Jonah 3:8–4:2

⁸But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call^y urgently on God. Let them give up^z their evil ways^a and their violence.^{b 9}Who knows?^c God may yet relent^d and with compassion turn^e from his fierce anger^f so that we will not perish.”

¹⁰When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented^g and did not bring on them the destruction^h he had threatened.ⁱ

Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion

4But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.^{j 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^k that you are a gracious^l and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love,^m a God who relentsⁿ from sending calamity.^o