約拿書 4

1 這事約拿大大不悅，且甚發怒，

And Jonas was exceedingly troubled, and was angry:

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: I beseech thee, O Lord, is not this what I said, when I was yet in my own country? therefore I went before to flee into Tharsis: for I know that thou art a gracious and merciful God, patient, and of much compassion, and easy to forgive 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, O Lord, I beseech thee 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: Dost thou think thou hast reason to be angry?

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。

Then Jonas went out of the city, and sat toward the east side of the city: and he made himself a booth there, and he sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would befall 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 prepared an ivy, and it came up over the head of Jonas, to be a shadow over his head, and to cover him (for he was fatigued), and Jonas was exceeding glad of the ivy.

7 次日黎明，上帝卻安排一條蟲子咬這蓖麻，以致枯槁。

But God prepared a worm, when the morning arose on the following day: and it struck the ivy and it withered.

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 when the sun was risen, the Lord commanded a hot and burning wind: and the sun beat upon the head of Jonas, and he broiled with the heat: and he desired for his soul that he might die, 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 the Lord said to Jonas: Dost thou think thou hast reason to be angry, for the ivy? And he said: I am angry with reason even unto 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 art grieved for the ivy, for which thou hast not laboured, nor made it to grow, which in one night came up, and in one night perished.

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 Ninive, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons that know not how to distinguish between their right hand and their left, and many beasts?