Jonah 1:8

6 The captain approached him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call upon your God. Perhaps this God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”

7 “Come!” said the sailors to one another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

“Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?”

9 “I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”

10 Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
“Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?”
KJV
Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
WEB
Then they asked him, “Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?”
ASV
Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; what is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
DARBY
And they said unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us: what is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
BLB
And they said to him, “Declare now to us, with regard to whom [is] this evil upon us? What [is] your occupation, and from where do you come? What [is] your land, and from which people [are] you?”
ÅB
Da sa de til ham: Si oss hvem som er skyld i at denne ulykke har hendt oss! Hva er ditt ærend, og hvor kommer du fra? Hva land er du fra, og hva folk hører du til?
OTB
Så spurte de ham, “Fortell oss, hvem er ansvarlig for denne katastrofen? Hva er ditt yrke? Hvor kommer du fra? Hva er ditt land? Fra hvilket folk er du?”
B1930
Da sa de til ham: Si oss hvem som er skyld i at denne ulykke har hendt oss! Hvad er ditt ærend, og hvor kommer du fra? Hvad land er du fra, og hvad folk hører du til?

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Genesis 47:3

    “What is your occupation?” Pharaoh asked Joseph’s brothers. “Your servants are shepherds,” they replied, “both we and our fathers.”

    Read in context
  • 1 Samuel 30:13

    Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill.

    Read in context
  • James 5:16

    Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.

    Read in context
  • Joshua 7:19

    So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

    Read in context
  • 1 Samuel 14:43

    “Tell me what you have done,” Saul commanded him. So Jonathan told him, “I only tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. And now I must die?”

    Read in context