Jonah 2

The prayer from the fish

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.a ²He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.b ³You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.c

⁴I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’d ⁵The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.e ⁶To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.

⁷“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.f ⁸“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.g ⁹But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”h ¹⁰And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.i