Scene I, JONAH'S MISSION


No. 4 Tenor and chorus

Tenor: Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (Ps. 139:7)

Chorus: Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there! (Ps. 139:8)

Tenor: Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

Chorus: Whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. (Ps. 139:8)

Tenor: Behold, thou art there.

Chorus: If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. (Ps. 139:9-10) If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. (Ps. 139:11-12)

No. 5 Tenor (shipmaster)

Orchestra swells into tempest

Tenor: What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. (Jon. 1:6)

(Jonah wakes up and finds itself amidst the raging seas)

Chorus: Help, let us not perish!

No. 6 Chorus. The tempest

Chorus: Lord, save us, we perish. (Mt. 8:25) All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. (Ps. 42:7) Lord, save us, we perish!

No. 7 Baritone, tenor and chorus

Jonah: Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm for you. (Jon. 1:12)

Chorus: We beseech thee, O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee. (Jon. 1:14)

Tenor: It is expedient that one man should die, and that we perish not. (Jn. 11:50)

Chorus: Help!

(Jonah is cast into the sea, and the sea ceases from its raging)

No. 8 The mariners give thanks unto the Lord. Soloists and chorus

Soloists and chorus: The waters saw thee, O God; they were afraid. Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. (Ps. 77:16,19) The waters saw thee, O God!


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