< Jonah 4 >
1 Therefore it displeased Ionah exceedingly, and he was angry.
But Jonas was very deeply grieved, and he was confounded.
2 And he prayed vnto the Lord, and saide, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my countrey? therefore I preuented it to flee vnto Tarshish: for I knewe that thou art a gratious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindnes, and repentest thee of the euill.
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 Therefore nowe O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me: for it is better for me to die then to liue.
And now, Lord God, take my life from me; for [it is] better for me to die than to live.
4 Then saide the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?
And the Lord said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved?
5 So Ionah went out of the citie and sate on the East side of the citie, and there made him a boothe, and sate vnder it in the shadowe till he might see what should be done in the citie.
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 And the Lord God prepared a gourde, and made it to come vp ouer Ionah, that it might be a shadowe ouer his head and deliuer him from his griefe. So Ionah was exceeding glad of the gourde.
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 But God prepared a worme when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered.
And God commanded a worm the next morning, and it smote the gourd, and it withered away.
8 And when the sunne did arise, God prepared also a feruent East winde: and the sunne beat vpon the head of Ionah, that he fainted, and wished in his heart to die, and said, It is better for me to dye, then to liue.
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 And God said vnto Ionah, Doest thou well to be angrie for the gourde? And he said, I doe well to be angrie vnto the death.
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 Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pitie on the gourde for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it growe, which came vp in a night, and perished in a night,
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 And shoulde not I spare Nineueh that great citie, wherein are sixe score thousande persons, that cannot discerne betweene their right hand, and their left hand, and also much cattell?
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?