The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 But this was very displeasing to Yonah, and he became angry.
1
But this seemed very wrong to Jonah, and he was angry.
2 He prayed to ADONAI, "Now, ADONAI, didn't I say this would happen, when I was still in my own country? That's why I tried to get away to Tarshish ahead of time! I knew you were a God who is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in grace, and that you relent from inflicting punishment.
2
And he made prayer to the Lord and said, O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still in my country? This is why I took care to go in flight to Tarshish: for I was certain that you were a loving God, full of pity, slow to be angry and great in mercy, and ready to be turned from your purpose of evil.
3 Therefore, ADONAI, please, just take my life away from me; it's better for me to be dead than alive!"
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So now, O Lord, give ear to my prayer and take my life from me; for death is better for me than life.
4 ADONAI asked, "Is it right for you to be so angry?"
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And the Lord said, Have you any right to be angry?
5 Yonah left the city and found a place east of the city, where he made himself a shelter and sat down under it, in its shade, to see what would happen to the city.
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Then Jonah went out of the town, and took his seat on the east side of the town and made himself a roof of branches and took his seat under its shade till he saw what would become of the town.
6 ADONAI, God, prepared a castor-bean plant and made it grow up over Yonah to shade his head and relieve his discomfort. So Yonah was delighted with the castor-bean plant.
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And the Lord God made a vine come up over Jonah to give him shade over his head. And Jonah was very glad because of the vine.
7 But at dawn the next day God prepared a worm, which attacked the castor-bean plant, so that it dried up.
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But early on the morning after, God made ready a worm for the destruction of the vine, and it became dry and dead.
8 Then, when the sun rose, God prepared a scorching east wind; and the sun beat down on Yonah's head so hard that he grew faint and begged that he could die, saying, "I would be better off dead than alive."
8
Then when the sun came up, God sent a burning east wind: and so great was the heat of the sun on his head that Jonah was overcome, and, requesting death for himself, said, Death is better for me than life.
9 God asked Yonah, "Is it right for you to be so angry about the castor-bean plant?" He answered, "Yes, it's right for me to be so angry that I could die!"
9
And the Lord said to Jonah, Have you any right to be angry about the vine? And he said, I have a right to be truly angry.
10 ADONAI said, "You're concerned over the castor-bean plant, which cost you no effort; you didn't make it grow; it came up in a night and perished in a night.
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And the Lord said, You had pity on the vine, for which you did no work and for the growth of which you were not responsible; which came up in a night and came to an end in a night;
11 So shouldn't I be concerned about the great city of Ninveh, in which there are more than 120,000 people who don't know their right hand from their left - not to mention all the animals?"
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And am I not to have mercy on Nineveh, that great town, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons without the power of judging between right and left, as well as much cattle?
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.