Jonah 4

Jonah was furious that the LORD spared Nineveh and admitted he fled precisely because he knew God was gracious and merciful, longsuffering and abundant in mercy. The LORD prepared a gourd for shade, then a worm to destroy it and a scorching east wind. He rebuked Jonah: "You pity the gourd — should I not pity Nineveh, with more than 120,000 persons who cannot tell their right hand from their left?"

v	King James Version	Modern English
1	But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.	But it displeased Jonah greatly, and he was very angry.
2	And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.	And He prayed to the LORD and said, "I pray You, O LORD — was this not what I said when I was still in my own country? That is why I fled beforehand to Tarshish. For I knew that You are a gracious God, and merciful, longsuffering, and of great kindness, and One who repents of the evil.
3	Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.	Therefore now, O LORD, I beg You, take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live."
4	Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?	Then the LORD said, "Do You do well to be angry?"
5	So 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 shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.	So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There He made Himself a booth and sat under it in the shade, until He might see what would become of the city.
6	And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.	And the LORD God prepared a gourd and made it grow up over Jonah, so that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver Him from His discomfort. So Jonah was very glad of the gourd.
7	But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the root of the gourd that it withered.	But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it struck the gourd so that it withered.
8	And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.	And when the sun arose, God prepared a fierce east wind. The sun beat on the head of Jonah, so that he fainted. And he wished within himself to die, and said, "It is better for me to die than to live."
9	And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.	And God said to Jonah, "Do you do well to be angry over the gourd?" And He said, "I do well to be angry, even to death."
10	Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:	Then the LORD said, "You have had pity on the gourd, for which You did not labor, nor make it grow; which came up in a night and perished in a night.
11	And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?	And should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand — and also much cattle?"