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And Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God from the belly of the fish and said,

“I called from my distress[a] to Yahweh,
    and he answered me;
from the belly of Sheol[b] I cried for help—
    you heard my voice.
And you threw me into the deep,
    into the heart of the seas,
    and the sea currents surrounded me;
all your breakers and your surging waves
    passed over me.
And I said, ‘I am banished[c]
    from your sight;
how[d] will I continue to look[e]
    on your holy temple?’[f]
The waters encompassed me up to my neck;
    the deep surrounded me;
    seaweed was wrapped around my head.
I went down to the foundations of the mountains;
    the Underworld—its bars were around me forever.
But you brought up my life from the pit,
    Yahweh my God.
When my life was ebbing away from me,
    I remembered Yahweh,
and my prayer came to you,
    to your holy temple.[g]
Those who worship vain idols
    forsake their loyal love.[h]
But I, with a voice of thanksgiving,
    will sacrifice to you;
I will fulfill what I have vowed.
    Deliverance[i] belongs to Yahweh!”

10 And Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out on the dry land.

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 2:2 Literally “from distress for me”
  2. Jonah 2:2 “Sheol” is a Hebrew term for the place where the dead reside (i.e. the Underworld)
  3. Jonah 2:4 Or “expelled,” or “driven away”
  4. Jonah 2:4 Or “however, I will continue to look on your holy temple”
  5. Jonah 2:4 Literally “will I do again to look,” meaning “will I continue to look”
  6. Jonah 2:4 Literally “on the temple of your holiness”
  7. Jonah 2:7 Literally “to the temple of your holiness”
  8. Jonah 2:8 This could mean (1) they forsake the loyal love they should show to God or (2) they forfeit forsake the loyal love that God would have shown to them
  9. Jonah 2:9 Or “salvation”

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