Jonah 4

1 But this seemed very wrong to Jonah, and he was angry.

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

2 And he made prayer to the Lord and said, O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still in my country? This is why I took care to go in flight to Tarshish: for I was certain that you were a loving God, full of pity, slow to be angry and great in mercy, and ready to be turned from your purpose of evil.

He prayed to the LORD, and said, “Please, LORD, wasn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.

3 So now, O Lord, give ear to my prayer and take my life from me; for death is better for me than life.

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

4 And the Lord said, Have you any right to be angry?

The LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

5 Then Jonah went out of the town, and took his seat on the east side of the town and made himself a roof of branches and took his seat under its shade till he saw what would become of the town.

Then Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city, and there made himself a booth and sat under it in the shade, until he might see what would become of the city.

6 And the Lord God made a vine come up over Jonah to give him shade over his head. And Jonah was very glad because of the vine.

The LORD God prepared a vine and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the vine.

7 But early on the morning after, God made ready a worm for the destruction of the vine, and it became dry and dead.

But God prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine so that it withered.

8 Then when the sun came up, God sent a burning east wind: and so great was the heat of the sun on his head that Jonah was overcome, and, requesting death for himself, said, Death is better for me than life.

When the sun arose, God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he was faint and requested for himself that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

9 And the Lord said to Jonah, Have you any right to be angry about the vine? And he said, I have a right to be truly angry.

God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the vine?” He said, “I am right to be angry, even to death.”

10 And the Lord said, You had pity on the vine, for which you did no work and for the growth of which you were not responsible; which came up in a night and came to an end in a night;

The LORD said, “You have been concerned for the vine, for which you have not laboured, neither made it grow; which came up in a night and perished in a night.

11 And am I not to have mercy on Nineveh, that great town, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons without the power of judging between right and left, as well as much cattle?

Shouldn’t I be concerned for Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who can’t discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also many animals?”