Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah had gone down into the lower part of the ship; and he had lain down, and was fast asleep.

So the captain came to him, and said unto him, What mean you, O sleeper? arise, call upon your God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray you, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is your occupation? and from where come you? what is your country? and of what people are you?

Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why have you done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

For you had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods surrounded me: all your billows and your waves passed over me.

Then I said, I am cast out of your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.

The waters surrounded me, even to the soul: the deep closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto you, into your holy temple.

And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray you, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and you relent from the destruction.

And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also many cattle?