Hearing this, the men became even more afraid and said to him, "What have you done?" (The men said this because they knew that he was trying to escape from the Lord, because he had previously told them.)

And they said unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and more tempestuous.

But the men rowed hard to regain the land; but they could not; for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

The men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

But I said: I have been banished
from Your sight,
yet I will look once more
toward Your holy temple.

Now Nineveh was a very large city, requiring a three-day journey to cross through it. As Jonah started into the city on the first day's journey, he proclaimed the message, "40 days more and Nineveh will be overthrown!"

and I, should not I have pity on Nineveh, the great city, wherein are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?