Jonah 4

Jonah’s Anger and God’s Kindness

4But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. ²So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I ^afled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a ^bgracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. ^3cTherefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for ^dit is better for me to die than to live!”

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

⁵So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. ⁶And the Lord God prepared a ¹plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah ²was very grateful for the plant. ⁷But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. ⁸And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, ^e“It is better for me to die than to live.”

⁹Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!”

¹⁰But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which ³came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹And should I not pity Nineveh, ^fthat great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons ^gwho cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”