Jonah 4
Jonah's Anger
1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. 2 He prayed to the Lord: "Please, Lord, isn't this what I said while I was still in my own country? That's why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and One who relents from [sending] disaster.
3 And now, Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live."
4 The Lord asked, "Is it right for you to be angry?"
5 Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God appointed a plant, and it grew up to provide shade over Jonah's head to ease his discomfort. Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant.
7 When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.
8 As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down so much on Jonah's head that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, "It's better for me to die than to live."
9 Then God asked Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?"
"[Yes,]" he replied. "It is right. I'm angry enough to die!"
10 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. 11 Should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals?"
Jonah 4
Jonah Responds to God’s Kindness
1 This displeased Jonah terriblyt and he became very angry.t2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “Oh, Lord, this is just what I thoughtt would happent when I was in my own country.t This is what I tried to preventt by attempting to escape to Tarshish!ts – because I knewt that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to angert and aboundingt in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment.ts3 So now, Lord, kill me instead,t because I would rather die than live!”t
4 The Lord said, “Are you really so veryts angry?”t
5 Jonah left the city and sat down eastt of it.t He made a shelter for himself there and sat down under it in the shade to see what would happen to the city.s
6 The Lord God appointedt a little plantt and caused it to grow up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to rescues him from his misery.t Now Jonah was very delightedt about the little plant.
7 So God sentt a worm at dawn the next day, and it attacked the little plant so that it dried up.8 When the sun began to shine, God sentt a hotst east wind. So the sun beat downt on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life,t and said, “I would rather die than live!”ts9 God said to Jonah, “Are you really so very angryt about the little plant?” And he said, “I am as angryt as I could possibly be!”t10 The Lord said, “You were upsett about this littlet 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.t
11 Should It not be even moret concernedt about Nineveh, this enormous city?t There are more than one hundred twenty thousand people in it who do not know right from wrong,t as well as many animals!”t