Jonah’s Anger at the LORD’s Compassion 1 UEB But this displeased Jonah and he became very angry. BSB BSB: Jonah, however, was greatly displeased, and he became angry.
2 UEB So Jonah prayed to Yahweh and said, "Ah, Yahweh, is this not just what I said when I was back in my own country? That is why I acted first and tried to flee to Tarshish—because I knew that you are a gracious God, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in covenant faithfulness, and you hold back from sending disaster. BSB BSB: So he prayed to the LORD, saying, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion—One who relents from sending disaster.
3 UEB Therefore now, Yahweh, I beg you, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." BSB BSB: And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 UEB Yahweh said, "Is it good that you are so angry?" BSB BSB: But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”
5 UEB Then Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made a shelter and sat under it in the shade so that he could see what might become of the city. BSB BSB: Then Jonah left the city and sat down east of it, where he made himself a shelter and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city.
7 UEB But God prepared a worm at sunrise the next morning. It attacked the plant and the plant withered. BSB BSB: When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered.
8 UEB It came about that when the sun rose the next morning, God prepared a hot east wind. Also, the sun beat down on Jonah's head and he became faint. Then Jonah wished that he might die. He said to himself, "It is better for me to die than to live." BSB BSB: As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint and wished to die, saying, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
9 UEB Then God said to Jonah, "Is it good that you are so angry about the plant?" Then Jonah said, "It is good that I am angry, even to death." BSB BSB: Then God asked Jonah, “Have you any right to be angry about the plant?” “I do,” he replied. “I am angry enough to die!”