Jonah 4
1 Tedae thaehuet he Jonah taengah muep a thae pah tih amah khaw sai.
But Jonah was very distressed [that God had not destroyed Nineveh]. He became very angry. [The people of Nineveh were non-Jews, and Jonah did not think that God should act mercifully toward anyone who was not a Jew].
2 Te dongah BOEIPA taengla thangthui tih, “Aw BOEIPA, ka hmuenlung ah ka om vaengah he he ka ol moenih a? Te dongah ni Tarshish la yong ham ka mah. Namah he lungvatnah neh thinphoei Pathen la kan ming ta. Thintoek na ueh tih sitlohnah loh a puh dongah boethae khui lamloh ko na hlawt.
He prayed to Yahweh, “O Yahweh, what you have done is what I thought that you would do, before I left home [RHQ]. That is why I [decided] immediately to run away, and go to Tarshish [city], because I knew that you, O God, act very kindly and compassionately [toward all people]. You do not quickly become angry with people who do evil things. You love people very much, and you change your mind about punishing [people who sin].
3 BOEIPA aw, kai lamkah ka hinglu te lo mai laeh. Ka dueknah he ka hingnah lakah then,” a ti.
[So] now, O Yahweh, [since you will not destroy Nineveh city as you said you would], allow me to die, because it would be better for me to die than to [continue to] live.”
4 Tedae BOEIPA loh, “Nang taengah a sai te thuem a?” a ti nah.
Yahweh replied, “(Why is it right for you to be angry [about my not destroying the city]?/It is not right for you to be angry [about my not destroying the city]!) [RHQ]”
5 Te phoeiah Jonah te khopuei lamloh cet tih khopuei kah khothoeng ah kho a sak. Te vaengah amah hamla poca pahoi a sak tih khopuei ah metla a om khaw hmuh hamla hlipkhup kah a hmui ah ngol.
Jonah [did not reply]. He went out of the city to the east [side of it]. He made a small shelter in order that he could sit under it and be protected from the sun. He sat under the shelter and waited to see what would happen to the city.
6 Te vaengah Pathen BOEIPA loh tuikung a khueh pah tih Jonah soah a yam pah. A lu soah hlipkhup la a om pah dongah anih ham tah a yoethaenah khui lamloh huul uh. Te dongah Jonah tah tuikung dongah te kohoenah neh bahoeng a kohoe.
Then Yahweh God caused a vine to grow up [immediately] to shade Jonah’s head from the sun and make him [feel] more comfortable. Jonah was very happy about [having] the vine [over his head].
7 Tedae a vuen mincang a pha vaengah Pathen loh phol a khueh pah tih tuikung te a ngawn pah dongah a koh pah.
But before dawn the next day, God sent a worm that chewed the vine, with the result that the vine withered.
8 Khomik a thoeng neh Pathen loh khothoeng yilh ling a paek. Te vaengah ah khomik loh Jonah lu te a do pah. Te dongah tawn coeng tih a hinglu te a duek ham ni a. bih coeng. Te dongah, “Ka dueknah he ka hingnah lakah then,” a ti.
Then, when the sun rose [high in the sky], God sent a very hot wind from the east, and the sun shone very strongly on Jonah’s head, with the result that he felt faint. He wanted to die, and he said, “It would be better for me to die than to [continue to] live!”
9 Tedae Pathen loh Jonah te, “Tuikung dongah na sai te thuem a?” a ti nah vaengah, “Dueknah hil ka sai tueng ta,” a ti nah.
But God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about [what happened to] the vine?” Jonah replied, “[Yes], it is right! [Now] I am very angry and I want to die!”
10 Te dongah BOEIPA loh, “Nang loh tuikung te na rhen. Te ham te na thakthae pawt tih na rhoeng sak moenih. Te te hlaem khat ca ah poe tih hlaem khat ca ah ni a milh.
But Yahweh said [to him], “You have been concerned about my [causing] that vine [to wither], even though you did not take care of it, and you did not make it grow. It just grew up during one night, and it completely withered [at the end of] the next night.
11 Tedae kai loh Nineveh khopuei len ka rhen mahpawt nim? A khuiah a bantang laklo neh a banvoei laklo aka ming pawh hlang thawng ya pakul lakah a yet neh rhamsa khaw muep om ta,” a ti nah.
But there are more than 120,000 people in Nineveh who [are very young, and because of that], they cannot tell which is their right hand and which is their left hand, and there are also many cattle, [and none of these have done anything to displease me]. So (is it not right for me to be concerned about the people of that huge city, [and not want to destroy them]?/it is certainly right for me to be concerned about the people of that huge city [and not want to destroy them]!) [RHQ]”
