Text—Six Sentence Story

In the good old days the Ninevites were a wicked bunch. The Lord told Jonah to tell them to either repent or be severely punished which sent Jonah off on a boat in the opposite direction, because he knew, like everyone else, except perhaps the Lord, that Nineveh did not deserve an opportunity to repent.

When the Lord roughed up the waves to destructive levels below the boat Jonah was fleeing on, the reluctant crew threw him overboard at his own request so the sea would calm. A fish sent by the Lord scooped him into its mouth and held him in a disgusting state of indigestion for three days and three nights until the Lord finally let the fish relieve its bellyache by vomiting its cargo onto the shore. Then the Lord asked Jonah once again to tell the Ninevites to repent lest He destroy them.

Jonah recited the bare text of the Lord’s message hoping no one in Nineveh would listen, but the grotesque stench coming from his direction only confirmed the conspiracy theories about a fish and a boat and, since no one in Nineveh wanted whatever happened to him to happen to them, they all repented.

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Denise offers the prompt word “text” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories. For what really happened see the short book of Jonah. Jonah son of Amittai was a prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II: 2 Kings 14:25.

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Author: Frank Hubeny

I enjoy walking, poetry and short prose as well as taking pictures with my phone.

29 thoughts on “Text—Six Sentence Story”

  7. i am not familiar with this bible story, so thank you for sharing! and, i’m scratching my head wondering how i could not know it– maybe i’ve had it confused all these years with moby dick. 🙂

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    1. Although not from Jonah’s perspective, this is one of the funniest stories in the Old Testament. I also think it really happened which makes it for me even more entertaining. I understand there used to be whales in the Mediterranean. Thank you, ren!

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  8. excellent imagery and smellery*

    like the modern take to include the inference, “Dude! ok ok! We’ll repent…just stay downwind.”

    don’t think this is a ‘real’ word… but thats never stopped us before

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  12. The mention of conspiracy theories was an unexpected but interesting one, that added a neat twist to this Biblical tale, and makes it feel more connected to our day when many people are discussing their thoughts on how real / likely the conspiracy theories of today are.

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    1. That term “conspiracy theory” is anachronistic. I wonder if it might be incorrect. I almost changed it. Since Jonah wasn’t very cooperative, hoping the worst would happen to them, that might have got them wondering and creating half-true tales of their own about what was going on. It is a marvelous book regardless. Thank you, Nicole!

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