Jonah 2
1
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish.
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Notes
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It is significant that Jonah is not recorded as praying until this point in the story.
2
He began, “In my agony I cried out to the Lord and he answered me; from the depths of Sheol I pleaded for help and you answered me.
1
Notes
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Sheol: the place of the dead.
3
You threw me into the deep, all the way down to the bottom of the sea. Water flooded all around me; your crashing waves rolled over me.
1
Notes
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Literally, “the heart of the sea.”
4
I said to myself, ‘The Lord has banished me from his sight. Will I ever see your holy Temple again?’
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Notes
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Or “but even so I will see your holy Temple again.”
5
The water swirled over me so I couldn't breathe; the deep sucked me down; seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
6
I sank down to the base of the mountains; the earth barred me in forever. But you, my Lord, my God, brought me back up from the abyss.
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As my life ebbed away, I remembered the Lord; my prayer came to you in your holy Temple.
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Those who worship worthless idols give up their trust in God's goodness.
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But I will offer you sacrifices, shouting out my thanks. I will keep my promises to you, for salvation comes from the Lord.”
10
Then the Lord told the fish to spit out Jonah onto the shore.