Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, August 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Read the Bible
THE MESSAGE
Jonah 4:10
God said, "What's this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can't I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than 120,000 childlike people who don't yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals?"
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Christian Standard Bible®
So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night.
So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night.
Hebrew Names Version
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.
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.
King James Version (1611)
Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pitie on the gourde, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow, which came vp in a night, and perished in a night:
Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pitie on the gourde, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow, which came vp in a night, and perished in a night:
King James Version
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 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:
English Standard Version
And the Lord said, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.
And the Lord said, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.
New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant, for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.
Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant, for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.
New Century Version
And the Lord said, "You are so concerned for that plant even though you did nothing to make it grow. It appeared one day, and the next day it died.
And the Lord said, "You are so concerned for that plant even though you did nothing to make it grow. It appeared one day, and the next day it died.
Amplified Bible
Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.
Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then said the Lorde, Thou hast had pitie on the gourde for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it growe, which came vp in a night, and perished in a night,
Then said the Lorde, Thou hast had pitie on the gourde for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it growe, which came vp in a night, and perished in a night,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.
Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh said, "You had pity on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came to be overnight and perished overnight.
Then Yahweh said, "You had pity on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came to be overnight and perished overnight.
Berean Standard Bible
But the LORD said, "You cared about the plant, which you neither tended nor made grow. It sprang up in a night and perished in a night.
But the LORD said, "You cared about the plant, which you neither tended nor made grow. It sprang up in a night and perished in a night.
Contemporary English Version
But the Lord said: You are concerned about a vine that you did not plant or take care of, a vine that grew up in one night and died the next.
But the Lord said: You are concerned about a vine that you did not plant or take care of, a vine that grew up in one night and died the next.
Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai said, "You're concerned over the castor-bean plant, which cost you no effort; you didn't make it grow; it came up in a night and perished in a night.
Adonai said, "You're concerned over the castor-bean plant, which cost you no effort; you didn't make it grow; it came up in a night and perished in a night.
Darby Translation
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:
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:
Easy-to-Read Version
And the Lord said, "You did nothing for that plant. You did not make it grow. It grew up in the night, and the next day it died. And now you are sad about it.
And the Lord said, "You did nothing for that plant. You did not make it grow. It grew up in the night, and the next day it died. And now you are sad about it.
George Lamsa Translation
Then the LORD said to him, You have had pity on the gourd for the which you did not labor nor did you make it to grow; which sprung up in a night and withered in a night;
Then the LORD said to him, You have had pity on the gourd for the which you did not labor nor did you make it to grow; which sprung up in a night and withered in a night;
Good News Translation
The Lord said to him, "This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it and you didn't make it grow—yet you feel sorry for it!
The Lord said to him, "This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it and you didn't make it grow—yet you feel sorry for it!
Lexham English Bible
But Yahweh said, "You are troubled about the plant, for which you did not labor nor cause it to grow. It grew up in a night and it perished in a night!
But Yahweh said, "You are troubled about the plant, for which you did not labor nor cause it to grow. It grew up in a night and it perished in a night!
Literal Translation
And Jehovah said, You have had pity on the plant for which you had not labored, nor made it grow, which was the son of a night and perished the son of a night,
And Jehovah said, You have had pity on the plant for which you had not labored, nor made it grow, which was the son of a night and perished the son of a night,
American Standard Version
And Jehovah said, Thou hast had regard for the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
And Jehovah said, Thou hast had regard for the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
Bible in Basic English
And the Lord said, You had pity on the vine, for which you did no work and for the growth of which you were not responsible; which came up in a night and came to an end in a night;
And the Lord said, You had pity on the vine, for which you did no work and for the growth of which you were not responsible; which came up in a night and came to an end in a night;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD said: 'Thou hast had 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;
And the LORD said: 'Thou hast had 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;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then saide the Lorde, Thou hast had compassion on the gourde about the which thou bestowedst no labour, neither madest it growe: which came vp in a night, and perished in a night:
Then saide the Lorde, Thou hast had compassion on the gourde about the which thou bestowedst no labour, neither madest it growe: which came vp in a night, and perished in a night:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord said, Thou hadst pity on the gourd, for which thou has not suffered, neither didst thou rear it; which came up before night, and perished before another night:
And the Lord said, Thou hadst pity on the gourd, for which thou has not suffered, neither didst thou rear it; which came up before night, and perished before another night:
English Revised Version
And the LORD said, 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:
And the LORD said, 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:
World English Bible
Yahweh 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.
