Jonah's Prayer

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

(A)“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
    and he answered me;
(B)out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
    (C)and you heard my voice.
(D)For you cast me into the deep,
    into the heart of the seas,
    and the flood surrounded me;
(E)all your breakers and your waves
    passed over me.
(F)Then I said, ‘I am driven away
    from your sight;
(G)yet I shall again look
    upon your holy temple.’
(H)The waters closed in over me (I)to take my life;
    the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head.
To 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.
When my life was fainting away,
    I remembered the Lord,
(J)and my prayer came to you,
    into your holy temple.
(K)Those who pay regard to vain idols
    (L)forsake their hope of steadfast love.
(M)But I with the voice of thanksgiving
    will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
    (N)Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

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

Jonas no ventre do grande peixe, sua oração e seu salvamento

E orou Jonas ao Senhor, seu Deus, das entranhas do peixe. E disse: Na minha angústia, clamei ao Senhor, e ele me respondeu; do ventre do inferno gritei, e tu ouviste a minha voz. Porque tu me lançaste no profundo, no coração dos mares, e a corrente me cercou; todas as tuas ondas e as tuas vagas têm passado por cima de mim. E eu disse: Lançado estou de diante dos teus olhos; todavia, tornarei a ver o templo da tua santidade. As águas me cercaram até à alma, o abismo me rodeou, e as algas se enrolaram na minha cabeça. Eu desci até aos fundamentos dos montes; os ferrolhos da terra correram-se sobre mim para sempre; mas tu livraste a minha vida da perdição, ó Senhor, meu Deus. Quando desfalecia em mim a minha alma, eu me lembrei do Senhor; e entrou a ti a minha oração, no templo da tua santidade. Os que observam as vaidades vãs deixam a sua própria misericórdia. Mas eu te oferecerei sacrifício com a voz do agradecimento; o que votei pagarei; do Senhor vem a salvação. 10 Falou, pois, o Senhor ao peixe, e ele vomitou a Jonas na terra.

[a]From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said:

“In my distress I called(A) to the Lord,(B)
    and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead(C) I called for help,
    and you listened to my cry.
You hurled me into the depths,(D)
    into the very heart of the seas,
    and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves(E) and breakers
    swept over me.(F)
I said, ‘I have been banished
    from your sight;(G)
yet I will look again
    toward your holy temple.’(H)
The engulfing waters threatened me,[b]
    the deep surrounded me;
    seaweed was wrapped around my head.(I)
To the roots of the mountains(J) I sank down;
    the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
    brought my life up from the pit.(K)

“When my life was ebbing away,
    I remembered(L) you, Lord,
and my prayer(M) rose to you,
    to your holy temple.(N)

“Those who cling to worthless idols(O)
    turn away from God’s love for them.
But I, with shouts of grateful praise,(P)
    will sacrifice(Q) to you.
What I have vowed(R) I will make good.
    I will say, ‘Salvation(S) comes from the Lord.’”

10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:17, and 2:1-10 is numbered 2:2-11.
  2. Jonah 2:5 Or waters were at my throat