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Jonah 4

Jonah is angry

4 But Jonah was not happy when God decided not to destroy Nineveh. He became very angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord . He said, ‘ Lord , this is what I thought would happen when I was still at home. So I decided to run away to Tarshish, so that you could not be kind to the people of Nineveh. I know that you are a God who is very kind and you forgive people. You do not become angry quickly. You always show your faithful love for people. Even when you have said that you will punish people, you decide that you will not do it. 3 Lord , please kill me now! I would rather die than continue to live.’

4 The Lord replied to Jonah, ‘You are not right to be so angry.’

5 Jonah went out of Nineveh. He built a little hut on the east side of the city. He sat in the shade of the hut. He waited to see what would happen to the city. [ a ]

6 The Lord God made a little plant grow there. He caused it to grow up over Jonah's head to give him shade from the hot sun. This comforted Jonah in his trouble. Jonah was very happy about the plant.

7 But at dawn the next day, God sent a worm to attack the plant. So then the plant died. 8 When the sun rose, God caused a hot wind to blow from the east. The hot sun shone on Jonah's head so that he became very weak. He wanted to die. He said, ‘I would rather die than continue to live.’

9 But God said to Jonah, ‘You are not right to be so angry about the plant.’

Jonah said, ‘I am right to be angry! I am so angry that I want to die.’

10 But the Lord said to Jonah, ‘You are upset about what happened to this little plant. But you did not plant it. You did not help it to grow. It grew up quickly during one night and by the next night it had died. You are sorry about such a little thing! 11 So it is right for me to be sorry about Nineveh. It is a great city. More than 120,000 people live in it. They cannot understand the difference between what is right and what is wrong. They also have many farm animals.’

Footnotes

  1. 4:5 Jonah probably used sticks and leaves to build the hut, so that the sun would not burn him.

God’s Mercy Makes Jonah Angry

4 Jonah was not happy that God saved the city. Jonah became angry. 2 He complained to the Lord and said, “ Lord , I knew this would happen! I was in my own country, and you told me to come here. At that time I knew that you would forgive the people of this evil city, so I decided to run away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a kind God. I knew that you show mercy and don’t want to punish people. I knew that you are kind, and if these people stopped sinning, you would change your plans to destroy them. 3 So now, Lord , just kill me. It is better for me to die than to live.”

4 Then the Lord said, “Do you think it is right for you to be angry?”

5 Jonah went out of the city to a place near the city on the east side. He made a shelter for himself and sat there in the shade, waiting to see what would happen to the city.

The Gourd Plant and the Worm

6 The Lord made a gourd plant grow quickly over Jonah. This made a cool place for Jonah to sit and helped him to be more comfortable. He was very happy because of this plant.

7 The next morning, God sent a worm to eat part of the plant. The worm began eating the plant, and the plant died.

8 After the sun was high in the sky, God caused a hot east wind to blow. The sun became very hot on Jonah’s head, and he became very weak. He asked God to let him die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you think it is right for you to be angry just because this plant died?”

Jonah answered, “Yes, it is right for me to be angry! I am angry enough to die!”

10 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. 11 If you can get upset over a plant, surely I can feel sorry for a big city like Nineveh. There are many people and animals in that city. There are more than 120,000 people there who did not know they were doing wrong.” [ a ]

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:11 people … wrong Literally, “people who do not know their right from their left.” This might mean “innocent children.”

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

2 And he prayed unto the Lord , and said, I pray thee, O Lord , was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

3 Therefore now, O Lord , take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

4 Then said the Lord , Doest thou well to be angry?

5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.

6 And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

10 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:

11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Jonah’s Displeasure Rebuked

4 But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became ( A ) angry. 2 Then he ( B ) prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord , was this not [ a ] what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore in anticipation of this I ( C ) fled to Tarshish, since I knew that You are a ( D ) gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy, and One who relents of disaster. 3 So now, Lord , please ( E ) take my [ b ] life from me, for death is ( F ) better to me than life.” 4 But the Lord said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?”

5 Then Jonah left the city and sat down east of [ c ] it. There he made a shelter for himself and ( G ) sat under it in the shade, until he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So the Lord God designated a [ d ] plant, and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head, to [ e ] relieve him of his discomfort. And Jonah [ f ] was overjoyed about the plant. 7 But God designated a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it ( H ) withered. 8 And when the sun came up God designated a scorching ( I ) east wind, and the ( J ) sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint, and he begged with all his soul to die, saying, “ ( K ) Death is better to me than life!”

9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to the point of death!” 10 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 [ g ] came up overnight and perished [ h ] overnight. 11 Should I not also ( L ) have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 people, who do not ( M ) know the difference between their right hand and their left, as well as many ( N ) animals?”

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:2 Lit my word
  2. Jonah 4:3 Lit soul
  3. Jonah 4:5 Lit the city
  4. Jonah 4:6 Prob. a castor oil plant, and so throughout the ch
  5. Jonah 4:6 Lit save him from
  6. Jonah 4:6 Lit rejoiced with great joy
  7. Jonah 4:10 Lit was a son of a night
  8. Jonah 4:10 Lit a son of a night

Jonah’s Anger at the Lord ’s Compassion

4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. ( A ) 2 He prayed to the Lord , “Isn’t this what I said, Lord , when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew ( B ) that you are a gracious ( C ) and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, ( D ) a God who relents ( E ) from sending calamity. ( F ) 3 Now, Lord , take away my life, ( G ) for it is better for me to die ( H ) than to live.” ( I )

4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” ( J )

5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided ( K ) a leafy plant [ a ] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. ( L ) 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, ( M ) and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” ( N )

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern ( O ) for the great city of Nineveh, ( P ) in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:6 The precise identification of this plant is uncertain; also in verses 7, 9 and 10.
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