What biblical book is read as the haftarah during the afternoon Yom Kippur service?

The Book of Jonah is read as the haftarah during the afternoon Yom Kippur service.

The reading is traditionally performed at Mincha, the afternoon prayer, and usually includes the entire four-chapter book. Jonah tells how the prophet tries to flee from God's command to warn Nineveh, survives a storm and encounter with a great fish, and eventually delivers the warning.

Its central theme is repentance. Nineveh's people respond to Jonah's message by changing their behavior, and God forgives them. That story connects directly with Yom Kippur's focus on teshuvah, sincere return or repentance, and divine mercy. Jonah's reluctance also raises a deeper question: whether forgiveness should extend even to people viewed as enemies.

A common mix-up is confusing the afternoon haftarah with the morning haftarah. The morning reading comes from Isaiah 57–58, while Jonah is the distinctive afternoon reading. Haftarah means a prophetic reading accompanying the Torah reading, not a separate biblical book category.