Yahweh 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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord seide, Thou art sori on the yuy, in which thou trauelidist not, nether madist that it wexide, which was growun vndur o nyyt, and perischide in o nyyt.
And the Lord seide, Thou art sori on the yuy, in which thou trauelidist not, nether madist that it wexide, which was growun vndur o nyyt, and perischide in o nyyt.
Update Bible Version
And Yahweh said, You have had regard for the gourd, for which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
And Yahweh said, You have had regard for the gourd, for which you have not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
Webster's Bible Translation
Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
New English Translation
The Lord said, "You were upset about this little plant, something for which you have not worked nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day.
The Lord said, "You were upset about this little plant, something for which you have not worked nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day.
New King James Version
But the LORD said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.
But the LORD said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.
New Living Translation
Then the Lord said, "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly.
Then the Lord said, "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly.
New Life Bible
The 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.
The 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.
New Revised Standard
Then the Lord said, "You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night.
Then the Lord said, "You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Yahweh, Thou, wouldest have spared the gourd, for which thou hadst not toiled, neither hadst thou made it grow, - which, as the off-spring of a night, came up, and, as the offspring of a night, perished;
Then said Yahweh, Thou, wouldest have spared the gourd, for which thou hadst not toiled, neither hadst thou made it grow, - which, as the off-spring of a night, came up, and, as the offspring of a night, perished;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said: Thou art grieved for the ivy, for which thou hast not laboured, nor made it to grow, which in one night came up, and in one night perished.
And the Lord said: Thou art grieved for the ivy, for which thou hast not laboured, nor made it to grow, which in one night came up, and in one night perished.
Revised Standard Version
And the LORD said, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night, and perished in a night.
And the LORD said, "You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night, and perished in a night.
Young's Literal Translation
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,
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,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the LORDE sayde: thou hast compassion vpon a wylde vyne, whero thou bestowdest no laboure, ner maydest it growe: which sprange vp in one night and perished in another:
And the LORDE sayde: thou hast compassion vpon a wylde vyne, whero thou bestowdest no laboure, ner maydest it growe: which sprange vp in one night and perished in another:
Contextual Overview
5 But Jonah just left. He went out of the city to the east and sat down in a sulk. He put together a makeshift shelter of leafy branches and sat there in the shade to see what would happen to the city. 6 God arranged for a broad-leafed tree to spring up. It grew over Jonah to cool him off and get him out of his angry sulk. Jonah was pleased and enjoyed the shade. Life was looking up. 7But then God sent a worm. By dawn of the next day, the worm had bored into the shade tree and it withered away. The sun came up and God sent a hot, blistering wind from the east. The sun beat down on Jonah's head and he started to faint. He prayed to die: "I'm better off dead!" 9 Then God said to Jonah, "What right do you have to get angry about this shade tree?" Jonah said, "Plenty of right. It's made me angry enough to die!" 10 God said, "What's this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can't I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than 120,000 childlike people who don't yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals?"
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
had pity on: or, spared
came up in a night: Heb. was the son of the night, 1 Samuel 20:31, Genesis 17:12, *marg.
Reciprocal: Luke 15:32 - was meet
Cross-References
Genesis 3:13
"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."
"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."
Genesis 4:9
God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "How should I know? Am I his babysitter?"
God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "How should I know? Am I his babysitter?"
Genesis 4:10
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."
Genesis 9:5
"But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.
"But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.
Genesis 18:20
God continued, "The cries of the victims in Sodom and Gomorrah are deafening; the sin of those cities is immense. I'm going down to see for myself, see if what they're doing is as bad as it sounds. Then I'll know."
