⁴ But the Lord hurled a great wind onto the sea, and there was such a great storm on the sea that the ship was about to break apart. ⁵ The sailors were afraid, and each one cried out to his gods. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the ship’s load.

Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship. He was lying down and sleeping soundly. ⁶ The captain approached him and said, “How can you be sleeping so soundly? Get up and call on your god! Maybe your god will treat us with favor so that we will not perish.”

⁷ Then the sailors said to each other, “Come on, let’s cast lots so that we can find out whose fault it is that this disaster has come to us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

⁸ So they said to him, “Please tell us whose fault it is that this disaster has come to us! What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? What people are you from?”

⁹ He answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of Heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”