Jonah 4

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

約納因此很不高興，遂發起怒來。

2 He prayed to Yahweh, and said, “Please, Yahweh, 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.

他懇求天主說：「上主，當我還在故鄉時，我豈不是已想到這事﹖所以我預先要逃往塔爾史士去，因為我知道你是慈悲的，寬仁的天主；是緩於發怒，富於慈愛，憐憫而不願降災禍的天主。

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

上主，現在，求你從我身上收去我的性命，因為，我死了比活著還好! 」

4 Yahweh said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

上主說：「你的憤怒合理嗎﹖」

5 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.

約納出了城，坐在城東，在那裏為自己搭了一個棚坐在棚蔭下，要看看那城究竟要發生什麼事。

6 Yahweh 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.

上主天主安排了一株篦麻，使長得高過約納，為他的頭遮蔭，消除自己尸煩惱。約納很喜愛這株篦麻。

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

但第二天曙升起時，天主安排了一個蟲咬死了篦麻，篦麻便枯萎了

8 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.”

當太陽升起時，天主又安排了灸熱的東風，太陽射在約納頭上，使他無法忍受，遂要求死去，說：「我死了比活著還好! 」

9 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.”

天主血約納說：「你為這株篦麻發怒合理嗎﹖」他回答說：「我發怒以致於死，是合理的! 」

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

上主說：「你為這株篦麻，並沒有勞過力，也沒有使它生長，還憐惜它：它不過是一夜生，出一夜死去的植物；

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

對尼尼微這座大城，其中有十二萬不能分辨自己左右手的人，且有許多牲畜，我就不該憐他們麼﹖」