Jonas 4

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

But this displeased Jonah and he became very angry.

2 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 you are merciful and compassionate, longsuffering, and abundant in kindness, and repent of evil.

So Jonah prayed to Yahweh and said, “Ah, Yahweh, is this not just what I said when I was back in my own country? That is why I acted first and tried to flee to Tarshish—because I knew that you are a gracious God, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in covenant faithfulness, and you hold back from sending disaster.

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

Therefore now, Yahweh, I beg you, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

4 And the Lord said to Jonas, Are you very much grieved?

Yahweh said, “Is it good that you are so angry?”

5 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.

Then Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made a shelter and sat under it in the shade so that he could see what might become of the city.

6 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.

Yahweh God prepared a plant and made it grow up over Jonah so that it might be a shade over his head to relieve his distress. Jonah was very glad because of the plant.

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

But God prepared a worm at sunrise the next morning. It attacked the plant and the plant withered.

8 And it came to pass at the rising of the sun, that God commanded a burning east wind; and the sun struck 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.

It came about that when the sun rose the next morning, God prepared a hot east wind. Also, the sun beat down on Jonah's head and he became faint. Then Jonah wished that he might die. He said to himself, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

9 And God said to Jonas, Are you very much grieved for the gourd? And he said, I am very much grieved, even to death.

Then God said to Jonah, “Is it good that you are so angry about the plant?” Then Jonah said, “It is good that I am angry, even to death.”

10 And the Lord said, You had pity on the gourd, for which you has not suffered, neither did you rear it; which came up before night, and perished before [another] night:

Yahweh said, “You have had compassion for the plant, for which you have not labored, nor did you make it grow. It grew up in a night and died in a night.

11 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?

So as for me, should I not have compassion for Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left hand, and also many cattle?”