Jonah’s Prayer
1From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God, 2saying:
“In my distress I called to the LORD,
and He answered me.
From the belly of Sheol I called for help,
and You heard my voice.
3For You cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the current swirled about me;
all Your breakers and waves swept over me.
4At this, I said,
‘I have been banished from Your sight;
yet I will look once more
toward Your holy temple.’
5The waters engulfed me
to take my life;
the watery depths closed around me;
the seaweed wrapped around my head.
6To the roots of the mountains I descended;
the earth beneath me barred me in forever!
But You raised my life from the pit,
O LORD my God!
7As my life was fading away,
I remembered the LORD.
My prayer went up to You,
to Your holy temple.
8Those who cling to worthless idols
forsake His loving devotion.Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.
9But I, with the voice of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to You.
I will fulfill what I have vowed.
Salvation is from the LORD!”
10And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.