God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, the wicked capital of Assyria and warn them to change their ways. Jonah refused because he hated the Assyrians and did not want God to forgive them, so he boarded a ship heading the exact opposite direction. God sent a huge storm that put the ship and its sailors in danger. Jonah confessed that he was the reason for the storm and told the sailors to throw him into the sea. God sent a giant fish to swallow Jonah and he stayed inside the fish for three days and three nights. Inside the fish, Jonah prayed and promised to obey God and the fish spat him safely out onto dry land. The people and even the king of Nineveh believed the message, fasted and turned from their evil, causing God to spare the city.