The Book of the Prophet Jonah 4 Jonah's Discontent and the Lord's Response

 The Book of the Prophet Jonah 4

Jonah's Discontent and the Lord's Response

1 But Jonah was very displeased with this, and he became very angry.

2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “Ah, Lord! Isn’t this what I said when I was still in my country? That is why I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

4 But the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would happen to the city.

6 And the Lord God made a gourd plant to grow up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to deliver him from his grief. And Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the gourd plant.

7 But God prepared a worm the next day at dawn, and it attacked the gourd plant, and it withered.

8 And it came to pass, when the sun arose, that God prepared a scorching east wind; and the sun beat upon Jonah's head, and he fainted, and wished with all his soul to die, saying, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right that you are so angry about the gourd plant?” And he said, “It is right that I am angry, even to the point of death.”

10 And the Lord said, “You had compassion on the gourd plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow; that was born in a night and perished in a night;

11 And should I not have compassion on Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much livestock?