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Jonah 1 · Grade 4

Running from God

Name Date

Read and Think

Yahweh's word came to Jonah the son of Amittai. God told him to arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, because its wickedness had come up before him. Instead, Jonah went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish, away from the presence of Yahweh.

Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea, and the ship was about to break up. The mariners were afraid, and each man cried to his own god. Jonah had gone below and was fast asleep. The captain woke him and told him to call on his God. The sailors cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

Jonah told them that he was a Hebrew who feared Yahweh, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. He told them to throw him into the sea so it would be calm. The men rowed hard for land but could not get there. They prayed to Yahweh, then threw Jonah into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. Yahweh prepared a huge fish to swallow up Jonah.

Show What You Know

  1. Why did God send Jonah to Nineveh?

  2. How did Jonah describe Yahweh in verse 9?

  3. What did the sailors try before throwing Jonah into the sea?

  4. What did the sailors do after the sea became calm?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

afraidGodseaNinevehship
  1. God told him to arise, go to , that great city, and preach against it, because its wickedness had come up before him.
  2. Instead, Jonah went down to Joppa and found a going to Tarshish, away from the presence of Yahweh.
  3. Yahweh sent out a great wind on the , and the ship was about to break up.
  4. The mariners were , and each man cried to his own god.
  5. The captain woke him and told him to call on his .

Think About It

  1. Jonah tried to run away from what God asked. When is it hard for you to obey God?

  2. The sailors began to fear Yahweh after the storm. How can God use hard times to help people know him?

Memory Verse

He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.”

Jonah 1:9 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for caring for me even when I run. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Can anyone really run away from God?
  • How can your actions help others see how great God is?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.