1, 2. (a) Wat nao happen lo Jonah and olketa sailor lo datfala ship? (b) Hao nao story blo Jonah savve helpem iumi?

 IMAGINIM, Jonah wish nomoa hem no herem olketa bigfala saond wea gohed mek noes raonem hem. Hem herem big wind wea mek noes big taem hem blow thru lo rigging blo datfala ship, and saond blo olketa big maeti wave wea bangam saed blo datfala ship wea mekem evri timba lo ship hia mek noes. Worse go moa, hem herem tu olketa sailor and kapten wea gohed singaot taem olketa stragol for keepim datfala ship for no sink. Jonah mas ting olketa bae dae nao bikos lo wat hem duim!

² Why nao gogo Jonah insaed kaen situation olsem? Hem mekem wanfala serious mistek taem hem disobeyim God blo hem, Jehovah. Wat nao hem duim? Hao, situation hia hard for stret nao? Bae iumi lanem staka samting from ansa blo olketa kwestin hia. For example, story blo Jonah helpem iumi for luksavve dat nomata olketa wea garem faith savve go difren, and hem showim iumi tu hao for stretem datwan.

3-5. (a) Wat nao staka pipol focus lo hem taem olketa tingim Jonah? (b) Wat nao iumi savve abaotem baekgraon blo Jonah? (Lukim tu footnote.) (c) Why nao waka blo Jonah olsem wanfala profet hem no isi?

³ Taem pipol ting abaotem Jonah, staka taem olketa savve focus lo olketa negative samting wea hem duim, olsem wei wea hem no obey or hem strong for followim tingting blo hemseleva. Bat hem garem staka naesfala wei tu. Tingim, Jehovah God chusim Jonah for serve olsem profet. Jehovah hard for chusim hem for big responsibility olsem sapos hem man wea no faithful or no raeteous.

⁴ Bible no storyim staka samting abaotem baekgraon blo Jonah. (Readim 2 Kings 14:25.) Jonah kam from Gath-hepher, wanfala taon  wea 4 kilometer from Nazareth. Nazareth nao taon wea Jesus Christ growap lo hem samting olsem 800 year bihaen. a Jonah serve olsem profet lo taem wea King Jeroboam II hem rulim ten-tribe kingdom blo Israel. Profet Elijah dae longtaem; and profet Elisha wea kamap profet bihaen tu dae, lo taem wea dadi blo Jeroboam rul. Nomata Jehovah iusim olketa man hia for aotem Baal worship from Israel, pipol blo Israel start for go difren moa. Datfala nation stap anda lo rul blo King Jeroboam II wea “gohed for duim olketa samting wea nogud lo eye blo Jehovah.” (2 Ki. 14:24) So luk olsem waka blo Jonah hem no isi. Nomata olsem, hem faithful for duim.

⁵ Bat wanday, laef blo Jonah hem barava change. Hem kasem wanfala assignment from Jehovah and hem faendem hem hard tumas for duim. Wat nao Jehovah askem hem for duim?

 6. Wat nao assignment wea Jehovah givim lo Jonah, and why nao datwan maet luk hard tumas?

⁶ Jehovah talem Jonah: “Getap, and go lo Nineveh, datfala big taon, and talemaot judgment againstim hem, bikos mi lukim olketa wicked samting wea pipol hia duim hem tumas nao.” (Jonah 1:2) Hem isi for iumi luksavve why datfala assignment maet luk hard tumas. Nineveh hem samting olsem 800 kilometer lo east saed, and for wakabaot kasem bae hem samting olsem wan month. Nomata olsem, datfala hard taem for wakabaot farawe, hem smol nomoa lo nara challenge wea hem bae feisim. Lo Nineveh, Jonah mas talemaot judgment message blo Jehovah lo olketa blo Assyria, wea barava raf and cruel tu. Tingim hao own pipol blo Jonah no laek for herem message blo hem, haomas moa olketa heathen pipol hia? Hao nao bae wanfala man nomoa deal witim Nineveh wea big tumas, wea bihaen olketa kolem lo “taon wea killim dae staka pipol”?—Nah. 3:1, 7.

7, 8. (a) Wat nao showimaot Jonah barava no laek for go lo assignment wea Jehovah givim? (b) Why nao iumi shud no judgem Jonah and sei hem man for fraet?

