1 约拿对这事非常不高兴, 并且发起怒来,

2 就向耶和华祷告, 说: "耶和华啊! 我还在本国的时候, 不是这样说过吗?我知道你是有恩典有怜悯的 神, 不轻易发怒, 并且有丰盛的慈爱, 转意不降灾祸, 所以我才急忙逃往他施去。

3 耶和华啊! 现在求你取去我的性命吧, 因为我死了比活着还好。"

4 耶和华回答说: "你这样发怒对不对呢?"

5 约拿出了城, 在城东坐下; 他在那里搭了一座棚, 坐在棚荫之下, 要看看那城究竟怎样。

6 耶和华 神安排一棵蓖麻, 使它长起来高过约拿, 成了阴影遮盖他的头, 免他受苦; 约拿因这棵蓖麻, 就大大欢畅。

7 次日黎明的时候, 神安排一条虫子, 蛀蚀这棵蓖麻, 蓖麻就枯槁了。

8 日出的时候, 神又安排炎热的东风。烈日晒在约拿的头上, 以致发昏, 他就为自己求死, 说: "我死了比活着还好。"

9 神问约拿: "你因这棵蓖麻这样发怒, 对不对呢?"约拿说: "我发怒以至于死都是对的。"

10 耶和华说: "这棵蓖麻, 不是你栽种的, 也不是你使它长大的, 一夜长成, 一夜死去, 你尚且爱惜它,

11 何况这尼尼微大城, 其中不晓得分辨左右手的有十二万多人, 并且有许多牲畜, 我怎能不爱惜呢?"

1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, I pray thee, O Jehovah, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil. 3 Therefore now, O Jehovah, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. 4 And Jehovah said, Doest thou well to be angry? 5 Then Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.

6 And Jehovah God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his evil case. So Jonah was exceeding glad because of the gourd. 7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered. 8 And it came to pass, when the sun arose, that God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. 9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. 10 And Jehovah said, Thou hast had regard for the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: 11 and should not I have regard for Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?