Jonah 2

¹Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,

²And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

³For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

⁴Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

⁵The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

⁶I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

⁷When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

⁸They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

⁹But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.

¹⁰And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Jonah 2

¹And Jonah prayeth unto Jehovah his God from the bowels of the fish.

²And he saith: I called, because of my distress, to Jehovah, And He doth answer me, From the belly of sheol I have cried, Thou hast heard my voice.

³When Thou dost cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, Then the flood doth compass me, All Thy breakers and Thy billows have passed over me.

⁴And II said: I have been cast out from before Thine eyes, (Yet I add to look unto Thy holy temple!)

⁵Compassed me have waters unto the soul, The deep doth compass me, The weed is bound to my head.

⁶To the cuttings of mountains I have come down, The earth, her bars are behind me to the age. And Thou bringest up from the pit my life, O Jehovah my God.

⁷In the feebleness within me of my soul Jehovah I have remembered, And come in unto Thee doth my prayer, Unto Thy holy temple.

⁸Those observing lying vanities their own mercy forsake.

⁹And Iwith a voice of thanksgivingI sacrifice to Thee, That which I have vowed I complete, Salvation is of Jehovah.

¹⁰And Jehovah saith to the fish, and it vomiteth out Jonah on the dry land.

Jonah 2

¹Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,

²And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

³For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

⁴Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

⁵The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

⁶I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

⁷When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

⁸They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

⁹But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.

¹⁰And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Jonah 2:1

KJV

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,

YLT

And Jonah prayeth unto Jehovah his God from the bowels of the fish.

KJV

And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

YLT

And he saith: I called, because of my distress, to Jehovah, And He doth answer me, From the belly of sheol I have cried, Thou hast heard my voice.

KJV

For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

YLT

When Thou dost cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, Then the flood doth compass me, All Thy breakers and Thy billows have passed over me.

KJV

Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

YLT

And II said: I have been cast out from before Thine eyes, (Yet I add to look unto Thy holy temple!)

KJV

The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

YLT

Compassed me have waters unto the soul, The deep doth compass me, The weed is bound to my head.

KJV

I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

YLT

To the cuttings of mountains I have come down, The earth, her bars are behind me to the age. And Thou bringest up from the pit my life, O Jehovah my God.

KJV

When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

YLT

In the feebleness within me of my soul Jehovah I have remembered, And come in unto Thee doth my prayer, Unto Thy holy temple.

KJV

They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

YLT

Those observing lying vanities their own mercy forsake.

KJV

But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.

YLT

And Iwith a voice of thanksgivingI sacrifice to Thee, That which I have vowed I complete, Salvation is of Jehovah.

KJV

And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

YLT

And Jehovah saith to the fish, and it vomiteth out Jonah on the dry land.

Understanding King James Version vs Young's Literal Translation in Jonah 2

King James Version (KJV)

The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

An extremely literal, word-for-word translation that preserves original verb tenses and phrasing. Best for close study and comparing structures from the source languages. The English can feel rigid, but it’s very useful for detailed analysis.

You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Jonah 2 in the King James Version and Young's Literal Translation. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.