Who's to Blame?

[Song] “Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life.  Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life.”

Hello, my name is Miss Barb!  Welcome to Lifeline English, the podcast that helps you know God and know English.

You can read the written script for today’s lesson online at lifelineenglish.com.

Today I want to teach you teach you three new words.

Do you know what “dice” are?  Dice are six-sided cubes.  Usually they are made of plastic or wood.  One side of the cube has one dot on it, another side has two dots, another side three dots, and so on… up through six dots.  People often use dice when they play games.  The dice choose a number between one and six.  A person rolls the dice, but the person does not know what number will be on top of the dice until the dice stops moving. 

The second word is “rough”.  Rough is the opposite of smooth.  Something that is rough has a surface that is bumpy or uneven.  Sandpaper is rough.  A cat’s tongue is rough.  The bark of a tree is rough.  An apple is not rough. 



Our last word today is “row”.  To row means to move a boat or ship, by pushing wooden paddles or oars through the water.  Rowing is very good exercise! 

In our last story, Jonah tried to run away from God in a ship.  But God sent a storm onto the sea.  Our story today is called, “Who’s to blame?”.

When I ask you a question, I will leave a space.  You can answer my question.  Then I will say the answer.  You can compare your answers with my answers.

The sailors said to each other, “Let’s roll dice.”
With whom did the sailors talk?  The sailors talked to each other.
What did the sailors want to do?  They wanted to roll dice.

“Let’s find out who is to blame for this disaster.”
Why did they want to roll dice?  They wanted to find out who was to blame for this disaster.
What disaster?  The big storm.

So, they rolled dice.  Jonah was picked. 
Who rolled dice?  The sailors rolled dice. 
Who was picked?  Jonah was picked. 
What picked Jonah?  The dice picked Jonah.
Who controlled the dice?  God controlled the dice. 
Who was to blame for the storm?  Jonah was to blame for the storm!

They asked Jonah, “How can we make the sea calm?”
Who did they ask?  They asked Jonah.
Who asked Jonah?  The sailors asked Jonah.
Did the sailors want to kill Jonah? No, they wanted to make the sea calm.

“What should we do to you?”
Did the sailors know what to do to Jonah?  No, they did not know.  They asked Jonah what they should do. 
Why should the sailors do something to Jonah?  Jonah was to blame for the storm.  The sailors wanted the storm to stop.

The sea was becoming even more rough.
What was becoming more rough?  The sea was becoming more rough.
Was the storm becoming worse?  Yes, the storm was becoming worse.

Jonah answered, “Throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm.”
When will the sea become calm?  The sea will become calm when the sailors throw Jonah into the sea.
Did Jonah throw himself into the sea?  No, Jonah told the sailors to throw him into the sea.

“This big storm is my fault.”
Whose fault was this big storm?  This big storm was Jonah’s fault.
Did Jonah pray to God?  No, Jonah did not pray to God.
Did Jonah say he will obey God?  No, Jonah did not say he will obey God.

The sailors rowed very hard.  They could not get to the dry land.
Who rowed?  The sailors rowed. 
Did Jonah row?  No, Jonah did not row.
Did the sailors throw Jonah into the sea?  No, the sailors rowed.  They did not throw Jonah into the sea.
Why did the sailors row?  They rowed to get to the dry land.
Did the sailors get to the dry land?  No, they could not get to the dry land.   

The storm grew worse and worse.
What grew?  The storm grew.
Did the storm grow more calm?  No, the storm grew worse and worse!

Let’s listen to the whole story together. 

The sailors said to each other, “Let’s roll dice. Let’s find out who is to blame for this disaster.”
So, they rolled dice.  Jonah was picked. 
They asked, “What should we do to you? How can we make the sea calm?”
The sea was becoming even more rough.
Jonah answered, “Throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm. This big storm is my fault.”
The sailors rowed very hard. They could not get to the dry land.
The storm grew worse and worse.

This story includes a lot of conversation.  The story records the words of the sailors and of Jonah.  They are called “direct quotations”.  We can also tell what someone said indirectly.  Here is how the story would sound with indirect quotations.  Watch how the pronouns change (and, if you are reading the written script, how the punctuation changes). 

The sailors said to each other that they should roll dice and find out who was to blame for the disaster.  So, they rolled dice.  Jonah was picked. 
They asked Jonah what they should do to him and how they could make the sea calm. 
Jonah answered that they should throw him into the sea.  He said that then the sea would become calm and that the big storm was his fault.
The sailors rowed very hard.  They could not get to the dry land.
The storm grew worse and worse. 

Do you have any questions?  You can write me.  Go to our website, lifelineenglish.com. 

Jonah ran away from God.  God sent a storm.  Jonah and all the sailors came close to death.  Do other people suffer when you disobey God?  In our next story, we will find out how the sea becomes calm again. 

Until next time, may Jesus help you know Him and know English.  Good bye!

[Song] “Jesus only savior, sanctify forever, beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.  Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.”