Jonah

JONAH and THE WHALE

-adapted by Belinda Roberts
-ideal for Sunday School and School Assemblies

God “Jonah. I have a job for you.

The great city of Nineveh has become wicked and full of sin.

Go and preach my word and try and let goodness back in.”

Narrator But Jonah was frightened. He was fearful

The idea of going to Nineveh made him quite tearful!

Jonah “Nineveh! Never! Ahhhhh Not Nineveh!

I’ll never go to Nineveh - never, not ever!

It’s a terrible place of wickedness and sin

A real rubbish heap! A garbage bin!

But I’ll have to hide from God

Otherwise he’ll be angry and I’ll come a cropper.”

Narrator So Jonah ran away to the port of Joppa

Jonah “Ahoy there sailors! Which way are you sailing?”

Sailors “Where do you want to go?”

Jonah “The opposite direction to Nineveh”

Sailors “You’ve got your wish - we sail for Tarshish!”

Narrator So Jonah paid his fare and climbed aboard

And hid down below - so God would not know!

But the Lord knows it all

And sent a violent storm -

Roaring waves, howling winds and tempestuous rain

The sailors prayed to their gods, but they prayed in vain.

The storm raged on and beneath the blackened sky

The sailors feared for their lives and thought they would die.

Sailors “Let us cast lots!”

Narrator they cried to decide whose fault was the calamity

They brought Jonah up on deck - and by heck.

The lot fell to Jonah.

Sailors “Hey loner!”

Narrator the sailors said

Sailors “Tell us who you are or we’ll all be dead.”

Jonah “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord,

the God of heaven, whose very hand

made the sea and the land.”

Narrator The sailors, all a-tremble knew he had run away from his Lord

And there was serious trouble on board

Sailors “What can we do to calm the seas? Tell us please!”

Jonah “Cast me into the waters”

Narrator Jonah replied

But the sailors tried to row, oh how they tried

But the storm raged on, so with a heave and a ho

Into the water Jonah did go!

Jonah thought he must surely drown

As he sank down, down, down ...

When suddenly from the oceans deep

A great fish rose up, it’s mouth opened wide

And in Jonah went! Right inside.

It was dark, it was dank, it smelt pretty rank

But Jonah was alive

And he prayed to God in his distress

For forgiveness from this seaweedy mess

And promised to do God’s wish

If he was saved from the stomach of the fish.

And declared out loud what could not be ignored

Jonah “ Salvation comes from the Lord.”

Narrator After three days and nights God commanded the whale

To set sail for land and deposit Jonah on the sand.

Which the whale did and spat Jonah out

Then swam off with a cheery

Whale “Cheerio”

Narrator from his spout.

Jonah lay on the shore, wet and shivering

When he heard a voice that set him a-quivering.

God “Jonah, go to the great city of Nineveh

and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

Narrator Jonah had learnt his lesson and went to the city

And proclaimed to the people the devastating ditty

Jonah “Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed!

Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed!”

Narrator The people believed in God and fearing His wrath

Went on a fast and, from king to pauper, dressed in sack cloth.

The Lord our God saw what they had done

And his heart was won

And the destruction He had planned

Never touched the land.

But Jonah was furious, he was in a terrible stew

That God had not done that he said he would do

And he went out of the city and sat sulking in the sun

Waiting for action, but of course, there was none.

Instead God provided a vine to shade Jonah from the sun’s heat

Which on his hairy white head so fiercely did beat

And Jonah was happy with the vine’s cool shade

But the next day God, a willing worm bade

To chew the vine from side to side, so it withered and died.

The sun beat again upon Jonah’s head.

He became so hot he wished he was dead.

And he began in fury to cry

Jonah “I am angry enough to die”

Narrator But God replied

God “Jonah you cared for the vine

Although you did not tend it, or make it grow.

Think how much more I care for a city

Of thousands of people, all whom I know.

Remember this about your God above

I am a God of compassion and love.”

THE END

Please only use for Sunday School, School Assemblies or similar.

Any other use please contact Belinda Roberts