The Gemara presents a mnemonic for the statements that follow: At the time, to the end, Aramaic. Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: At the time that the Holy One, Blessed be He, sought to create a person, He created one group of ministering angels. He said to them: If you agree, let us fashion a person in our image. The angels said before him: Master of the Universe, what are the actions of this person You suggest to create? God said to them: His actions are such and such, according to human nature. The angels said before him: Master of the Universe: “What is man that You are mindful of him? And the son of man that You think of him?” (Psalms 8:5), i.e., a creature such as this is not worth creating. God outstretched His small finger among them and burned them with fire. And the same occurred with a second group of angels. The third group of angels that He asked said before Him: Master of the Universe, the first two groups who spoke their mind before You, what did they accomplish? The entire world is Yours; whatever You wish to do in Your world, do. God then created the first person. When history arrived at the time of the people of the generation of the flood and the people of the generation of the dispersion, i.e., the Tower of Babel, whose actions were ruinous, the angels said before God: Master of the Universe, didn’t the first set of angels speak appropriately before You, that human beings are not worthy of having been created? God said to them concerning humanity: “Even to your old age I am the same; and even to hoar hairs will I suffer you; I have made and I will bear; and I will carry, and I will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4), i.e., having created people, I will even suffer their flaws.

Rabbi Simon said: When the Holy One blessed be He came to create Adam the first man, the ministering angels divided into various factions and various groups. Some of them were saying: ‘Let him not be created,’ and some of them were saying: ‘Let him be created.’ That is what is written: “Kindness and truth met; righteousness and peace touched” (Psalms 85:11). Kindness said: ‘Let him be created, as he performs acts of kindness.’ Truth said: ‘Let him not be created, as he is all full of lies.’ Righteousness said: ‘Let him be created, as he performs acts of righteousness.’ Peace said: ‘Let him not be created, as he is all full of discord.’ What did the Holy One blessed be He do? He took Truth and cast it down to earth. That is what is written: “You cast truth earthward” (Daniel 8:12). The ministering angels said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, why are You demeaning Your very seal? Let Truth ascend from the earth.’ That is what is written: “Truth will spring from the earth” (Psalms 85:12).
The Rabbis say in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina bar Idi, and Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥilkiya said in the name of Rabbi Simon: Meod, this refers to Man [adam]. That is what is written: “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very [meod] good” (Genesis 1:31) – Man [adam] was good.
Rav Huna, the rabbi of Tzippori, said: While the ministering angels were busy deliberating with one another and engaging with one another, the Holy One blessed be He created him. He said to them: ‘Why are you deliberating? Man has already been created.’

Thus said GOD of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth month, the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the tenth month shall become occasions for joy and gladness, happy festivals for the House of Judah; but you must love honesty and integrity.

Behold, I stand here, impoverished in good deeds, perturbed and frightened in fear [of Him,] Who is enthroned upon the praises of Yisrael. I have come to stand and to plead before You on behalf of Your people, Yisrael, who have appointed me their messenger; even though I am not worthy or qualified for the task. I therefore beseech You, God of Avraham, God of Yitzchak and God of Yaakov; Adonoy, Adonoy, Almighty, Compassionate and Gracious, God of Yisrael, Shaddai, Eminent and Awesome, please, help me succeed in the mission which I have undertaken to stand [before You] and to seek mercy for myself and for those who have appointed me. Do not hold them responsible for my sins, nor condemn them for my iniquities, as I am a sinner and a transgressor. Let them not be disgraced through my transgressions; may they not be ashamed of me, nor may I be ashamed of them. Accept my prayer as the prayer of one who is mature and experienced [in prayer], and as one who is respected, whose beard is full-grown, whose voice is pleasant, and who is pleasing to his fellow man. Rebuke Satan that he not accuse me, and may our assembling [be acceptable] to You with love; and may all [our] transgressions be covered over with [Your] love. All our troubles and afflictions; please turn them for us and all Yisrael into happiness and joy, life and peace. May they love truth and peace, and may there be no impediment in my prayer. And may it be Your will, Adonoy, God of Avraham, God of Yitzchak and God of Yaakov; the Almighty, the Great, the Powerful, the Awesome, most high, Almighty, [Who is known by the Name]: “I am that I am” that all the angels who convey prayers, may they bring my prayers to the presence of Your glorious throne, and spread them to You for the sake of all those who are righteous, pious, pure and upright, and for the sake of Your glorious Name, [which is] great and awesome; for You hear the prayers of Your people, Yisrael, with compassion. Blessed are You Who hears prayers.

O my God, If my iniquity is too great to be borne, What wilt Thou do for Thy great name's sake? And if I do not wait on Thy mercies, Who will have pity on me but Thee? Therefore though Thou shouldst slay me, yet will I trust in Thee. For if Thou shouldst pursue my iniquity, I will flee from Thee to Thyself, And I will shelter myself from Thy wrath in Thy shadow,

Jonah, however, started out to flee to Tarshish from GOD’s service. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went aboard to sail with the others to Tarshish, away from GOD’s service.

In their fright, the sailors cried out, each to his own god; and they flung the ship’s cargo overboard to make it lighter for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the vessel where he lay down and fell asleep.

The captain went over to him and cried out, “How can you be sleeping so soundly! Up, call upon your god! Perhaps the god will be kind to us and we will not perish.”

He answered, “Heave me overboard, and the sea will calm down for you; for I know that this terrible storm came upon you on my account.”

And they heaved Jonah overboard, and the sea stopped raging.

The word of GOD came to Jonah a second time: “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it what I tell you.”

They shall be covered with sackcloth—human and animal—and shall cry mightily to God. Let everyone turn back from their own evil ways and from the injustice of which they are guilty. Who knows but that God may turn and relent? [God] may turn back from wrathfulness, so that we do not perish.” God saw what they did, how they were turning back from their evil ways. And God renounced the punishment that had been planned for them, and did not carry it out.

This displeased Jonah greatly, and he was grieved. He prayed to GOD, saying, “O ETERNAL One! Isn’t this just what I said when I was still in my own country? That is why I fled beforehand to Tarshish. For I know that You are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, renouncing punishment.

Then GOD said: “You cared about the plant, which you did not work for and which you did not grow, which appeared overnight and perished overnight. And should not I care about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many animals as well!”