Targum Jonathan on Jonah Chapter 4
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וּבְאֵשׁ לְיוֹנָה בִישָׁא רַבָּא וּתְקֵיף לֵיהּ:
And this displeased Jonah as greatly evil, and he raised an objection.
וְצַלֵי קֳדָם יְיָ וַאֲמַר קַבֵּיל בָּעוּתִי יְיָ הֲלָא דֵין פִּתְגָמִי עַד דַהֲוֵיתִי עַל דַהֲוֵיתִי עַל אַרְעִי עַל כֵּן אוֹחֵיתִי לְמֶעְרַק לְיַמָא אֲרֵי יְדַעְנָא אֲרֵי אַתְּ אֱלָהָא חֲנָנָא וְרַחֲמָנָא מַרְחֵיק רְגַז וּמַסְגֵי לְמֶעְבַּד טַבְוָן וּמְתִיב מֵימְרֵיהּ מִלְאַיְתָאָה בִּישְׁתָא:
And he prayed before the LORD and said: “Accept my plea, LORD! Isn’t this what I said would happen upon my land? This is why I hurried to flee to the sea, since I know that You, God, are merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in doing good, and You turn Your word back from bringing about evil.
וּכְעַן יְיָ סַב כְּעַן יַת נַפְשִׁי מִנִי אֲרֵי טַב דַאֲמוּת מִדְאֵיחֵי:
And now, LORD, take — now! — my life from me, because better I die than live.”
וַאֲמַר יְיָ הֲלַחְדָא תְּקֵיף לָךְ:
And the LORD said, “You mad?”
וּנְפַק יוֹנָה מִן קַרְתָּא וִיתִיב מִמַדְנַח לְקַרְתָּא וַעֲבַד לֵיה תַּמָן מְטַלַלְתָּא וִיתִיב תְּחוֹתָהּ בְּטוּלָא עַד דְיֶחֱזֵי מַה יְהֵי בְסוֹף קַרְתָּא:
And Jonah went out from the city and sat east of the city and built a hut there and sat under it in shadow until he could see what the doom of the city would be.
וְזַמֵין יְיָ אֱלֹהִים קִיקָיוֹן וּסְלִיק עֵיל מִן יוֹנָה לְמֶהֱוֵי טוּלָא עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ לַאַגָנָא לֵיהּ מִבִּישְׁתֵּיהּ וַחֲדֵי יוֹנָה עַל קִיקָיוֹן חֶדְוָא רַבָּא:
And the LORD God invited a gourd, and it grew up over Jonah to be shade over his head, to shelter him from its evil, and Jonah rejoiced with much rejoicing over the gourd.
וְזַמֵין יְיָ יַת תּוֹלַעְתָּא בְּמֵיסַק צַפְרָא בְּיוֹמָא דְבַתְרוֹהִי וּמְחָא יַת קִיקָיוֹן וִיבָשׁ:
And the LORD invited a worm as the sun rose on the net day, and it struck the gourd and it wilted.
וַהֲוָה כְּמַדְנַח שִׁמְשָׁא וְזַמֵין יְיָ רוּחַ קִדוּמָא שְׁתִיקָא וּטְפָחַת שִׁמְשָׁא עַל רֵישָׁא דְיוֹנָה וְאִשְׁתַּלְהִי וּשְׁאֵיל יַת נַפְשֵׁיהּ לְמֵימַת וַאֲמַר טַב דַאֲמוּת מִדְאֵיחֵי:
And when the sun was in the east, the LORD invited a silent east wind, and the sun spread out over Jonah’s head, and he was weakened and asked for his life to die, saying “Better I die than live.”
וַאֲמַר יְיָ לְיוֹנָה הֲלַחֲדָא תְקֵיף לָךְ עַל קִיקָיוֹן וַאֲמַר לַחֲדָא תְקוֹף לִי עַד מוֹתָא:
And the LORD said to Jonah, “You mad about that gourd?” And he said, “Yes, I’m so mad I want to die!”
וַאֲמַר יְיָ אַתְּ חַסְתָּא עַל קִיקָיוֹן דְלָא עָמַלְתָּ בֵּיהּ וְלָא רַבִּיתֵיהּ דִי בְלֵילְיָא הָדֵין הֲוָה וּבְלֵילְיָא אוֹחֲרָנָא אֲבַד:
And the LORD said, “You! You had mercy on the gourd which you didn’t work for and you didn’t grow, one night it was there and the next it was gone.
וַאֲנָא לָא אָחוּס עַל נִינְוֵה קַרְתָּא רַבְּתָא דְאִית בָּהּ סַגִי מִתַּרְתָּא עַסְרֵי רִבְּוָן אֱנָשָׁא דְלָא יְדַע בֵּין יְמִינֵיהּ לִסְמָלֵיהּ וּבְעִירָא סַגִי:
And I, should I not have mercy on Nineveh, the great city that had in it more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who don’t know the difference between their right and left, and many animals too?