1
Jonah’s Prayer
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.
2
He said:
“In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3
You hurled me into the deep,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
4
I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
5
The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6
To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you brought my life up from the pit,
O Lord my God.
7
“When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.