< 約拿書 4 >

1 約納因此很不高興,遂發起怒來。
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
2 他懇求天主說:「上主,當我還在故鄉時,我豈不是已想到這事﹖所以我預先要逃往塔爾史士去,因為我知道你是慈悲的,寬仁的天主;是緩於發怒,富於慈愛,憐憫而不願降災禍的天主。
And he prayed unto the LORD, and said: 'I pray Thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in mine own country? Therefore I fled beforehand unto Tarshish; for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and compassionate, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy, and repentest Thee of the evil.
3 上主,現在,求你從我身上收去我的性命,因為,我死了比活著還好! 」
Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech Thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.'
4 上主說:「你的憤怒合理嗎﹖」
And the LORD said: 'Art thou greatly angry?'
5 約納出了城,坐在城東,在那裏為自己搭了一個棚坐在棚蔭下,要看看那城究竟要發生什麼事。
Then Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
6 上主天主安排了一株篦麻,使長得高過約納,為他的頭遮蔭,消除自己尸煩惱。約納很喜愛這株篦麻。
And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his evil. So Jonah was exceeding glad because of the gourd.
7 但第二天曙升起時,天主安排了一個蟲咬死了篦麻,篦麻便枯萎了
But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered.
8 當太陽升起時,天主又安排了灸熱的東風,太陽射在約納頭上,使他無法忍受,遂要求死去,說:「我死了比活著還好! 」
And it came to pass, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and requested for himself that he might die, and said: 'It is better for me to die than to live.'
9 天主血約納說:「你為這株篦麻發怒合理嗎﹖」他回答說:「我發怒以致於死,是合理的! 」
And God said to Jonah: 'Art thou greatly angry for the gourd?' And he said: 'I am greatly angry, even unto death.'
10 上主說:「你為這株篦麻,並沒有勞過力,也沒有使它生長,還憐惜它:它不過是一夜生,出一夜死去的植物;
And the LORD said: 'Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow, which came up in a night, and perished in a night;
11 對尼尼微這座大城,其中有十二萬不能分辨自己左右手的人,且有許多牲畜,我就不該憐他們麼﹖」
and should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also much cattle?'

< 約拿書 4 >