Jonah’s Prayer

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

x“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,

and he answered me;

yout of the belly of Sheol I cried,

zand you heard my voice.

3  aFor you cast me into the deep,

into the heart of the seas,

and the flood surrounded me;

ball your waves and your billows

passed over me.

4  cThen I said, ‘I am driven away

from your sight;

dyet I shall again look

upon your holy temple.’

5  eThe waters closed in over me fto take my life;

the deep surrounded me;

weeds were wrapped about my head

6  at 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.

7  When my life was fainting away,

I remembered the Lord,

gand my prayer came to you,

into your holy temple.

8  hThose who pay regard to vain idols

iforsake their hope of steadfast love.

9  jBut I with the voice of thanksgiving

will sacrifice to you;

what I have vowed I will pay.

kSalvation belongs to the Lord!”