Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and (A)made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the Lord God appointed a plant[a] and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.[b] So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching (B)east wind, (C)and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he (D)was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, (E)“It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, (F)“Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.

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Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:6 Hebrew qiqayon, probably the castor oil plant; also verses 7, 9, 10
  2. Jonah 4:6 Or his evil

Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided(A) a leafy plant[a] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.(B) When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die,(C) and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”(D)

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.

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Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:6 The precise identification of this plant is uncertain; also in verses 7, 9 and 10.