¹ And Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God from the belly of the fish

² and said, “I called ⌞from my distress⌟¹ to Yahweh, and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol² I cried for help— you heard my voice.

1. Literally “from distress for me”
2. “Sheol” is a Hebrew term for the place where the dead reside (i.e. the Underworld)

³ And you threw me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the sea currents surrounded me; all your breakers and your surging waves passed over me.

⁴ And I said, ‘I am banished¹ from your sight; how² ⌞will I continue to look⌟³ ⌞on your holy temple⌟?’⁴

1. Or “expelled,” or “driven away”
2. Or “however, I will continue to look on your holy temple”
3. Literally “will I do again to look,” meaning “will I continue to look”
4. Literally “on the temple of your holiness”

⁵ The waters encompassed me up to my neck; the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.

⁶ I went down to the foundations of the mountains; the Underworld—its bars were around me forever. But you brought up my life from the pit, Yahweh my God.

⁷ When my life was ebbing away from me, I remembered Yahweh, and my prayer came to you, ⌞to your holy temple⌟.¹

1. Literally “to the temple of your holiness”

⁸ Those who worship vain idols forsake their loyal love.¹

1. This could mean (1) they forsake the loyal love they should show to God or (2) they forfeit forsake the loyal love that God would have shown to them

⁹ But I, with a voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you; I will fulfill what I have vowed. Deliverance¹ belongs to Yahweh!”

1. Or “salvation”

¹⁰ And Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out on the dry land.