A long time ago, there was a man named Jonah. He was a good man, but one day, God asked him to do something very special. God wanted Jonah to go to a city called Nineveh and tell the people there to change their ways because they were not being very nice. But Jonah felt scared and didn’t want to go. So, instead of heading to Nineveh, he decided to run away and get on a big ship sailing in the opposite direction! Jonah thought that if he could just get far enough away, he wouldn’t have to do what God asked.
While he was aboard the ship, a terrible storm suddenly appeared! The wind howled, and the waves tossed the ship back and forth. The sailors were frightened and didn’t know what to do. They tried throwing things overboard to make the ship lighter, but nothing worked.
Meanwhile, Jonah was below deck, fast asleep! The captain woke him up and said, “We’re in big trouble! Pray to your God for help!” Jonah then realised that the storm was happening because he was running away from God. He told the sailors that the only way to calm the storm was to throw him into the sea. Though hesitant, the sailors didn’t know what else to do. So, they picked up Jonah and tossed him overboard. As soon as Jonah hit the water, the storm stopped! The sailors were amazed and thanked Jonah’s God for saving them.
As Jonah swam in the sea, a great big fish the size of a whale came and swallowed him whole. Jonah was in the fish’s belly for three whole days and nights. It was dark and scary inside, but Jonah prayed to God and asked for help. He realised that he needed to obey God. After three days, God told the fish to spit Jonah out onto dry land! The fish opened its mouth, and out came Jonah, splashing onto the shore. Jonah was so thankful to be alive, and this time, he decided to do what God wanted. He went to Nineveh and told the people there to stop being bad and turn to God.
To Jonah’s surprise, the people of Nineveh listened! They were sorry for the wrong things they had done, and they changed their ways. God was very happy and decided to forgive them. And that’s the story of Jonah and the Big Fish. It teaches us that even when we make mistakes or feel scared, it’s important to listen to what’s right and do our best to follow God’s path.
