Special Sub-Topic: Jonah and the Big Fish Click Here To Play: Jonah and the Big Fish

Where did God tell Jonah to go?

Nineveh. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to tell the people there that they were bad people and they had to be good.

Where did Jonah plan to go instead?

Spain. He didn't get as far as Spain but he did get on the boat.

Once Jonah was at sea, he went to sleep down below. What did God do?

he sent a storm. When the storm started the captain told everyone on the boat (including Jonah) to pray for help, because he had a feeling the storm was God trying to tell them something about the journey.

The captain of the ship woke Jonah up and asked him to pray that God would stop the storm. All the sailors were praying according to their own religion. What did Jonah tell the captain?

that God was upset with him. Jonah was a silly man for trying to run away from God, but he did tell the truth! He knew God wanted him off the ship, and told the captain he should jump overboard into the water, but the captain was a good captain and did not want to lose anyone!

God did not stop the storm - in fact, it was getting worse. What did Jonah do?

he allowed the crew to throw him overboard. As soon as Jonah was off the boat the storm stopped. The sailors on the boat then knew that Jonah's God was really God and followed him.

What animal swallowed Jonah?

a big fish. Some people tell the story of Jonah and the Whale, but the Bible says 'big fish'.

What did Jonah do when he was inside this animal?

he prayed to God. Did you watch 'Pinocchio'? In that film the little puppet and his Dad were swallowed by a whale, and they built a big fire to make the whale (Monstro) sneeze them out on the raft they had made. Jonah spoke to God when he was inside the big fish.

When Jonah was next on dry land, God spoke to him again. What did he say?

he told Jonah to do what he told him in the first place. Sometimes I don't do what I should do, and later I find that I have to do it anyway.

The reason God wanted Jonah to go to the city to speak to the people who lived there was because he was upset that they were bad people. Did God forgive the people of that city?

y. The Bible does not tell us, but we think that the people of Nineveh were good after this happened to them.

The story of Jonah can be found in the Bible, and the Bible is full of different books. In which book in the Bible is this story found?

Jonah. Jonah has a book all to himself in the Bible. You will find it in the Old Testament part, and if you are Jewish, it is in your Scripture as well. It is quite short, but a good story to read.