⁴ Then the Lord sent^[a] a great wind over the sea, and a severe storm broke out. It seemed as if the ship were^[b] about to break up. ⁵ At this point the mariners became terrified, and each man cried out to his gods. They began to throw the cargo into the sea in order to lighten the vessel. But Jonah had gone down into the vessel’s hold, had lain down, and was fast asleep. ⁶ So the captain approached him, and told him, “What are you doing asleep? Get up! Call on your gods! Maybe your^[c] god will think about us so we won’t die!”

⁷ Meanwhile, each crewman told another, “Come on! Let’s cast lots to find out whose fault it is that we’re in this trouble.” So they cast lots, and the lot indicated Jonah! ⁸ So they interrogated him: “Tell us, why has this trouble come upon us? What’s your occupation? Where’d you come from? What’s your home country? What’s your nationality?”

⁹ “I’m a Hebrew,” he replied, “and I’m afraid of the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea—along with the dry land!”