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17 [a] But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,

“I called to the Lord out of my distress,
    and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
    and you heard my voice.
You cast me into the deep,
    into the heart of the seas,
    and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
    passed over me.
Then I said, ‘I am driven away
    from your sight;
how[b] shall I look again
    upon your holy temple?’
The waters closed in over me;
    the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped around my head
    at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
    whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit,
    O Lord my God.
As my life was ebbing away,
    I remembered the Lord;
and my prayer came to you,
    into your holy temple.
Those who worship vain idols
    forsake their true loyalty.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
    will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
    Deliverance belongs to the Lord!”

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 1:17 Ch 2.1 in Heb
  2. Jonah 2:4 Theodotion: Heb surely

17 (A)At the Lord's command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah's Prayer

From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:

“In my distress, O Lord, I called to you,
    and you answered me.
From deep in the world of the dead
    I cried for help, and you heard me.
You threw me down into the depths,
    to the very bottom of the sea,
    where the waters were all around me,
    and all your mighty waves rolled over me.
I thought I had been banished from your presence
    and would never see your holy Temple again.
The water came over me and choked me;
    the sea covered me completely,
    and seaweed wrapped around my head.
I went down to the very roots of the mountains,
    into the land whose gates lock shut forever.[a]
But you, O Lord my God,
    brought me back from the depths alive.
When I felt my life slipping away,
    then, O Lord, I prayed to you,
    and in your holy Temple you heard me.
Those who worship worthless idols
    have abandoned their loyalty to you.
But I will sing praises to you;
    I will offer you a sacrifice
    and do what I have promised.
Salvation comes from the Lord!”

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 2:6 A reference to the world of the dead (see 2.2).

17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, and said,

I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord,
and he heard me;
out of the belly of hell cried I,
and thou heardest my voice.
For thou hadst cast me into the deep,
in the midst of the seas;
and the floods compassed me about:
all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight;
yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
The waters compassed me about, even to the soul:
the depth closed me round about,
the weeds were wrapped about my head.
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains;
the earth with her bars was about me for ever:
yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption,
O Lord my God.
When my soul fainted within me
I remembered the Lord:
and my prayer came in unto thee,
into thine holy temple.
They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay that that I have vowed.
Salvation is of the Lord.