⁷ Iumi no really savve sapos hem nao samfala samting wea Jonah tingim. Bat samting iumi savve nao, Jonah hem ranawe. Jehovah talem hem for go east, bat Jonah go west, and hem laek for go farawe lo west. Hem go daon lo saedsea, lo datfala taon blo Joppa wea garem port, and hem faendem wanfala ship wea go for Tarshish. Samfala scholar sei Tarshish hem lo Spain. Sapos olsem, Jonah hem laek ranawe samting  olsem 3,500 kilometer farawe from Nineveh. For travel farawe olsem go kasem end blo datfala Great Sea savve tek longtaem, maet kasem wan year. Datwan showimaot Jonah barava no laek for go lo assignment wea Jehovah givim lo hem!—Readim Jonah 1:3.

⁸ So hao, hem fitim for iumi sei Jonah hem man for fraet? Iumi mas no kwiktaem for judgem hem. Olsem bae iumi lanem, Jonah hem wanfala man wea brave tu. Bat, Jonah hem olsem iumi nomoa, hem no perfect and hem stragol for deal witim olketa wik point blo hemseleva. (Ps. 51:5) Iumi evriwan deal witim feeling for fraet samfala taem.

 9. Samfala taem, hao nao iumi feel abaotem wanfala assignment from Jehovah, and wat nao wanfala tru samting wea iumi need for tingim lo taem olsem?

⁹ Samfala taem maet iumi feel God askem iumi for duim samting wea no isi, wea maet hem luk hard tumas. Maet iumi faendem datfala komand for preachim gud nius abaotem Kingdom blo God hem no isi bikos iumi fraet. (Matt. 24:14) Samfala taem maet iumi forgetim disfala important truth wea Jesus talem: “God savve duim eni samting.” (Mark 10:27) If samfala taem iumi forgetim disfala important toktok, maet iumi savve minim wat nao happen lo Jonah. Bat wat nao kamaot from samting wea Jonah duim?

10, 11. (a) Taem datfala kago ship lusim wharf, wat nao maet Jonah tingse hem win for duim? (b) Wat kaen danger nao datfala ship and olketa crew feisim?

¹⁰ Imaginim Jonah taem hem trae for faendem eni gud spes lo datfala ship. Luk olsem hem wanfala kago ship blo Phoenicia. Jonah watchim taem kapten and olketa crew gohed busy for redyim ship for lusim wharf. Taem olketa lusim wharf and gogo for open sea, maet Jonah tingse hem win nao for ranawe from danger wea hem fraetem tumas. Bat seknomoa weather hem change.

¹¹ Strong wind hem blow and mekem sea hem raf tumas, gogo olketa wave barava big fogud, wea nomata olketa ship distaem bae stragol witim. Masbi kwiktaem nomoa datfala smol wooden ship hem klosap lus insaed olketa big maeti wave wea barava go ap hae and then go daon deep! Hao, dat taem nao Jonah luksavve lo datfala toktok, wea gogo hem raetem bihaen, wea sei: “Jehovah mekem wanfala strong wind for blow lo sea”? Iumi no savve, bat hem mas herem taem olketa sailor lo datfala ship singaot lo olketa god blo olketa, and hem savve tu dat olketa god hia bae hard for sevem olketa. (Lev. 19:4) Bible sei: “Datfala ship klosap for brek.” (Jonah 1:4) Taem olsem, waswe bae Jonah feel free for prea lo God wea hem ranawe from?

12. (a) Why nao iumi no kwiktaem judgem Jonah bikos hem gohed sleep taem datfala big wind gohed? (Lukim tu footnote.) (b) Hao nao Jehovah showimaot wat hem kosim datfala trabol?

¹² Jonah feel olsem hem hard for duim eniting nao for help, so hem go daon insaed ship and faendem ples for leidaon. Taem hem leidaon,  hem barava deepim sleep nao. b Kapten blo ship kam faendem Jonah and wekapem hem, and talem hem for prea lo god blo hem olsem olketa narawan gohed duim. Olketa sailor hia sure dat disfala big wind hem no normal samting for happen, so olketa pleim daes for lukim hu lo olketa lo datfala ship nao kosim disfala trabol. Jonah mas barava feel wari nao taem hem start for showaot klia dat hem no olketa narawan hia. Gogo hem barava showaot klia, Jehovah nao mekem datfala big wind, and hem mekem datfala daes for showim dat Jonah nao man wea kosim datfala trabol!—Readim Jonah 1:5-7.

