וַיֵּרַע אֶל־יוֹנָה רָעָה גְדוֹלָה וַיִּחַר לוֹ

Jonah was displeased with great displeasure because his prophecy of catastrophe did not materialize, and he was upset.

וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל־ה' וַיֹּאמַר אָנָּה ה' הֲלוֹא־זֶה דְבָרִי עַד־הֱיוֹתִי עַל־אַדְמָתִי עַל־כֵּן קִדַּמְתִּי לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה כִּי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי אַתָּה אֵל־חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וְנִחָם עַל־הָרָעָה

Consequently, he prayed to the Lord and said: Please, Lord, is this not what I said while I was in my own land? Because of this I initially fled to Tarshish, as I knew that You are God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in kindness, and reconsidering of harm.

וְעַתָּה ה' קַח־נָא אֶת־נַפְשִׁי מִמֶּנִּי כִּי טוֹב מוֹתִי מֵחַיָּי

Now, Lord, please take my life from me, as my death is better than my life if, after warning that the city would be overturned, nothing occurs, since I will be regarded as a liar.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' הַהֵיטֵב חָרָה לָךְ!

The Lord said: Are you truly so upset? Evidently, the turn of events has upset you deeply.

וַיֵּצֵא יוֹנָה מִן־הָעִיר וַיֵּשֶׁב מִקֶּדֶם לָעִיר וַיַּעַשׂ לוֹ שָׁם סֻכָּה וַיֵּשֶׁב תַּחְתֶּיהָ בַּצֵּל עַד אֲשֶׁר יִרְאֶה מַה־יִּהְיֶה בָּעִיר

Jonah emerged from the city and sat east of the city of Nineveh, which lies in an area that is extremely hot for most of the year. He made himself a booth there and sat beneath it in the shade, until he could see what would be in the city. He wanted to see whether the city would be destroyed after all.

וַיְמַן ה'־אֱלֹהִים קִיקָיוֹן וַיַּעַל מֵעַל לְיוֹנָה לִהְיוֹת צֵל עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ לְהַצִּיל לוֹ מֵרָעָתוֹ וַיִּשְׂמַח יוֹנָה עַל־הַקִּיקָיוֹן שִׂמְחָה גְדוֹלָה

The Lord God appointed a castor-oil plant, which sprouts very quickly, and it rose over Jonah and his simple booth, which did not offer him much protection, to be shade over his head, to deliver him from his discomfort. Jonah rejoiced over the castor-oil plant with great joy.

וַיְמַן הָאֱלֹהִים תּוֹלַעַת בַּעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר לַמָּחֳרָת וַתַּךְ אֶת־הַקִּיקָיוֹן וַיִּיבָשׁ

God appointed a worm at dawn the next day, and it damaged the castor-oil plant, and it withered. Its leaves fell off and it stopped growing.

וַיְהִי כִּזְרֹחַ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וַיְמַן אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ קָדִים חֲרִישִׁית וַתַּךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ עַל־רֹאשׁ יוֹנָה וַיִּתְעַלָּף וַיִּשְׁאַל אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ לָמוּת וַיֹּאמֶר טוֹב מוֹתִי מֵחַיָּי

It was with the rising of the sun that God appointed a light but hot east wind; the sun beat on the head of Jonah, and he fainted from the sudden heat. In his anguish, he asked for himself to die, and said: My death is better than my life with such terrible suffering.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־יוֹנָה הַהֵיטֵב חָרָה־לְךָ עַל־הַקִּיקָיוֹן! וַיֹּאמֶר הֵיטֵב חָרָה־לִי עַד־מָוֶת

God said to Jonah: Are you really so upset over the castor-oil plant? When Jonah became angry and asked for death after his prophecy went unfulfilled, God also asked: Are you truly so upset? Now, God asks about Jonah’s death wish stemming from the loss of the plant and its shade. He, Jonah, said: I am truly upset, to the point of death, as the plant that was appointed for me is withering away.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אַתָּה חַסְתָּ עַל־הַקִּיקָיוֹן אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָמַלְתָּ בּוֹ וְלֹא גִדַּלְתּוֹ שֶׁבִּן־לַיְלָה הָיָה וּבִן־לַיְלָה אָבָד

The Lord said: You pitied the castor-oil plant, which sprouted on its own, for which you did not exert any effort and did not cultivate it, which in a night came into being, and in a night perished; essentially, this plant did not affect the world in any significant manner.

וַאֲנִי לֹא אָחוּס עַל־נִינְוֵה הָעִיר הַגְּדוֹלָה אֲשֶׁר יֶשׁ־בָּהּ הַרְבֵּה מִשְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵה רִבּוֹ אָדָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַע בֵּין־יְמִינוֹ לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ וּבְהֵמָה רַבָּה

Shall I not pity Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know between their right and their left, innocent children and simple folk who have not committed any wicked acts, and many animals that are not guilty of any wrongdoing? Do you want all this to be destroyed merely to preserve your reputation as a prophet? God accuses Jonah: You are bothered by the withering of a plant for which you bear no responsibility and in whose growth you were not involved, yet you remain insensitive toward the lives of myriads of people because of your own trivial considerations.