4:1 This displeased Jonah terribly 1 and he became very angry. 2 4:2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “Oh, Lord, this is just what I thought 3 would happen 4 when I was in my own country. 5 This is what I tried to prevent 6 by attempting to escape to Tarshish! 7 – because I knew 8 that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger 9 and abounding 10 in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment. 11 4:3 So now, Lord, kill me instead, 12 because I would rather die than live!” 13 4:4 The Lord said, “Are you really so very 14 angry?” 15
4:5 Jonah left the city and sat down east 16 of it. 17 He made a shelter for himself there and sat down under it in the shade to see what would happen to the city. 18 4:6 The Lord God appointed 19 a little plant 20 and caused it to grow up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to rescue 21 him from his misery. 22 Now Jonah was very delighted 23 about the little plant.
4:7 So God sent 24 a worm at dawn the next day, and it attacked the little plant so that it dried up. 4:8 When the sun began to shine, God sent 25 a hot 26 east wind. So the sun beat down 27 on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life, 28 and said, “I would rather die than live!” 29 4:9 God said to Jonah, “Are you really so very angry 30 about the little plant?” And he said, “I am as angry 31 as I could possibly be!” 32 4:10 The Lord said, “You were upset 33 about this little 34 plant, something for which you have not worked nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day. 35 4:11 Should I 36 not be even more 37 concerned 38 about Nineveh, this enormous city? 39 There are more than one hundred twenty thousand people in it who do not know right from wrong, 40 as well as many animals!” 41