13. (a) Wat nao Jonah confessim lo olketa sailor? (b) Wat nao Jonah talem olketa sailor for duim, and why nao olsem?

¹³ Jonah talem olketa sailor evriting wea hem duim. Hem talem dat hem servant blo olmaeti God, Jehovah. And bikos hem ranawe from God blo hem, God blo hem kros lo hem, and wat hem duim mekem evriwan stap lo danger. Olketa man hia barava seke tumas for herem datwan, Jonah luksavve olketa barava fraet. Olketa askem hem wat nao olketa shud duim mekem olketa savve sevem ship and laef blo olketa. Wat nao Jonah hem sei? Jonah maet fraet taem hem tingim hao bae hem draon lo datfala cold sea wea raf fogud. Bat hem tingim dat if hem no sevem olketa, bae evri man hia draon tu. So hem sei: “Iufala liftim mi and torowem mi insaed sea, and sea bae fine. Mi savve dat disfala big rain and raf sea hem kasem iufala bikos lo mi.”—Jonah 1:12.

14, 15. (a) Hao nao iumi savve garem sem faith olsem Jonah? (b) Wat nao olketa sailor duim taem olketa herem wat Jonah talem olketa for duim?

¹⁴ Toktok blo Jonah showimaot hem brave, iaman? Jehovah mas barava hapi for lukim hao Jonah hem brave, and willing for sakrifaesim hemseleva lo datfala taem for sevem olketa narawan. Iumi lukim hao Jonah garem strongfala faith. Iumi tu savve followim example blo hem taem iumi tingim olketa narawan winim iumiseleva. (John 13:34, 35) Taem iumi lukim samwan needim help, maet saed lo material samting, saed lo feeling, or lo spiritual saed, waswe iumi willing for givim iumiseleva for helpem olketa? Jehovah bae barava hapi taem iumi duim datwan!

¹⁵ Maet wat hem talem hem affectim olketa sailor hia tu, bikos lo firstaem olketa no laek for duim datwan! Bat olketa traem best for deal witim datfala big wind, bat gogo hem hard nao. Datfala storm hem kamap worse. Gogo, olketa luksavve olketa no wei nao. Olketa singaot lo Jehovah, God blo Jonah, for askem mercy, and then olketa liftimap Jonah and torowem go insaed sea.—Jonah 1:13-15.

16, 17. Describem wat nao happen lo Jonah taem olketa torowem hem from datfala ship. (Lukim tu olketa piksa.)

¹⁶ Jonah insaed datfala raf sea nao. Maet hem stragol for swim, and trae for float, and maet hem lukim datfala ship hem kwiktaem muv farawe from hem. Bat olketa big wave kam antap lo hem and hem go andanit wata nao. Taem hem sink go daon lo deep sea, maet hem ting bae hem dae nao.

¹⁷ Bihaen, Jonah describem feeling blo hem lo datfala taem. Hem storyim hao olketa samting wea hem lukim bifor, hem kam bak lo mind blo hem. Hem tingim dat bae hem no lukim moa temple blo Jehovah lo Jerusalem. Hem feelim hao hem sink go daon lo botom lo sea, hem olsem hem kasem botom blo olketa maunten, ples wea olketa seaweed raonem hem. Hem tingse diswan hem grev blo hem nao.—Readim Jonah 2:2-6.

18, 19. Wat nao happen lo Jonah botom lo sea, wat kaen fish nao insaed datfala story, and hu nao mekem olketa samting hia for happen? (Lukim tu footnote.)

¹⁸ Jonah seke tumas! Hem lukim wanfala samting muv kam for hem. Datfala samting hem big, hem blak, and hem laef. Hem muv kam  klosap and kam stret for hem. Big mouth blo hem open and kavarem hem, and swallom hem go daon!

¹⁹ Jonah tingse bae hem dae nao. Bat, hem sapraes tumas taem hem faendaot hem still laef yet! Body blo hem nating garekil, bele blo fish hia no digestim hem, and hem savve brith yet. Hem still laef, bat hem olsem hem insaed lo grev. Isisi, Jonah luksavve samting wea happen hem barava spesol samting. For sure, God blo hem Jehovah nao “sendem wanfala big fish for swallom Jonah.” c—Jonah 1:17.

