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Jonah’s Prayer

[a]Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God (A)from the stomach of the fish, and he said,

“I (B)called out of my distress to Yahweh,
And He answered me.
I cried for help from the belly of (C)Sheol;
You heard my voice.
For You had (D)cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current surrounded me.
All Your (E)breakers and waves passed over me.
So I said, ‘I have been (F)driven away from [b]Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again (G)toward Your holy temple.’
(H)Water encompassed me to my very soul.
The great (I)deep surrounded me,
Weeds were wrapped around my head.
I (J)went down to the [c]base of the mountains.
The earth with its (K)bars closed behind me forever,
But You have (L)brought up my life from [d]the pit, O Yahweh my God.
While my soul was (M)fainting within me,
I (N)remembered Yahweh,
And my (O)prayer came to You,
To (P)Your holy temple.
Those who (Q)regard worthless idols
Forsake their lovingkindness,
But as for me, I will (R)sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving.
That which I have vowed I will (S)pay.
(T)Salvation belongs to Yahweh.”

10 Then Yahweh spoke to the (U)fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 2:1 Ch 2:2 in Heb
  2. Jonah 2:4 Lit before Your eyes
  3. Jonah 2:6 Lit bases
  4. Jonah 2:6 Or corruption

Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish:

“I called out to the Lord in my distress, and he answered me.
        From the belly of the underworld[a] I cried out for help;
        you have heard my voice.
You had cast me into the depths in the heart of the seas,
        and the flood surrounds me.
        All your strong waves and rushing water passed over me.
So I said, ‘I have been driven away from your sight.
        Will I ever again look on your holy temple?
Waters have grasped me to the point of death;
        the deep surrounds me.
Seaweed is wrapped around my head
        at the base of the undersea[b] mountains.
I have sunk down to the underworld;
        its bars held me with no end in sight.
        But you brought me out of the pit.’
When my endurance[c] was weakening,
        I remembered the Lord,
        and my prayer came to you,
            to your holy temple.
Those deceived by worthless things lose their chance for mercy.[d]
But me, I will offer a sacrifice to you with a voice of thanks.
        That which I have promised, I will pay.
            Deliverance belongs to the Lord!”

10 Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto the dry land.

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 2:2 Heb Sheol
  2. Jonah 2:6 Heb lacks undersea.
  3. Jonah 2:7 Endurance here renders the same Heb word as life in 1:14 and death in 2:5.
  4. Jonah 2:8 Heb uncertain