¶ The Storie of the prophete Ionas.

The first Chapter.

The worde of the lorde came vn to the prophete Ionas y^e sonne of Amithai sayenge: ryse & gett the to Niniue that greate citie & preach vn to thē / how that theyr wekednesse is come vpp before me.

¶ And Ionas made hī ready to fle to Tharsis frō the presens of y^e lorde / & gatt hym downe to Ioppe / and founde there a sheppe ready to goo to Tharsis / & payed his fare / & wēt aborde / to goo with them to Tharsis frō the presens of the lorde.

¶ But y^e lorde hurled a greate winde in to y^e se / so that there was a myghtie tēpest in the se: in so moch y^t the shepp was lyke to goo in peces. And the mariners were afrayed & cried euery man vn to his god / & cast out y^e goodes y^t were in y^e sheppe in to y^e se / to lighten it of thē. But Ionas gatt him vnder the hatches & layed him downe and slombrede. And y^e master of the sheppe came to him & sayd vn to hī / why slomberest thou? vpp! & call vn to thy god / that God maye thinke on vs / that we perish not.

¶ And they sayde one to a nother / come & lett vs cast lottes / to know for whose cause we are thus troublede. And they cast lottes. And y^e lott fell vppon Ionas.

¶ Thē they said vnto hī / tel vs for whose cause we are thus trowbled: what is thine occupaciō / whence comest thou / how is thy cōtre called / & of what nacion art thou?

¶ And he answered thē / I am an Ebrue: & the lord God of heuen which made both se and drie land / I feare. Then were the men exceadingly afrayd & sayd vn to him / why diddest thou so? For they knew that he was fled from the presens of the lorde / because he had told them.

¶ Then they sayd vn to hym / what shall we doo vnto the / that the se maye cease frō trowblinge vs? For the se wrought & was trowblous. And he answered them / take me and cast me in to the se / & so shall it lett you be in reste: for I wotte / is is for my sake / that this greate tempest is come oppon you. Neuerthelesse the men assayed wyth rowenge to bringe the sheppe to lande: but it wold not be / because the se so wrought & was so trowblous agenst them. Wherefore they cried vn to the lorde & sayd: O lorde latt vs not perih for this mans deeth / nether laye innocēt bloud vn to oure charge: for thou lorde even as thy pleasure was / so thou hast done.

¶ And thē they toke Ionas / & cast hī in to y^e se / & the se left ragynge. And y^e men feared the lorde excedingly: & sacrificed sacrififice vn to the lorde: and vowed vowes.

¶ The seconde Chapter.

But y^e lorde prepared a greate fyshe / to swalow vp Ionas. And so was Ionas in y^e bowels of y^e fish .iij. dayes & .iij. nightes. And Ionas prayed vnto y^e lord his god out of y^e bowels of the fish.

¶ And he sayde: in my tribulacion I called vn to the lorde / and he answered me: out of the bely of hell I cried / ād thou herdest my voyce. For thou hadest cast me downe depe in the middes of the se: & the floud cōpased me aboute: and all thy waues & rowles of water wēt ouer me: & I thought y^t I had bene cast awaye out of thy sight. But I will yet agayne loke towarde thy holy temple. The water cōpased me euē vn to the very soule of me: the depe laye aboute me: ād the wedes were wrappte aboude myne heed. And I wēt downe vn to the botome of the hylles / and was barredin with erth on euery syde for euer. And yet thou lorde my God broughest vp my life agayne out of corrupcion. When my soule faynted in me / I thought on the lorde: & my prayer came in vn to the / even in to thy holy temple. They y^t obserue vayne vanities / haue forsakē him that was mercifull vn to them. But I wil sacrifice vn to the with the voce of thankesgeuinge / & will paye that I have vowed / that sauinge cometh of the lorde.

¶ And the lorde spake vn to the fish: and it cast out Ionas agayne vppon y^e drie lande.

¶ The .iij. Chapter.

Then came the worde of the lorde vn to Ionas agayne sayenge: vpp / ād gett y^e to Niniue that greate citie / & preache vn to thē the preachynge which I bade y^e. And he arose & wēt to Niniue at y^e lordes cōmaundmēt. Niniue was a greate citie vn to god / cōteynīge .iij. dayes iourney.

¶ And Ionas went to & entred in to y^e citie euen a dayes iourney / and cried sayenge: There shall not passe .xl. dayes but Niniue shalbe ouerthrowen.

¶ And the people of Niniue beleued God / and proclaymed fastynge / ād arayed them selues in sackcloth / as well the greate as the small of them.

¶ And y^e tydinges came vn to the kinge of Niniue / which arose out of his sete / and did his apparell of & put on sackcloth / & sate hī downe in asshes. And it was cried ād commaunded in Niniue by y^e auctorite of y^e kinge ād of his lordes sayenge: se that nether mā or beest / oxe or shepe tast ought at al / & that they nether fede or drinke water.

¶ And they put on sackcloth both man ād beest / & cried vn to God mightily / ād turned euery man from his weked waye / and frō doenge wrōge in which they were acustomed / sayenge: who can tell whether god will turne & repent / & cease from his fearce wrathe / that we perish not? And when god saw theyr workes / how they turned from theyr weked wayes / he repented on y^e euell which he sayd he wold doo vn to them / ād dyd it not.

¶ The .iiij. Chapter.

Wherfore Ionas was sore discontent ād angre. And he prayed vn to the lorde ād sayd: O lord / was not this my sayenge when I was yet in my contre? And therfore I hasted rather to fle to Tharsis: for I knew well ynough that thou wast a mercifull god / ful of cōpassion / long yer thou be angre and of great mercie and repentest when thou art come to take punishment. Now therfore take my life from me / for I had leuer dye then liue. And the lorde said vn to Ionas / art thou so angrie?

¶ And Ionas gate him out of the citie and sate him downe on the est syde theroffe / ād made him there a bothe ād sate thervnder in the shadowe / till he might se what shuld chaunce vn to the citie.

¶ And y^e lorde prepared as it were a wild vine which sprāge vp ouer Ionas / that he might haue shadowe ouer his heed / to deliuer him out of his payne. And Ionas was exceadynge glad of the wild vine.

¶ And the lorde ordeyned a worme agenst the springe of y^e morow mornīge which smote the wild vine / that it wethered awaye. And assone as the sonne was vpp / God prepared a feruent eest winde: so that y^e sonne bete ouer the heed of Ionas / that he fainted agayne ād wished vn to hys soule that he might dye / and sayd / it is better for me to dye then to liue.

¶ And god sayd vn to Ionas / art thou so angre for thy wild vine? And he sayde / I am angrie a goode / even on to the deeth. And the lorde sayde / thou hast compassion on a wild vine / wheron thou bestoweddest no laboure ner madest it growe / which sprange vp in one night and perished in a nother: and shuld not I haue compassion on Niniue that greate citie / wherin there is a multitude of people / euen aboue an hundred thousande that know not theyr right hand from the lyfte / besydes moch catell?