The prophete Ionas with an introduccion / before teachinge to vnderstonde him and the right vse also of all the scripture/ and why it was written/ and what is therin to be sought/ and shewenge wherewith the scripture is locked vpp that he which readeth it/ can not vnderstonde it/ though he studie therin neuer so moch: and agayne with what keyes it is so opened/ that the reader can be stopped out with no sotilte or false doctrine of man/ from the true sense and vnderstondynge therof.

by William Tyndale

¶ 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.