and
ready to forgive. Therefore, O Jehovah, take now, I beg of thee, my life
from me; for it is better for me to die than to live!" But Jehovah said,
"Are you doing right in being angry?"

Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down on the east side, and there
made a hut for himself and sat under it, until he might see what would
become of the city. And Jehovah prepared a gourd and made it grow up
over Jonah as a shade for his head. So the gourd gave Jonah great
pleasure; but at dawn the next day God prepared a worm which injured the
gourd, so that it wilted. And when the sun rose, God prepared a hot east
wind. And the sun beat upon Jonah's head, so that he was faint and
begged that he might die, saying, "It is better for me to die than to
live." But God said to Jonah, "Are you doing right in being angry about
the gourd?" He replied, "It is well for one to be angry, even to death!"
Jehovah said, "You care for a gourd which has cost you no trouble and
which you have not made grow, which came up in a night and wilted in a
night. Should I not care for the great city Nineveh, in which there are
one hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand
from their left; besides much cattle?"

THE STORY OF JOB

In the land of Uz there lived a man named Job; and he was blameless and
upright, one who revered God and avoided evil. He had seven sons and
three daughters. He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels,
five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred asses; and he had many servants,
so that he was the richest man among all the peoples of the East.

One day when the sons of God came before Jehovah, Satan came with them.
Jehovah said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Satan answered, "From
going back and forth on the earth, and walking up and down on it." And
Jehovah said to Satan, "Have you seen my servant Job? For there is no
man like him on the earth, blameless and upright, who reveres God and
avoids evil." Satan answered, "But is it for nothing that Job reveres
God? Have you not yourself made a hedge all about him, about his
household, and about all that he has? You have blessed whatever he does,
and his possessions have greatly increased. But just put out your hand
now and take away all he has; he certainly will curse you to your face."
Then Jehovah said to Satan, "See, everything that he has is in your
power; only do not lay hands on Job himself." So Satan left the presence
of Jehovah.

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