Jonah 4
1 And it was vexing unto Jonah, with a great vexation, —and it angered him.
But this seemed very wrong to Jonah and he became angry.
2 So he prayed unto Yahweh, and said—Ah now! Yahweh! Was not, this, my word, while I was yet upon mine own soil? For this cause, did I hasten to flee unto Tarshish, —because I knew that, thou, art a GOD of favour and compassion, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and art grieved over calamity.
He prayed to the Lord and said, “Ah, Lord, wasn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? That was why I fled at once to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, patient, and loving and ready to forgive.
3 Now, therefore, O Yahweh, take, I pray thee, my life from me, —for it were better for me, to die, than, to live.
Therefore, Lord, I beg you, take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live!”
4 Then said Yahweh, Art thou rightly angry?
But the Lord said, “Are you doing right in being angry?”
5 But Jonah, went forth, out of the city, and abode on the east side of the city; and made for himself there, a hut, and sat under it, in the shade, until he should see what would become of the city.
Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down on the east side, and there made a hut for himself and sat under it, waiting to see what would become of the city.
6 Now Yahweh God appointed a gourd, and caused it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his vexation, —and Jonah rejoiced over the gourd, with great rejoicing.
And the Lord arranged for a bush to grow up over Jonah as a shade for his head to make him comfortable. The bush gave Jonah great pleasure;
7 But God appointed a worm, at the uprisings of the dawn, the next day, —and it smote the gourd, that it withered.
but at dawn the next day God arranged for a worm which attacked the bush, so that it wilted.
8 And it came to pass, at the breaking forth of the sun, that God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun smote upon the head of Jonah, that he became faint, —and asked his life, that he might die, and said, It were better for me, to die, than, to live.
And when the sun rose, God arranged a hot east wind. And the sun beat upon Jonah’s head, so that he was faint and begged that he might die, saying, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
9 Then said God unto Jonah, Art thou rightly angry over the gourd? And he said, I am rightly angry, unto death.
But God said to Jonah, “Are you doing right in being angry about the bush?” He replied, “I have every right to be as angry as I could possibly be!”
10 Then said Yahweh, Thou, wouldest have spared the gourd, for which thou hadst not toiled, neither hadst thou made it grow, —which, as the off-spring of a night, came up, and, as the offspring of a night, perished;
The Lord said, “You care about a bush which has cost you no trouble and which you have not made grow, which came up in a night and wilted in a night.
11 And was not, I, to spare Nineveh, the great city, —wherein are more than twelve times ten thousand human beings, who cannot discern between their right hand and their left, besides much cattle?
Should I not care for the great city Nineveh, in which there are one hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left; and many cattle too?”
