Kids' Bible Stories

Whale

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A long time ago there lived a prophet of God, called Jonah. God told Jonah to go to a place called Nineveh. He was to tell the people to stop doing evil things. Jonah didn't listen to God.

Jonah tried to run away from God and took a ship to a far away place, called Tarshish. On the way there, God sent a terrible storm and the ship was in great danger. Jonah told the men on the ship that he was running from God and his disobedience was the reason for the storm. Jonah told the men to throw him into the sea. Finally the men threw Jonah into the sea and the storm stopped.

God had work for Jonah to do and was not about to let him drown. So, He sent a big fish or whale to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the whale's belly for three days and nights. He prayed to God to forgive him for not being obedient. On the third day, God spoke to the whale and it spat Jonah up onto the dry land.

Jonah went to Nineveh and preached the message that God gave him. He told the people to repent and to turn to God or God would destroy them. The people believed Jonah and stopped their evil ways and began serving God. It would have been so much easier if Jonah had just listened to God instead of running away!