Jonah 1:8

The Darby Translation

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?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in. What is your business, and where are you from? What is your country, and what people are you from?”

Hebrew Names Version
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?"

King James Version (1611)
Then said they vnto him, Tel vs, we pray thee, for whose cause this euill is vpon vs: What is thine occupation? and whence commest thou? What is thy countrey? and of what people art thou?

King James Version
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?

English Standard Version
Then they said to him, "Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?"

New American Standard Bible
Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account has this catastrophe struck us? What is your occupation, and where do you come from? What is your country, and from what people are you?"

New Century Version
Then they said to him, "Tell us, who caused our trouble? What is your job? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?"

Amplified Bible
Then they said to him, "Now tell us! Who is to blame for this disaster? What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then said they vnto him, Tell vs for whose cause this euill is vpon vs? what is thine occupation? and whence commest thou? which is thy countrey? and of what people art thou?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamitous evil struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"

Berean Standard Bible
"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?"

Contemporary English Version
They started asking him, "Are you the one who brought all this trouble on us? What business are you in? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?"

Complete Jewish Bible
They said to him, "Tell us now, why has this calamity come upon us? What work do you do? Where are you from? What is your country? Which is your people?"

Easy-to-Read Version
Then the men said to Jonah, "It is your fault that this terrible thing is happening to us. Tell us, what have you done? What is your job? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?"

George Lamsa Translation
Then they said to him, Tell us for what cause this evil has come upon us; what is your occupation? And from what place do you come? What is your country? And of what people are you?

Good News Translation
So they said to him, "Now, then, tell us! Who is to blame for this? What are you doing here? What country do you come from? What is your nationality?"

Lexham English Bible
So they said to him, "Please tell us whoever is responsible that this disaster has come upon us! What is your occupation? And from where do you come? What is your country? And from which people are you?"

Literal Translation
And they said to him, Please tell us on account of whom has this evil occurred to us? What is your work? And from where do you come? What is your country, and of what people are you?

American Standard Version
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?

Bible in Basic English
Then they said to him, Now make clear to us what is your work, and where you come from? what is your country, and who are your people?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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?'

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then saide they vnto him: Tell vs for whose cause is this euill come vpon vs? what is thyne occupation? whence camest thou? what countrey man art thou, and of what nation?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they said to him, Tell us what is thine occupation, and whence comest thou, and of what country and what people art thou?

English Revised Version
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?

World English Bible
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?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei seiden to hym, Schewe thou to vs, for cause of what thing this yuel is to vs; what is thi werk, which is thi lond, and whidur goist thou, ether of what puple art thou?

Update Bible Version
Then they said to him, Tell us, we pray you, for whose cause this evil is on us; what is your occupation? and where do you come from? what is your country? and of what people are you?

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said they to him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil [is] upon us; What [is] thy occupation? and whence comest thou? what [is] thy country? and of what people [art] thou?

New English Translation
They said to him, "Tell us, whose fault is it that this disaster has overtaken us? What's your occupation? Where do you come from? What's your country? And who are your people?"

New King James Version
Then they said to him, "Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?"

New Living Translation
"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?"

New Life Bible
Then they said to him, "Now tell us! Who is to blame for this? What is your work? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"

New Revised Standard
Then they said to him, "Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose sake this calamity is upon us? What is thy business? and from whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they said to him: Tell us for what cause this evil is upon us, what is thy business? of what country art thou? and whither goest thou? or of what people art thou?

Revised Standard Version
Then they said to him, "Tell us, on whose account this evil has come upon us? What is your occupation? And whence do you come? What is your country? And of what people are you?"

Young's Literal Translation
And they say unto him, `Declare to us, we pray thee, on what account this evil [is] on us? what [is] thine occupation, and whence comest thou? what [is] thy country, seeing thou art not of this people?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The sayde they vnto him: tell vs, for whose cause are we thus troubled? what is thine occupacion? whence commest thou? what countre man art thou, and of what nacion?

