LEB YNA Chapter 4

Jonah Is Angry at Yahweh’s Compassion

4 And this[fn] ⌊was greatly displeasing⌋[fn] to Jonah, and ⌊he became furious⌋.[fn] 2 And he prayed to Yahweh and said, “O Yahweh, was this not ⌊what I said⌋[fn] while I was in my homeland? Therefore ⌊I originally fled⌋[fn] to Tarshish, because I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger ⌊and having great steadfast love⌋,[fn] and one who relents concerning calamity.[fn] 3 And so then, Yahweh, please take my life from me, because for me death is better than life!” 4 And Yahweh said, “⌊Is it right for you to be angry⌋?”[fn]

5 And Jonah went out from the city and sat down east of the city, and he made for himself a shelter there. And he sat under it in the shade, ⌊waiting to see⌋[fn] what would happen with the city. 6 And Yahweh God appointed a plant,[fn] and he made it grow up over Jonah to be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. And Jonah ⌊was very glad⌋[fn] about the plant. 7 So God appointed a worm ⌊at daybreak⌋[fn] the next day, and it attacked the plant, and it withered. 8 ⌊And when the sun rose⌋,[fn] God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head and he grew faint. ⌊And he asked that he could die⌋[fn] and said, “My death is better than my life!” 9 So God said to Jonah, “⌊Is it right for you to be angry⌋[fn] about the plant?” And he said, “⌊It is right for me to be angry enough to die⌋!”[fn]

10 But Yahweh said, “You are troubled about the plant, for which you did not labor nor cause it to grow. ⌊It grew up in a night and it perished in a night⌋![fn] 11 And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, the great city, ⌊in which there are⌋[fn] more ⌊than one hundred and twenty thousand⌋[fn] people who do not know right from left,[fn] plus many animals?”