danger.” They did so, and Jonah's name was drawn. ₈So they said to him: “Now then, tell us! Who is to blame for this? What are you doing here? What country do you come from? What is your nationality?”

₉“I am a Hebrew,” Jonah answered. “I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.” ₁₀Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from the LORD.

The sailors were terrified, and said to him, “That was an awful thing to do!” ₁₁The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him, “What should we do to you to stop the storm?”

₁₂Jonah answered, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm.”

₁₃Instead, the sailors tried to get the ship to shore, rowing with all their might. But the storm was getting worse and worse, and they got nowhere. ₁₄So they cried out to the LORD, “O LORD, we pray, don't punish us with death for taking this man's life! You, O LORD, are responsible for all this; it is your doing.” ₁₅Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and it calmed down at once. ₁₆This made the sailors so afraid of the LORD that they offered a sacrifice and promised to serve him.

₁₇At the LORD's command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and nights.

₁From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God:

₁₀Then the LORD ordered the fish to spew Jonah up on the beach, and it did.

₁Once again the LORD spoke to Jonah. ₂He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people the message I have given you.” ₃So Jonah obeyed the LORD and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it. ₄Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!”

₅The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.

₆When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. ₇He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: “This is an order from the king and his officials: no one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink. ₈All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up his wicked behaviour and his evil actions. ₉Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!”

₁₀God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behaviour. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

₁Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry. ₂So he prayed, “LORD, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish. ₃Now, LORD, let me die. I am better off dead than alive.”

₄The LORD answered, “What right have you to be angry?”

₅Jonah went out east of the city and sat down. He made a shelter for himself and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh. ₆Then the LORD God made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him some shade, so that he would be more comfortable. Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant. ₇But at dawn the next day, at God's command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died. ₈After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint from the heat of the sun beating down on his head. So he wished he were dead. “I am better off dead than alive,” he said.

₉But God said to him, “What right have you to be angry about the plant?”

Jonah replied, “I have every right to be angry — angry enough to die!”

₁₀The LORD said to him, “This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it, and you didn't make it grow — yet you feel sorry for it! ₁₁How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!”

₁During the second year that Darius was emperor of Persia, on the first day of the sixth month, the LORD spoke through the prophet Haggai. The message was for the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and for the High Priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

₂The LORD Almighty said to Haggai, “These people say that this is not the right time to rebuild the Temple.” ₃The LORD then gave this message to the people through the prophet Haggai: ₄“My people, why should you be living in well-built houses while my Temple lies in ruins? ₅Don't you see what is happening to you? ₆You have sown much corn, but have harvested very little. You have food to eat, but not enough to make you full. You have wine to drink, but not enough to get drunk on! You have clothing, but not enough to keep you warm. And a worker cannot earn enough to live on. ₇Can't you see why this has happened? ₈Now go up into the hills, get timber, and rebuild the Temple; then I will be pleased and will be worshipped as I should be.

₉“You hoped for large harvests, but they turned out to be small. And when you brought the harvest home, I blew it away. Why did I do that? Because my Temple lies in ruins while every one of you is busy working on his own house. ₁₀That is why there is no rain and nothing can grow. ₁₁I have brought drought on the land — on its hills, cornfields, vineyards, and olive orchards — on every crop the ground produces, on people and animals, on everything you try to grow.”

₁₂Then Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people who had returned from the exile in Babylonia, did what the LORD their God told them to do. They were afraid and obeyed the prophet Haggai, the LORD's messenger. ₁₃Then Haggai gave the LORD's message to the people: “I will be with you — that is my promise.” ₁₄The LORD inspired everyone to work on the Temple: Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah; Joshua, the High Priest, and all the people who had returned from the exile. They began working on the Temple of the LORD Almighty, their God, ₁₅on the 24th day of the sixth month of the second year that Darius was emperor.

₁On the 21st day of the seventh month of that same year, the LORD spoke again through the prophet Haggai. ₂He told Haggai to speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, to Joshua, the High Priest, and to the people, and to say to them, ₃“Is there anyone among you who can still remember how splendid the Temple used to be? How does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all. ₄But now don't be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you. ₅When you came out of Egypt, I promised that I would always be with you. I am still with you, so do not be afraid.

₆“Before long I will shake heaven and earth, land and sea. ₇I will overthrow all the nations, and their treasures will be brought here, and the Temple will be filled with wealth. ₈All the silver and gold of the world is mine. ₉The new Temple will be more splendid than the old one, and there I will give my people prosperity and peace.” The LORD Almighty has spoken.

₁₀On the 24th day of the ninth month of the second year that Darius was emperor, the LORD Almighty spoke again to the prophet Haggai. ₁₁He said, “Ask the priests for a ruling on this question: ₁₂Suppose someone takes a piece of consecrated meat from a sacrifice and carries it in a fold of his robe. If he then lets his robe touch any bread, cooked food, wine, olive oil, or any kind of food at all, will it make that food consecrated also?”

When the question was asked, the priests answered, “No.”

₁₃Then Haggai asked, “Suppose someone is defiled because he has touched a dead body. If he then touches any of these foods, will that make them defiled too?”

The priests answered, “Yes.”

₁₄Then Haggai said, “The LORD says that the same thing applies to the people of this nation and to everything they produce; and so everything they offer on the altar is defiled.”

₁₅The LORD says, “Can't you see what has happened to you? Before you started to rebuild the Temple, ₁₆you would go to a heap of corn expecting to find 200 kilogrammes, but there would be only a hundred. You would go to draw a hundred litres of wine from a vat, but find only forty. ₁₇I sent scorching winds and hail to ruin everything you tried to grow, but still you did not repent. ₁₈Today is the 24th day of the ninth month, the day that the foundation of the Temple has been completed. See what is going to happen from now on. ₁₉Although there is no corn left, and the grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced, yet from now on I will bless you.”

₂₀On that same day, the 24th of the month, the LORD gave Haggai a second message ₂₁for Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah: “I am about to shake heaven and earth ₂₂and overthrow kingdoms and end their power. I will overturn chariots and their drivers; the horses will die, and their riders will kill one another. ₂₃On that day I will take you, Zerubbabel my servant, and I will appoint you to rule in my name. You are the one I have chosen.” The LORD Almighty has spoken.