Jonah 2 - 3 - Legacy Standard Bible

Jonah 2 - 3

Jonah’s Prayer

Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh his God from the stomach of the fish, 2 and he said,

“I called out of my distress to Yahweh,

And He answered me.

I cried for help from the belly of Sheol;

You heard my voice.

For You had cast me into the deep,

Into the heart of the seas,

And the current surrounded me.

All Your breakers and waves passed over me.

So I said, ‘I have been driven away from Your sight.

Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’

Water encompassed me to my very soul.

The great deep surrounded me,

Weeds were wrapped around my head.

I went down to the base of the mountains.

The earth with its bars closed behind me forever,

But You have brought up my life from the pit, O Yahweh my God.

While my soul was fainting within me,

I remembered Yahweh,

And my prayer came to You,

To Your holy temple.

Those who regard worthless idols

Forsake their lovingkindness,

But as for me, I will sacrifice to You

With the voice of thanksgiving.

That which I have vowed I will pay.

Salvation belongs to Yahweh.”

10 Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.

Ninevites Turn from Their Evil Ways

Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and call out to it this very call which I am going to speak to you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go into the city, one day’s walk; and he called out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, laid aside his mantle from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes. 7 And he cried out and said,

“In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, animal, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat, and do not let them drink water.

But both man and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God with their strength that each may turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands.

Who knows, God may turn and relent and turn away from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, so God relented concerning the evil which He had spoken He would bring upon them. And He did not bring it upon them.