Jonah’s Anger at the LORD’s Compassion 1 UST For Jonah, it was wrong, terribly wrong{, that God did not destroy Nineveh}. He became very angry about it. BSB BSB: Jonah, however, was greatly displeased, and he became angry.
2 UST He prayed to Yahweh,“See! Yahweh, This is exactly what I said would happen even before I left home! I knew that you are a God who acts very kindly and compassionately{ toward all people}. You do not quickly become angry{ with people who act in evil ways}. You love people very much, and you prefer to be merciful to people rather than to punish them. Therefore, I ran away to go to Tarshish in order to stop this very thing from happening. 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 UST So now, Yahweh, please kill me, because I would rather die than continue to live{ if you do not destroy Nineveh}.” BSB BSB: And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 UST Yahweh replied,“It is wrong for you to be angry{ that I did not destroy Nineveh}.” BSB BSB: But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”
5 UST Then Jonah left the city{ of Nineveh} and sat down{ a short distance away} on the east side of the city. There he made a small shelter to shade himself{ from the sun}. He stayed under the shelter and waited to see what would happen to 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 UST Then, at dawn the next day, God caused a worm to chew the plant so much that the plant withered away. BSB BSB: When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered.
8 UST Then, shortly after the sun had risen, God caused a hot wind to blow from the east. The sun shone very hotly on Jonah’ s head, and Jonah began to feel faint. He wanted to die and he exclaimed,“It would be better for me to die than to continue living!” 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 UST Then God said to Jonah,“Is it right for you to be angry about what happened to the plant?” Jonah replied,“Yes, it is right for me to be angry! I am so angry that I want to die!” 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!”