Book of Jonah facts for kids

The Book of Jonah is a short story found in the Old Testament part of the Bible. It has four chapters and tells the amazing adventure of a prophet named Jonah. God asked Jonah to go to a big city called Nineveh. The people of Nineveh were doing many bad things, and God wanted them to change their ways before He had to punish them. Nineveh was the main city of the Assyrians, who were enemies of Jonah's country, Israel. Because of this, Jonah tried to run away from God.

Jonah's Great Escape

Instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah got on a ship heading in the opposite direction, far to the west. God sent a huge storm that made the ship almost sink. The sailors realized someone on board was causing the trouble. God showed them that Jonah was the reason for the storm. Even though they didn't want to, the sailors threw Jonah into the sea, and the storm immediately stopped.

The Big Fish and a Change of Heart

After being thrown into the water, Jonah was swallowed by a great fish (many people believe it was a whale). He stayed inside the fish for three days and three nights. While inside, Jonah thought about his mistake of running away from God. He felt truly sorry and prayed to God. After his prayer, God made the great fish spit Jonah out onto dry land. Now, Jonah was ready to obey God.

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

Once on dry land, Jonah finally listened to God. He traveled to the large city of Nineveh. He walked through the city, telling everyone that God was going to punish them because of their bad actions.

Nineveh Changes Its Ways

The people of Nineveh heard Jonah's message. Their hearts were touched, and they realized they had been doing wrong. They decided to change their ways and prayed to God for mercy. God saw that they had truly changed. He decided not to punish their city, showing them His great kindness.

Jonah's Lesson from God

Jonah, however, was not happy that God had shown mercy to Nineveh. He went to a high rock outside the city, hoping to see God's anger against them. God was not pleased with Jonah's attitude.

The Plant and the Worm

To teach Jonah a lesson, God made a plant grow quickly, providing Jonah with much-needed shade from the hot sun. Jonah was very happy about the plant. But then, God sent a small worm to bite the plant, causing it to wither and die. Jonah became very angry about the plant dying, saying he would rather die than live.

God then spoke to Jonah. He pointed out that Jonah cared more about a small plant, which he didn't even grow, than about all the thousands of people in Nineveh! This story teaches us about God's great mercy and His love for all people.

Images for kids

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  Jonah and the Whale (1621) by Pieter Lastman

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  Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites (1866) by Gustave Doré

See also

In Spanish: Libro de Jonás para niños