1 B ut Jonah was not pleased at all, and he became angry.

فَانْزَعَجَ يُونانُ كَثِيراً وَغَضِبَ.

2 H e prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is this not what I said You would do while still in my own country? That is why I ran away to Tarshish. For I knew that You are a kind and loving God Who shows pity. I knew that You are slow to anger and are filled with loving-kindness, always ready to change Your mind and not punish.

وَاشتَكَى يُونانُ إلَى اللهِ وَقالَ: «آهِ يا اللهُ! عَرَفْتُ أنَّ هَذا سَيَحْدُثُ. فَحِينَ كَلَّمْتَنِي فِي أرْضِي بِأنْ آتِي إلَى هُنا، هَرَبْتُ إلَى تَرْشِيشَ لأنِّي عَلِمْتُ أنَّكَ إلَهٌ رَؤُوفٌ وَرَحِيمٌ وَصَبُورٌ وَمُحِبٌّ، تَعدِلُ عَنْ العِقابِ الَّذِي حَكَمْتَ بِهِ.

3 S o now, O Lord, take my life from me. For death is better to me than life.”

وَالآنَ يا اللهُ ، أمِتْنِي، فَأنا أفَضِّلُ المَوْتَ عَلَى الحَياةِ!»

4 A nd the Lord said, “Have you any reason to be angry?”

قالَ اللهُ: «أيَحِقُّ لَكَ أنْ تَغضَبَ لِأنِّي لَمْ أُهلِكْ هَؤُلاءِ النّاسَ؟»

5 T hen Jonah left the city and sat to the east of the city. There he made a tent for himself, and sat in its shadow until he could see what would happen in the city.

وَخَرَجَ يُونانُ مِنَ المَدِينَةِ، وَجَلَسَ شَرقَها. وَهُناكَ صَنَعَ لِنَفسِهِ مِظَلَّةً وَجَلَسَ فِي ظِلِّها لِيرَى ما سَيَحصُلُ لِلمَدِينَةِ. نبتةُ اليَقطِينِ وَالدُودة

6 T hen the Lord God made a plant grow up over Jonah to cover him from the hot sun and to stop his suffering. Jonah was very happy about the plant.

وَأنبَتَ اللهُ نَبتَةَ يَقطِينٍ، وَنَمَتْ بِسُرعَةٍ فَوقَ يُونانَ لِتُظَلِّلَ رَأسَهُ وَلِتُخَفِّفَ عَلِيهِ انزِعاجَهُ، فَفَرِحَ يُونانُ كَثِيراً بِنَبتَةِ اليَقطِينِ.

7 B ut at the beginning of the next day, God sent a worm to destroy the plant and it dried up.

لَكِنْ عِندَ فَجرِ اليَومِ التّالِي، سَلَّطَ اللهُ دُودَةً عَلَى نَبتَةِ اليَقطِينِ فَجَفَّتْ.

8 W hen the sun came up, God sent a hot east wind. And the sun’s heat came upon Jonah’s head so that he became weak and begged with all his heart to die. He said, “Death is better to me than life.”

وَعِندَما ارتَفَعَتِ الشَّمسُ فِي السَّماءِ، سَلَّطَ اللهُ رِيحاً شَرقِيَّةً حارَّةً، فاشتَدَّتْ حَرارَةُ الشَّمسِ عَلَى رَأسِ يُونانَ، فَذَبُلَ وَطَلَبَ لِنَفسِهِ المَوتَ وَقالَ: «خَيرٌ لِي أنْ أموُتَ مِنْ أنْ أحيا.»

9 T hen God said to Jonah, “Do you have a good reason to be angry about the plant?” And Jonah said, “I have a good reason to be angry, angry enough to die.”

فَقالَ اللهُ لِيُونانَ: «أيَحِقُّ لَكَ أنْ تَغضَبَ عَلَى نَبتَةِ اليَقطِينِ؟» فَقالَ يُونانُ: «نَعَمْ، يَحِقُّ لِي أنْ أغضَبَ حَتَّى المَوتِ!»

10 T he Lord said, “You had loving-pity on the plant which you did not work for. You did not cause it to grow. It came up during the night and died during the night.

فَقالَ اللهُ: «لَقَدِ اهتَمَمتَ لِأمرِ النَّبتَةِ الَّتِي لَمْ يَكُنْ لَكَ شَأنٌ بِإنباتِها. لَقَدْ نَمَتْ فِي لَيلَةٍ، وَفِي لَيلَةٍ ماتَتْ.

11 A nd should I not have loving-pity for Nineveh, the large city where more than 120, 000 people live who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

فَلِماذا لا أهتَمُّ أنا لِأمْرِ المَدِينَةِ الكَبِيرَةِ نِينَوَى الَّتِي يَسكُنُها أكثَرُ مِنْ مِئَةٍ وَعِشرِينَ ألفَ إنسانٍ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يُمَيِّزُونَ يَمِينَهُمْ مِنْ شِمالِهِمْ. وَكَذَلِكَ الكَثِيرُ مِنَ الحَيَواناتِ؟»