God continued, "The cries of the victims in Sodom and Gomorrah are deafening; the sin of those cities is immense. I'm going down to see for myself, see if what they're doing is as bad as it sounds. Then I'll know."
Exodus 3:7
God said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
God said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Numbers 35:33
"Don't pollute the land in which you live. Murder pollutes the land. The land can't be cleaned up of the blood of murder except through the blood of the murderer.
"Don't pollute the land in which you live. Murder pollutes the land. The land can't be cleaned up of the blood of murder except through the blood of the murderer.
Joshua 7:19
Joshua spoke to Achan, "My son, give glory to God , the God of Israel. Make your confession to him. Tell me what you did. Don't keep back anything from me."
Joshua spoke to Achan, "My son, give glory to God , the God of Israel. Make your confession to him. Tell me what you did. Don't keep back anything from me."
Job 16:18
"O Earth, don't cover up the wrong done to me! Don't muffle my cry! There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me, in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name— My Champion, my Friend, while I'm weeping my eyes out before God. I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor. "Only a few years are left before I set out on the road of no return."
"O Earth, don't cover up the wrong done to me! Don't muffle my cry! There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me, in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name— My Champion, my Friend, while I'm weeping my eyes out before God. I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor. "Only a few years are left before I set out on the road of no return."
Isaiah 5:7
Do you get it? The vineyard of God -of-the-Angel-Armies is the country of Israel. All the men and women of Judah are the garden he was so proud of. He looked for a crop of justice and saw them murdering each other. He looked for a harvest of righteousness and heard only the moans of victims.
Do you get it? The vineyard of God -of-the-Angel-Armies is the country of Israel. All the men and women of Judah are the garden he was so proud of. He looked for a crop of justice and saw them murdering each other. He looked for a harvest of righteousness and heard only the moans of victims.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Then said the Lord, thou hast had pity on the gourd,.... Or, "hast spared it" c; that is, would have spared it, had it lain in his power, though but a weeds and worthless thing:
for the which thou hast not laboured; in digging the ground, and by sowing or planting it; it being raised up at once by the Lord himself, and not by any, human art and industry; nor by any of his:
neither madest it grow; by dunging the earth about it, or by watering and pruning it:
which came up in a night, and perished in a night; not in the same night; for it sprung up one night, continued a whole any, and then perished the next night. The Targum is more explicit,
"which was in this (or one) night, and perished in another night;''
by all which the Lord suggests to Jonah the vast difference between the gourd he would have spared, and for the loss of which he was so angry, and the city of Nineveh the Lord spared, which so highly displeased him; the one was but an herb, a plant, the other a great city; that a single plant, but the city consisted of thousands of persons; the plant was not the effect of his toil and labour, but the inhabitants of this city were the works of God's hands. In the building of this city, according to historians d a million and a half of men were employed eight years together; the plant was liken mushroom, it sprung up in a night, and perished in one; whereas this was a very ancient city, that had stood ever since the days of Nimrod.
c חסת "pepercisiti", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Burkius; "pepercisses", Piscator. d Eustathius in Dionys. Perieg. p. 125.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Thou hadst pity on the palm-christ - In the feeling of our common mortality, the soul cannot but yearn over decay. Even a drooping flower is sad to look on, so beautiful, so frail. It belongs to this passing world, where nothing lovely abides, all things beautiful hasten to cease to be. The natural God-implanted feeling is the germ of the spiritual.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Jonah 4:10. Which came up in a night — St. Jerome, speaking of this plant, the kikayon, assigns to it an extraordinary rapidity of growth. It delights in a sandy soil, and in a few days what was a plant grows into a large shrub. But he does not appear to have meant the ricinus; this however is the most likely. The expressions coming up in a night and perishing in a night are only metaphorical to express speedy growth and speedy decay; and so, as we have seen, the Chaldee interprets it, די בליליא הדי הוה ובליליא אוחרנא אבד "which existed this night but in the next night perished;" and this I am satisfied is the true import of the Hebrew phrase.
