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

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. 11 And should not I pity (G)Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much (H)cattle?”

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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