7
Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit.
8
“Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”
9
Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord , the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”
10
The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord . “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned.
11
And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”
12
“Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”
13
Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it.
14
Then they cried out to the Lord , Jonah’s God. “O Lord ,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord , you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”
15
Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once!
16
The sailors were awestruck by the Lord ’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.