Jonah 2
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jonah’s Prayer
2 Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside[a] the fish:(A)
2 I called to the Lord in my distress,(B)
and He answered me.
I cried out for help in the belly of Sheol;(C)
You heard my voice.(D)
3 You threw me into the depths,(E)
into the heart of the seas,(F)
and the current[b] overcame me.
All Your breakers and Your billows swept over me.(G)
4 But I said: I have been banished(H)
from Your sight,(I)
yet I will look once more[c]
toward Your holy temple.(J)
5 The waters engulfed me up to the neck;[d](K)
the watery depths overcame me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.(L)
6 I sank to the foundations of the mountains;(M)
the earth with its prison bars closed behind me forever!(N)
But You raised my life(O) from the Pit, Lord my God!(P)
7 As my life was fading away,(Q)
I remembered Yahweh.(R)
My prayer came to You,(S)
to Your holy temple.(T)
8 Those who cling to worthless idols(U)
forsake faithful love,(V)
9 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] is from the Lord!(Z)
10 Then the Lord commanded the fish,(AA) and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah 2
Expanded Bible
2 While Jonah was ·inside [L in the belly/innards of] the fish, he prayed to the Lord his God and said,
2 “When I was in ·danger [distress],
I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
·I was about to die [L From the belly of Sheol; C the place of the dead],
so I cried to you,
and you heard my voice.
3 You threw me into the ·sea [ocean depths; deep],
down, down into the ·deep [L heart of the] sea.
The ·water [flood] ·was all around [engulfed] me,
and your ·powerful [surging; billowing] waves ·flowed [swept] over me.
4 I said, ‘I was ·driven out of your presence [banished from your sight],
·but I hope to see [yet I will look toward] your Holy Temple again.’
5 The waters of the sea closed around my ·throat [or soul].
The deep sea ·was all around [surrounded; closed in on] me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 When I ·went [sank] down to ·where the mountains of the sea start to rise [L the roots of the mountains],
·I thought I was locked in this prison [the earth’s bars held me] forever,
but you ·saved me [L brought up my life] from the pit of death,
Lord my God.
7 “When my life ·had almost gone [was slipping/fainting away],
I remembered the Lord.
·I prayed [L My prayer went up] to you,
·and you heard my prayers in [L in] your Holy Temple.
8 “People who ·worship [cling to] ·useless [worthless; false] idols
·give up their loyalty to you [or forfeit the mercy/lovingkindness that is theirs].
9 But ·I will praise and thank you
while I [L with a voice of thanksgiving I will] give sacrifices to you,
and I will ·keep my promises to you [L pay what I have vowed].
Salvation comes from the Lord!”
10 Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and the fish ·threw up [vomited] Jonah onto the dry land.
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