THE MESSAGE
Then they grilled him: "Confess. Why this disaster? What is your work? Where do you come from? What country? What family?"

Contextual Overview

⁴ But Jehovah sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest upon the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. ⁵ And the mariners were afraid, and cried every one unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to be lightened of them. But Jonah had gone down into the lower part of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. ⁶ And the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, sleeper? arise, call upon thy God; perhaps God will think upon us, that we perish not. ⁷ And they said each one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. ⁸ 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? ⁹ And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the God of the heavens, who hath made the sea and the dry [land]. ¹⁰ Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, What is this thou hast done? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of Jehovah: for he had told them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Tell: Joshua 7:19, 1 Samuel 14:43, James 5:16

What is thine: Genesis 47:3, 1 Samuel 30:13

Reciprocal: Genesis 46:33 - What is

Cross-References

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Genesis 1:10
And God called the dry [land] Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:13
And there was evening, and there was morning—a third day.

Genesis 1:19
And there was evening, and there was morning—a fourth day.

Genesis 1:23
And there was evening, and there was morning—a fifth day.

Genesis 1:31
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 5:2
Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then they said unto him, tell us, we pray thee,.... They did not fall upon him at once in an outrageous manner, and throw him overboard; as it might be thought such men would have done, considering what they had suffered and lost by means of him; but they use him with great respect, tenderness, and lenity: and entreat him to tell them

for whose cause this evil [was] upon them: or rather, as the Targum,

"for what this evil is upon us;''

and so Noldius f renders the words; for their inquiry was not about the person for whose cause it was; that was determined by the lot; but on what account it was; what sin it was he had been guilty of, which was the cause of it; for they supposed some great sin must be committed, that had brought down the vengeance of God in such a manner:

what [is] thine occupation? trade or business? this question they put, to know whether he had any, or was an idle man; or rather, whether it was an honest and lawful employment; whether it was by fraud or violence, by thieving and stealing, he got his livelihood; or by conjuring, and using the magic art: or else the inquiry was about his present business, what he was going about; what he was to do at Tarshish when he came there; whether he was not upon some ill design, and sent on an unlawful errand, and going to do some ill thing, for which vengeance pursued him, and stopped him:

and whence comest thou? what [is] thy country? and of what people [art] thou? which questions seem to relate to the same thing, what nation he was of; and put by different persons, who were eager to learn what countryman he was, that they might know who was the God he worshipped, and guess at the crime he had been guilty of.

f Concordant. Part. Ebr. p. 182. No. 828.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Tell us, for whose cause - Literally “for what to whom.” It may be that they thought that Jonah had been guilty toward some other. The lot had pointed him out. The mariners, still fearing to do wrong, ask him thronged questions, to know why the anger of God followed him; “what” hast thou done “to whom?” “what thine occupation?” i. e., either his ordinary occupation, whether it was displeasing to God? or this particular business in which he was engaged, and for which he had come on board. Questions so thronged have been admired in human poetry, Jerome says. For it is true to nature. They think that some one of them will draw forth the answer which they wish. It may be that they thought that his country, or people, or parents, were under the displeasure of God. But perhaps, more naturally, they wished to “know all about him,” as people say. These questions must have gone home to Jonah’s conscience. “What is thy business?” The office of prophet which he had left. “Whence comest thou?” From standing before God, as His minister. “What thy country? of what people art thou?” The people of God, whom he had quitted for pagan; not to win them to God, as He commanded; but, not knowing what they did, to abet him in his flight.

What is thine occupation? - They should ask themselves, who have Jonah’s office to speak in the name of God, and preach repentance . “What should be thy business, who hast consecrated thyself wholly to God, whom God has loaded with daily benefits? who approachest to Him as to a Friend? “What is thy business?” To live for God, to despise the things of earth, to behold the things of heaven,” to lead others heavenward.

Jonah answers simply the central point to which all these questions tended:

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 8. Tell us - for whose cause — A very gentle method of bringing the charge home to himself, and the several questions here asked gave the utmost latitude to make the best of his own case.