Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion

4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.^{(A) 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^(B) that you are a gracious^(C) and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love,^(D) a God who relents^(E) from sending calamity.^{(F) 3} Now, Lord, take away my life,^(G) for it is better for me to die^(H) than to live.”^(I)

⁴ But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”^(J)

⁵ Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. ⁶ Then the Lord God provided^(K) a leafy plant^[a] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. ⁷ But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.^{(L) 8} When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die,^(M) and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

⁹ But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”^(N)

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. ¹¹ And should I not have concern^(O) for the great city of Nineveh,^(P) in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

The Sign of Jonah^(A)(B)

³⁸ Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign^(C) from you.”^(D)

³⁹ He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.^{(E) 40} For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish,^(F) so the Son of Man^(G) will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.^{(H) 41} The men of Nineveh^(I) will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah,^(J) and now something greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came^(K) from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

⁹ If you declare^(A) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”^(B) and believe^(C) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,^(D) you will be saved.^{(E) 10} For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^{[a](F) 12} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile^(G)—the same Lord is Lord of all^(H) and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord^(I) will be saved.”^[b](J)