約拿書 4

1 這事約拿大大不悅，且甚發怒，

But Jonas was very deeply grieved, and he was confounded.

2 就禱告耶和華說：「耶和華啊，我在本國的時候豈不是這樣說嗎？我知道你是有恩典、有憐憫的上帝，不輕易發怒，有豐盛的慈愛，並且後悔不降所說的災，所以我急速逃往他施去。

And he prayed to the Lord, and said, O Lord, were not these my words when I was yet in my land? therefore I made haste to flee to Tharsis; because I knew that thou are merciful and compassionate, long-suffering, and abundant in kindness, and repentest of evil.

3 耶和華啊，現在求你取我的命吧！因為我死了比活着還好。」

And now, Lord God, take my life from me; for [it is] better for me to die than to live.

4 耶和華說：「你這樣發怒合乎理嗎？」

And the Lord said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved?

5 於是約拿出城，坐在城的東邊，在那裏為自己搭了一座棚，坐在棚的蔭下，要看看那城究竟如何。

And Jonas went out from the city, and sat over against the city; and he made for himself there a booth, and he sat under it, until he should perceive what would become of the city.

6 耶和華上帝安排一棵蓖麻，使其發生高過約拿，影兒遮蓋他的頭，救他脫離苦楚；約拿因這棵蓖麻大大喜樂。

And the Lord God commanded a gourd, and it came up over the head of Jonas, to be a shadow over his head, to shade him from his calamities: and Jonas rejoiced with great joy for the gourd.

7 次日黎明，上帝卻安排一條蟲子咬這蓖麻，以致枯槁。

And God commanded a worm the next morning, and it smote the gourd, and it withered away.

8 日頭出來的時候，上帝安排炎熱的東風，日頭曝曬約拿的頭，使他發昏，他就為自己求死，說：「我死了比活着還好！」

And it came to pass at the rising of the sun, that God commanded a burning east wind; and the sun smote on the head of Jonas, and he fainted, and despaired of his life, and said, [It is] better for me to die than to live.

9 上帝對約拿說：「你因這棵蓖麻發怒合乎理嗎？」他說：「我發怒以至於死，都合乎理！」

And God said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved for the gourd? And he said, I am very much grieved, even to death.

10 耶和華說：「這蓖麻不是你栽種的，也不是你培養的；一夜發生，一夜乾死，你尚且愛惜；

And the Lord said, Thou hadst pity on the gourd, for which thou has not suffered, neither didst thou rear it; which came up before night, and perished before [another] night:

11 何況這尼尼微大城，其中不能分辨左手右手的有十二萬多人，並有許多牲畜，我豈能不愛惜呢？」

and shall not I spare Nineve, the great city, in which dwell more than twelve myriads of human beings, who do not know their right hand or their left hand; and [also] much cattle?