Jonah Chapter 4
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
They that regard lying vanities
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Forsake their own mercy.
3
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving;
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I will pay that which I have vowed.
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Salvation is of Jehovah.
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And Jehovah spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
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And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
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Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
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So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days’ journey.
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And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
11
And the people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
And it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
2
And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, Ah, Jehovah, was not this my saying when I was yet in my country? Therefore I was minded to flee at first unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a graciousGod, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
3
And now, Jehovah, take, I beseech thee, my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.
4
And Jehovah said, Doest thou well to be angry?
5
And 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.
6
And Jehovah Elohim prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his trouble. And Jonah was exceeding glad because of the gourd.
7
ButGod prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered.
8
And it came to pass, when the sun arose, thatGod prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, so that he fainted; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
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AndGod said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, unto death.
10
And Jehovah said, Thou hast pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
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and I, should not I have pity on Nineveh, the great city, wherein are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
But Jonas was very deeply grieved, and he was confounded.
2
And he prayed to the Lord, and said, O Lord, were not these my words when I was yet in my land? therefore I made haste to flee to Tharsis; because I knew that thou art merciful and compassionate, long-suffering, and abundant in kindness, and repentest of evil.
3
And now, Lord God, take my life from me; for [it is] better for me to die than to live.
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And the Lord said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved?
5
And Jonas went out from the city, and sat over against the city; and he made for himself there a booth, and he sat under it, until he should perceive what would become of the city.
6
And the Lord God commanded a gourd, and it came up over the head of Jonas, to be a shadow over his head, to shade him from his calamities: and Jonas rejoiced with great joy for the gourd.
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And God commanded a worm the next morning, and it smote the gourd, and it withered away.
8
And it came to pass at the rising of the sun, that God commanded a burning east wind; and the sun smote on the head of Jonas, and he fainted, and despaired of his life, and said, [It is] better for me to die than to live.
9
And God said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved for the gourd? And he said, I am very much grieved, even to death.
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And the Lord said, Thou hadst pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not suffered, neither didst thou rear it; which came up before night, and perished before [another] night:
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and shall not I spare Nineve, the great city, in which dwell more than twelve myriads of human beings, who do not know their right hand or their left hand; and [also] much cattle?
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Et afflictus est Ionas afflictione magna, et iratus est:
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et oravit ad Dominum, et dixit: Obsecro Domine, numquid non hoc est verbum meum, cum adhuc essem in terra mea? propter hoc præoccupavi ut fugerem in Tharsis. scio enim quia tu Deus clemens, et misericors es, patiens, et multæ miserationis, et ignoscens super malitia.
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Et nunc Domine tolle quæso animam meam a me: quia melior est mihi mors quam vita.
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Et dixit Dominus: Putasne bene irasceris tu?
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Et egressus est Ionas de civitate, et sedit contra Orientem civitatis: et fecit sibimet umbraculum ibi, et sedebat subter illud in umbra, donec videret quid accideret civitati.
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Et præparavit Dominus Deus hederam, et ascendit super caput Ionæ, ut esset umbra super caput eius, et protegeret eum: laboraverat enim: et lætatus est Ionas super hedera, lætitia magna.
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Et paravit Deus vermen ascensu diluculi in crastinum: et percussit hederam, et exaruit.
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Et cum ortus fuisset sol, præcepit Dominus vento calido, et urenti: et percussit sol super caput Ionæ, et æstuabat: et petivit animæ suæ ut moreretur, et dixit: Melius est mihi mori, quam vivere.
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Et dixit Dominus ad Ionam: Putasne bene irasceris tu super hedera? Et dixit: Bene irascor ego usque ad mortem.
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Et dixit Dominus: Tu doles super hederam, in qua non laborasti, neque fecisti ut cresceret. quæ sub una nocte nata est, et sub una nocte periit.
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Et ego non parcam Ninive civitati magnæ, in qua sunt plus quam centum viginti millia hominum, qui nesciunt quid sit inter dexteram et sinistram suam, et iumenta multa?
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
2
He prayed to the LORD, and said, “Please, LORD, wasn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.
3
Therefore now, LORD, take, I beg you, my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4
The LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5
Then Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city, and there made himself a booth and sat under it in the shade, until he might see what would become of the city.
6
The LORD God prepared a vine and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the vine.
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But God prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine so that it withered.
8
When the sun arose, God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he was faint and requested for himself that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
9
God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the vine?” He said, “I am right to be angry, even to death.”
10
The LORD said, “You have been concerned for the vine, for which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night and perished in a night.
11
Shouldn’t I be concerned for Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who can’t discern between their right hand and their left hand, and also many animals?”
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
And it is grievous unto Jonah--a great evil--and he is displeased at it;
2
and he prayeth unto Jehovah, and he saith, `I pray Thee, O Jehovah, is not this my word while I was in mine own land--therefore I was beforehand to flee to Tarshish--that I have known that Thou <FI>art<Fi> a God, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in kindness, and repenting of evil?
3
And now, O Jehovah, take, I pray Thee, my soul from me, for better <FI>is<Fi> my death than my life.'
4
And Jehovah saith, `Is doing good displeasing to thee?'
5
And Jonah goeth forth from the city, and sitteth on the east of the city, and maketh to himself there a booth, and sitteth under it in the shade, till that he seeth what is in the city.
6
And Jehovah God appointeth a gourd, and causeth it to come up over Jonah, to be a shade over his head, to give deliverance to him from his affliction, and Jonah rejoiceth because of the gourd <FI>with<Fi> great joy.
7
And God appointeth a worm at the going up of the dawn on the morrow, and it smiteth the gourd, and it drieth up.
8
And it cometh to pass, about the rising of the sun, that God appointeth a cutting east wind, and the sun smiteth on the head of Jonah, and he wrappeth himself up, and asketh his soul to die, and saith, `Better <FI>is<Fi> my death than my life.'
9
And God saith unto Jonah: `Is doing good displeasing to thee, because of the gourd?' and he saith, `To do good is displeasing to me--unto death.'
10
And Jehovah saith, `Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou didst not labour, neither didst thou nourish it, which a son of a night was, and a son of a night perished,
11
and I--have not I pity on Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than twelve myriads of human beings, who have not known between their right hand and their left--and much cattle!'
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).