Old Testament

New Testament

Jonah 1:9-16 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

9. He answered, "I'm a Hebrew. I worship the Lord. He is the God of heaven. He made the sea and the land."

10. They found out he was running away from the Lord. That's because he had told them. Then they became terrified. So they asked him, "How could you do a thing like that?"

11. The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down?"

12. "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied. "Then it will become calm. I know it's my fault that this terrible storm has come on you."

13. Instead of doing what he said, the men did their best to row back to land. But they couldn't. The sea got even rougher than before.

14. Then they cried out to the Lord. They prayed, "Lord, please don't let us die for taking this man's life. After all, he might not be guilty of doing anything wrong. So don't hold us accountable for killing him. Lord, you always do what you want to."

15. Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard. And the stormy sea became calm.

16. When the men saw what had happened, they began to have great respect for the Lord. They offered a sacrifice to him. And they made promises to him.

Read complete chapter Jonah 1