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 my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous 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, 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。

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 case. 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 sultry 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, 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；

And the LORD said, 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 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?