Then Jonah left the city and sat down east of [a]it. There he made a shelter for himself and (A)sat under it in the shade, until he could see what would happen in the city. So the Lord God designated a [b]plant, and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head, to [c]relieve him of his discomfort. And Jonah [d]was overjoyed about the plant. But God designated a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it (B)withered. And when the sun came up God designated a scorching (C)east wind, and the (D)sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint, and he begged with all his soul to die, saying, “(E)Death is better to me than life!”

But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to the point of death!” 10 Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant, for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which [e]came up overnight and perished [f]overnight. 11 Should I not also (F)have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 people, who do not (G)know the difference between their right hand and their left, as well as many (H)animals?”

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Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:5 Lit the city
  2. Jonah 4:6 Prob. a castor oil plant, and so throughout the ch
  3. Jonah 4:6 Lit save him from
  4. Jonah 4:6 Lit rejoiced with great joy
  5. Jonah 4:10 Lit was a son of a night
  6. Jonah 4:10 Lit a son of a night

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.

And Jehovah God prepared a [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. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered. 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. 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?

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Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:6 Or, Palma Christi. Hebrew kikayon.