Jonas 2

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

Jonas 2

1Now the Lord had commanded a great whale to swallow up Jonas: and Jonas was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights.Καὶ προσέταξε Κύριος κήτει μεγάλῳ καταπιεῖν τὸν Ἰωνᾶν· καὶ ἦν Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας.

2And Jonas prayed to the Lord his God out of the belly of the whale,Καὶ προσηύξατο Ἰωνᾶς πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας τοῦ κήτους,

3and said, I cried in my affliction to the Lord my God, and he listened to me, even to my cry out of the belly of hell: you heard my voice.καὶ εἶπεν, Ἐβόησα ἐν θλίψει μου πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεόν μου, καὶ εἰσήκουσέ μου, ἐκ κοιλίας ᾅδου κραυγῆς μου, ἤκουσας φωνῆς μου, ἀπέῤῥιψάς με εἰς βάθη καρδίας θαλάσσης,

4You did cast me into the depths of the heart of the sea, and the floods compassed me: all your billows and your waves have passed upon me.καὶ ποταμοί ἐκύκλωσάν με, πάντες οἱ μετεωρισμοί σου καὶ τὰ κύματά σου ἐπʼ ἐμὲ διῆλθον.

5And I said, I am cast out of your presence: shall I indeed look again toward your holy temple?Καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπα, ἀπῶσμαι ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν σου· ἆρα προσθήσω τοῦ ἐπιβλέψαι με πρὸς ναὸν τὸν ἅγιόν σου;

6Water was poured around me to the soul: the * lowest deep compassed me, my head went downΠεριεχύθη μοι ὕδωρ ἕως ψυχῆς, ἄβυσσος ἐκύκλωσέ με ἐσχάτη, ἔδυ ἡ κεφαλή μου εἰς σχισμὰς ὀρέων,

7to the clefts of the mountains; I went down into the earth, whose bars are the everlasting barriers: yet, O Lord my God, let my ruined life be restored.κατέβην εἰς γῆν, ἧς οἱ μοχλοὶ αὐτῆς κάτοχοι αἰώνιοι· καὶ ἀναβήτω φθορὰ ζωῆς μου Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου.

8When my soul was failing † me, I remembered the Lord; and may my prayer come to you into your holy temple.Ἐν τῷ ἐκλείπειν ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ τὴν ψυχήν μου, τοῦ Κυρίου ἐμνήσθην, καὶ ἔλθοι πρὸς σὲ ἡ προσευχή μου εἰς ναὸν τὸν ἅγιόν σου.

9They that observe ‡ vanities and lies have forsaken their own mercy.Φυλασσόμενοι μάταια καὶ ψευδῆ, ἔλεος αὐτῶν ἐγκατέλιπον.

10But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of praise and thanksgiving: all that I have vowed I will pay to you, § the Lord of my salvation.Ἐγὼ δὲ μετὰ φωνῆς αἰνέσεως καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως θύσω σοι, ὅσα ηὐξάμην ἀποδώσω σοι σωτηρίου τῷ Κυρίῳ.

11And the whale was commanded by the Lord, and it cast up Jonas on the dry land.Καὶ προσετάγη ἀπὸ Κυρίου τῷ κήτει, καὶ ἐξέβαλε τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ἐπὶ τὴν ξηράν.

Translator's Notes

These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.

• v. 6*Gr. last.
• v. 8†Gr. from me.
• v. 9‡Gr. vain and false things.
• v. 10§Or, for a thank-offering to the Lord.

The Fathers on Jonas 2

Saint Methodius of Olympus comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.

On Jonas 2

Saint Methodius of Olympus

Ante-Nicene Fathers · Third century · On the History of Jonah

On the History of Jonah, from the Book on the Resurrection. Fragments. On the History of Jonah. From the Book on the Resurrection. I. The history of Jonah contains a great mystery. For it seems that the whale signifies Time, which never stands still, but is always going on, and consumes the things which are made by long and shorter intervals. But Jonah, who…

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