Jonah’s Prayer

Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside[a] the fish:(A)

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)
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)
But I said: I have been banished(H)
from Your sight,(I)
yet I will look once more[c]
toward Your holy temple.(J)
The waters 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 with its prison bars closed behind me forever!(N)
But You raised my life(O) from the Pit, Lord my God!(P)
As my life was fading away,(Q)
I remembered Yahweh.(R)
My prayer came to You,(S)
to Your holy temple.(T)
Those who cling to worthless idols(U)
forsake 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] is from the Lord!(Z)

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

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 2:1 Lit from the belly of
  2. Jonah 2:3 Lit river
  3. Jonah 2:4 LXX reads said: Indeed, will I look . . . ?
  4. Jonah 2:5 Or me, threatening my life
  5. Jonah 2:9 Or Deliverance

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.