< Jonas 4 >

1 Dette gjorde Jona ovleg vondt, og han vart brennande harm.
But Jonah was very distressed [that God had not destroyed Nineveh]. He became very angry. [The people of Nineveh were non-Jews, and Jonah did not think that God should act mercifully toward anyone who was not a Jew].
2 Han bad då til Herren og sagde: «Å Herre, var det ikkje dette eg tenkte, då eg endå var i mitt land? Difor flydde eg so snøgt til Tarsis; for eg visste du er ein nådig og miskunnsam Gud, langmodig og rik på miskunn, og angrar det vonde.
He prayed to Yahweh, “O Yahweh, what you have done is what I thought that you would do, before I left home [RHQ]. That is why I [decided] immediately to run away, and go to Tarshish [city], because I knew that you, O God, act very kindly and compassionately [toward all people]. You do not quickly become angry with people who do evil things. You love people very much, and you change your mind about punishing [people who sin].
3 So tak no, Herre, livet mitt ifrå meg! For eg vil heller døy enn liva.»
[So] now, O Yahweh, [since you will not destroy Nineveh city as you said you would], allow me to die, because it would be better for me to die than to [continue to] live.”
4 Då sagde Herren: «Hev du grunn til å harmast?»
Yahweh replied, “(Why is it right for you to be angry [about my not destroying the city]?/It is not right for you to be angry [about my not destroying the city]!) [RHQ]”
5 Og Jona gjekk ut or byen og sette seg austanfor byen. Der gjorde han seg ei hytta og sette seg der i skuggen, og vilde sjå korleis det gjekk med byen.
Jonah [did not reply]. He went out of the city to the east [side of it]. He made a small shelter in order that he could sit under it and be protected from the sun. He sat under the shelter and waited to see what would happen to the city.
6 Då let Herren Gud ein kikajon veksa upp yver Jona, til å skyggja yver hovudet hans og fria honom ifrå hans mismod; og Jona fann stor gleda i kikajonen.
Then Yahweh God caused a vine to grow up [immediately] to shade Jonah’s head from the sun and make him [feel] more comfortable. Jonah was very happy about [having] the vine [over his head].
7 Men næste dag, då morgonroden rann, sende Gud ein makk, som stakk kikajonen so han visna.
But before dawn the next day, God sent a worm that chewed the vine, with the result that the vine withered.
8 Då soli rann, sende Gud ein brennande austanvind, og soli stakk Jona på hovudet so han ormegtast. Han ynskte då å få døy og sagde: «Eg vil heller døy enn liva.»
Then, when the sun rose [high in the sky], God sent a very hot wind from the east, and the sun shone very strongly on Jonah’s head, with the result that he felt faint. He wanted to die, and he said, “It would be better for me to die than to [continue to] live!”
9 Men Gud sagde til Jona: «Hev du grunn til å harmast for kikajonen skuld?» Han svara: «Eg hev grunn til å harmast til dauden.»
But God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about [what happened to] the vine?” Jonah replied, “[Yes], it is right! [Now] I am very angry and I want to die!”
10 Då sagde Herren: «Du ynkast yver kikajonen, som du ikkje hev havt møda med og ikkje hev ale upp, som kom til på ei natt og gjekk til grunns etter ei natt;
But Yahweh said [to him], “You have been concerned about my [causing] that vine [to wither], even though you did not take care of it, and you did not make it grow. It just grew up during one night, and it completely withered [at the end of] the next night.
11 og so skulde ikkje eg ynkast yver Nineve, den store byen, der det finst meir enn eit hundrad og tjuge tusund menneskje som ikkje kann skilja millom høgre og vinstre, og mange dyr!»
But there are more than 120,000 people in Nineveh who [are very young, and because of that], they cannot tell which is their right hand and which is their left hand, and there are also many cattle, [and none of these have done anything to displease me]. So (is it not right for me to be concerned about the people of that huge city, [and not want to destroy them]?/it is certainly right for me to be concerned about the people of that huge city [and not want to destroy them]!) [RHQ]”

< Jonas 4 >