20. Wat nao iumi savve lanem abaotem Jonah from prea wea hem talem taem hem insaed datfala big fish?

²⁰ Staka minute go pas, gogo hem kamap staka hour. And then Jonah, wea stap insaed lo datfala ples wea dark tumas, hem start for prea lo Jehovah God. Iumi savve lanem staka samting from prea blo hem wea stap lo second chapter lo buk blo Jonah. Datfala prea showimaot Jonah savve tumas lo olketa Scripture, staka taem hem quotem olketa toktok lo Psalms. And tu, hem showimaot wanfala nambawan fasin: hem nao wei for tinghae. Jonah finisim prea blo hem olsem: “Mi bae iusim voice blo mi for talem thankiu lo iu, and mi bae offerim sakrifaes lo iu. Wanem mi promis for duim, mi bae duim. Salvation hem kam from Jehovah.”—Jonah 2:9.

21. Wat nao Jonah lanem abaotem salvation, and wat nao wanfala important leson wea iumi need for tingim?

²¹ Taem Jonah stap “insaed bele blo fish,” hem lanem dat salvation hem samting wea Jehovah savve duim for eniwan, lo eniwea, and lo enitaem. Nomata Jonah insaed bele blo fish, Jehovah lukim hem and sevem hem. (Jonah 1:17) Only Jehovah nomoa savve keepim man laef and stap gud for thrifala day and thrifala naet insaed bele blo wanfala big fish. Hem gud for iumi tingim hao Jehovah nao “God wea laef blo iu and evriting wea iu duim stap lo hand blo hem.” (Dan. 5:23) Brith blo iumi and laef blo iumi hem kam from hem. Waswe, iumi tinghae lo  datwan? Waswe, datwan mekem iumi luksavve iumi shud evritaem obeyim Jehovah?

22, 23. (a) Wat nao happen wea testim moa wei wea Jonah hem tinghae? (b) Wat nao iumi lanem from Jonah abaotem wei wea iumi savve mekem olketa mistek?

²² Waswe lo Jonah? Hao, hem lane tu for showimaot hem tinghae lo Jehovah thru lo wei for obey? Yes, hem duim. Bihaen thrifala day and thrifala naet, datfala fish tekem go bak Jonah and “vomitim Jonah lo shore.” (Jonah 2:10) Imaginim datwan, Jonah no even need for swim go shore! Iumi no savve wea nao hem go shore, bat bihaen datwan hem need for faendem wei for go bak. Then samting happen wea testim wei wea hem tinghae. Jonah 3:1, 2, sei: “Then Jonah kasem disfala toktok from Jehovah lo mek-tu taem: ‘Getap, and go lo Nineveh, datfala big taon, and talemaot message lo hem wea mi talem lo iu.’” Wat nao bae Jonah duim?

²³ Jonah hem no hol bak. Bible sei: “Jonah obeyim komand blo Jehovah and go lo Nineveh.” (Jonah 3:3) Yes, distaem hem obey. Hem klia dat hem lane from mistek blo hem. Iumi tu mas showimaot faith olsem Jonah. Iumi evriwan sin, iumi evriwan savve mistek. (Rome 3:23) Bat hao, bae iumi givap, or bae iumi lane from mistek blo iumi and disaed for obeyim God?

24, 25. (a) Luk olsem Jonah kasem wat kaen reward lo datfala taem? (b) Wat kaen reward nao Jonah bae kasem lo future?

²⁴ Waswe, Jehovah rewardim Jonah bikos hem obey? Yes, hem rewardim. Wanfala reward wea Jonah kasem hem wei wea hem herem dat olketa sailor lo datfala ship olketa laef. Stretawe bihaen olketa torowem Jonah lo sea, datfala big wind hem kwaet and olketa sailor hia “barava fraet lo Jehovah,” and olketa offerim sakrifaes go lo Jehovah and no olketa false god blo olketa.—Jonah 1:15, 16.

²⁵ Bat wanfala bigfala reward bae kamap lo future tu. Jesus hem iusim story blo Jonah taem hem insaed datfala fish olsem wanfala Profesi abaotem hao hem bae stap insaed grev, or Sheol. (Readim Matthew 12:38-40.) Tingim taem Jonah bae laef bak lo earth, hem bae hapi tumas for savve lo datwan! (John 5:28, 29) Jehovah laek for blessim iu tu. Olsem Jonah, waswe, bae iu lane from olketa mistek blo iu and showimaot iu obey and willing for sakrifaesim iuseleva?