1 וַיֵּרַע אֶל־יֹונָה רָעָה גְדֹולָה וַיִּחַר לֹו | 1 This made Jonah very indignant; he fell into a rage. |
2 וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל־יְהוָה וַיֹּאמַר אָנָּה יְהוָה הֲלֹוא־זֶה דְבָרִי עַד־הֱיֹותִי עַל־אַדְמָתִי עַל־כֵּן קִדַּמְתִּי לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה כִּי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי אַתָּה אֵל־חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וְנִחָם עַל־הָרָעָה | 2 He prayed to Yahweh and said, 'Please, Yahweh, isn't this what I said would happen when I was stil inmy own country? That was why I first tried to flee to Tarshish, since I knew you were a tender, compassionateGod, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, who relents about inflicting disaster. |
3 וְעַתָּה יְהוָה קַח־נָא אֶת־נַפְשִׁי מִמֶּנִּי כִּי טֹוב מֹותִי מֵחַיָּי׃ ס | 3 So now, Yahweh, please take my life, for I might as wel be dead as go on living.' |
4 וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה הַהֵיטֵב חָרָה לָךְ | 4 Yahweh replied, 'Are you right to be angry?' |
5 וַיֵּצֵא יֹונָה מִן־הָעִיר וַיֵּשֶׁב מִקֶּדֶם לָעִיר וַיַּעַשׂ לֹו שָׁם סֻכָּה וַיֵּשֶׁב תַּחְתֶּיהָ בַּצֵּל עַד אֲשֶׁר יִרְאֶה מַה־יִּהְיֶה בָּעִיר | 5 Jonah then left the city and sat down to the east of the city. There he made himself a shelter and satunder it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city. |
6 וַיְמַן יְהוָה־אֱלֹהִים קִיקָיֹון וַיַּעַל ׀ מֵעַל לְיֹונָה לִהְיֹות צֵל עַל־רֹאשֹׁו לְהַצִּיל לֹו מֵרָעָתֹו וַיִּשְׂמַח יֹונָה עַל־הַקִּיקָיֹון שִׂמְחָה גְדֹולָה | 6 Yahweh God then ordained that a castor-oil plant should grow up over Jonah to give shade for his headand soothe his ill-humour; Jonah was delighted with the castor-oil plant. |
7 וַיְמַן הָאֱלֹהִים תֹּולַעַת בַּעֲלֹות הַשַּׁחַר לַמָּחֳרָת וַתַּךְ אֶת־הַקִּיקָיֹון וַיִּיבָשׁ | 7 But at dawn the next day, God ordained that a worm should attack the castor-oil plant -- and it withered. |
8 וַיְהִי ׀ כִּזְרֹחַ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וַיְמַן אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ קָדִים חֲרִישִׁית וַתַּךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ עַל־רֹאשׁ יֹונָה וַיִּתְעַלָּף וַיִּשְׁאַל אֶת־נַפְשֹׁו לָמוּת וַיֹּאמֶר טֹוב מֹותִי מֵחַיָּי | 8 Next, when the sun rose, God ordained that there should be a scorching east wind; the sun beat downso hard on Jonah's head that he was overcome and begged for death, saying, 'I might as wel be dead as go onliving.' |
9 וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־יֹונָה הַהֵיטֵב חָרָה־לְךָ עַל־הַקִּיקָיֹון וַיֹּאמֶר הֵיטֵב חָרָה־לִי עַד־מָוֶת | 9 God said to Jonah, 'Are you right to be angry about the castor-oil plant?' He replied, 'I have every rightto be angry, mortally angry!' |
10 וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אַתָּה חַסְתָּ עַל־הַקִּיקָיֹון אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָמַלְתָּ בֹּו וְלֹא גִדַּלְתֹּו שֶׁבִּן־לַיְלָה הָיָה וּבִן־לַיְלָה אָבָד | 10 Yahweh replied, 'You are concerned for the castor-oil plant which has not cost you any effort andwhich you did not grow, which came up in a night and has perished in a night. |
11 וַאֲנִי לֹא אָחוּס עַל־נִינְוֵה הָעִיר הַגְּדֹולָה אֲשֶׁר יֶשׁ־בָּהּ הַרְבֵּה מִשְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵה רִבֹּו אָדָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַע בֵּין־יְמִינֹו לִשְׂמֹאלֹו וּבְהֵמָה רַבָּה | 11 So why should I not be concerned for Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundredand twenty thousand people who cannot tel their right hand from their left, to say nothing of al the animals?' |