Jonah’s Prayer

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

I called to the Lord in my distress,(B)
and he answered me.
I cried out for help from deep inside[a] Sheol;(C)
you heard my voice.(D)
When you threw me into the depths,(E)
into the heart of the seas,(F)
the current[b] overcame me.
All your breakers and your billows swept over me.(G)
And I said, “I have been banished(H)
from your sight,(I)
yet I will look[c] once more
toward your holy temple.”(J)
The water engulfed me up to the neck;[d](K)
the watery depths overcame me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.(L)
I sank to the foundations of the mountains,(M)
the earth’s gates shut behind me forever!(N)
Then you raised my life(O) from the Pit, Lord my God!(P)
As my life was fading away,(Q)
I remembered the Lord,(R)
and my prayer came to you,(S)
to your holy temple.(T)
Those who cherish worthless idols(U)
abandon their faithful love,(V)
but as for me, I will sacrifice(W) to you
with a voice of thanksgiving.(X)
I will fulfill(Y) what I have vowed.
Salvation[e] belongs to the Lord.(Z)

10 Then the Lord commanded the fish,(AA) and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Footnotes

  1. 2:2 Lit from the stomach of
  2. 2:3 Lit river
  3. 2:4 LXX reads sight. Will I look...?
  4. 2:5 Or me, threatening my life
  5. 2:9 Or Deliverance

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 thou didst hear my voice.
For thou didst cast me into the deep,
    into the heart of the seas,
    and the flood was round about me;
all thy waves and thy billows
    passed over me.
Then I said, ‘I am cast out
    from thy presence;
how shall I again look
    upon thy holy temple?’
The waters closed in over me,
    the deep was round about me;
weeds were wrapped about my head
    at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
    whose bars closed upon me for ever;
yet thou didst bring up my life from the Pit,
    O Lord my God.
When my soul fainted within me,
    I remembered the Lord;
and my prayer came to thee,
    into thy holy temple.
Those who pay regard to vain idols
    forsake their true loyalty.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
    will sacrifice to thee;
what I have vowed I will pay.
    Deliverance belongs to the Lord!”

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

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.

10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.