Jonah 2 - 3
Jonah’s Prayer
21Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God afrom the stomach of the fish, 2and he said, “I acalled out of my distress to Yahweh,And He answered me.I cried for help from the belly of bSheol;You heard my voice.
3“For You had acast me into the deep,Into the heart of the seas,And the current surrounded me.All Your bbreakers and waves passed over me.4“So I said, ‘I have been adriven away from 1Your sight.Nevertheless I will look again btoward Your holy temple.’5“aWater encompassed me to my very soul.The great bdeep surrounded me,Weeds were wrapped around my head.6“I awent down to the 1base of the mountains.The earth with its bbars closed behind me forever,But You have cbrought up my life from 2the pit, O Yahweh my God.7“While my soul was afainting within me,I bremembered Yahweh,And my cprayer came to You,To dYour holy temple.8“Those who aregard worthless idolsForsake their lovingkindness,9But as for me, I will asacrifice to YouWith the voice of thanksgiving.That which I have vowed I will bpay.cSalvation belongs to Yahweh.”10Then Yahweh spoke to the afish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.
Ninevites Turn from Their Evil Ways
3Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2“Arise, go to aNineveh, the great city, and bcall out to it this very call which I am going to speak to you.” 3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was 1an aexceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. 4Then Jonah began to go into the city, one day’s walk; and he acalled out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
5And the 1people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a afast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6Then the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, laid aside his mantle from him, acovered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the 1ashes. 7And he acried out and said, 8“But both man and 1animal must be covered with sackcloth; and let 2men acall on God with their strength that each may bturn from his evil way and from the violence which is in 3his hands. 9“aWho knows, God may turn and relent and turn away from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”