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 very 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 Yhwh, and said, I pray thee, O Yhwh, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, 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 Yhwh, 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﹖」

Then said Yhwh, Doest thou well to be 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。

So 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 Yhwh 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 grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad 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 did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to 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, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be 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；

Then said Yhwh, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the 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 spare 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?