Jonah 2
New American Standard Bible
Jonah’s Prayer
2 [a]Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God (A)from the stomach of the fish, 2 and he said,
“I (B)called out of my distress to the Lord,
And He answered me.
I called for help from the [b]depth of (C)Sheol;
You heard my voice.
3 For You (D)threw me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current flowed around me.
All Your (E)breakers and waves passed over me.
4 So I said, ‘I have been (F)cast out [c]of Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again (G)toward Your holy temple.’
5 (H)Water encompassed me to the [d]point of death.
The (I)deep flowed around me,
Seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 I (J)descended to the base of the mountains.
The earth with its (K)bars was around me forever,
But You have (L)brought up my life from [e]the pit, Lord my God.
7 While [f]I was (M)fainting away,
I (N)remembered the Lord,
And my (O)prayer came to You,
Into (P)Your holy temple.
8 Those who (Q)are followers of worthless [g]idols
Abandon their faithfulness,
9 But I will (R)sacrifice to You
With a voice of thanksgiving.
That which I have vowed I will (S)pay.
(T)Salvation is from the Lord.”
10 Then the Lord commanded the (U)fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.
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Jonah 2
International Standard Version
Jonah’s Prayer for Deliverance
2 [a]Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the sea creature. 2 He said:
“I called out to the Lord from the midst of affliction directed at me,[b]
and he answered me.
From the depths[c] of death[d] I cried out for help;
and you heard my cry.[e]
3 You cast me into the deep—
into the heart of the sea.
Flood waters engulfed me.
All your breakers and your waves swirled over me.
4 So I told myself,[f] ‘I have been driven away from you.[g]
How[h] will I again gaze on your holy Temple?’
5 Flood waters encompassed me,
the deep surrounded me
while seaweed wrapped around my head.
6 I sank to the roots of the mountains;
the earth’s prison[i] bars closed[j] around me forever.
Yet you resurrect the dead[k] from the Pit,[l] Lord my God!
7 “As my life was fading away,
I remembered the Lord;
and my prayer came to you in your holy Temple.
8 Those who cling to vain idols
leave behind the gracious love that could have been theirs.[m]
9 But as for me, with a voice of thanksgiving I will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Deliverance[n] is the Lord’s!”
10 Then the Lord spoke to the sea creature, and it spewed Jonah onto the dry land.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Jonah 2:1 2:1 is 2:2 in MT, 2:2 is 2:3 in MT, and so through vs. 10
- Jonah 2:2 Lit. affliction to me
- Jonah 2:2 Lit. belly
- Jonah 2:2 Heb. Sheol; i.e. the realm of the dead
- Jonah 2:2 Or voice
- Jonah 2:4 Or I thought
- Jonah 2:4 Lit. from your attention
- Jonah 2:4 Lit. Indeed, surely
- Jonah 2:6 The Heb. lacks prison
- Jonah 2:6 The Heb. lacks closed
- Jonah 2:6 Lit. you bring life up
- Jonah 2:6 I.e. the place of punishment in the afterlife
- Jonah 2:8 Or leave behind their gracious love
- Jonah 2:9 Or Salvation
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