SOMO LA MSINGI.

Yona 4:1-8

[1]Lakini jambo hili lilimchukiza Yona sana, naye akakasirika.

[2]Akamwomba BWANA, akasema, Nakuomba, Ee BWANA; sivyo hivyo nilivyosema, hapo nilipokuwa katika nchi yangu? Hii ndiyo sababu nalifanya haraka kukimbilia Tarshishi; kwa maana nalijua ya kuwa wewe u Mungu mwenye neema, umejaa huruma, si mwepesi wa hasira, u mwingi wa rehema, nawe waghairi mabaya.

[3]Basi, sasa, Ee BWANA, nakuomba, uniondolee uhai wangu; maana ni afadhali nife mimi kuliko kuishi.

[4]Naye BWANA akasema, Je! Unatenda vema kukasirika?

[5]Ndipo Yona akatoka mjini, akaketi upande wa mashariki wa mji, akajifanyia kibanda huko, akakaa chini yake uvulini, hata aone mji ule utakuwaje.

[6]Na BWANA Mungu aliweka tayari mtango, akaufanya ukue juu ya Yona, ili uwe kivuli juu ya kichwa chake, na kumponya katika hali yake mbaya. Basi Yona akafurahi sana kwa sababu ya ule mtango.

[7]Lakini siku ya pili kulipopambazuka, Mungu akaweka tayari buu, nalo likautafuna ule mtango, ukakatika.

[8]Basi ikawa, jua lilipopanda juu, Mungu akaweka tayari upepo wa mashariki, wenye hari nyingi; jua likampiga Yona kichwani, hata akazimia, naye akajitakia kufa, akasema, Ni afadhali nife mimi kuliko kuishi.

TRANSLATION.

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,¹ and ^y he was angry. ²#And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? ^z That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a ^a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and ^a relenting from disaster. ³#^b Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, ^c for it is better for me to die than to live.” ⁴#And the LORD said, ^d “Do you do well to be angry?”

⁵#Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and ^e made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. ⁶#Now the LORD God appointed a plant ² and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. ³ So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. ⁷#But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. ⁸#When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching ^f east wind, ^g and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he ^h was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, ^c “It is better for me to die than to live.”