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Nagalit si Jonas Dahil sa Pagkahabag ng Diyos

Ngunit dahil dito, nalungkot si Jonas at siya'y nagalit sapagkat hindi niya nagustuhan ang pagpapatawad ng Diyos sa Nineve. Kaya't(A) siya'y nanalangin, “O Yahweh, hindi ba bago pa ako magpunta rito ay sinabi kong ganito nga ang gagawin ninyo? At ito ang dahilan kaya ako tumakas patungong Tarsis! Alam kong kayo ay Diyos na mahabagin at mapagmahal, hindi madaling magalit at wagas ang pag-ibig. Alam kong lagi kayong handang magpatawad. Mabuti(B) pang mamatay na lang ako, Yahweh. Mas gugustuhin ko pang mamatay kaysa mabuhay.”

Sumagot si Yahweh, “Anong ikinagagalit mo, Jonas?” Pagkasabi nito, lumakad si Jonas papunta sa silangan ng lunsod at naupo. Gumawa siya ng isang silungan at doon hinintay kung ano ang mangyayari sa lunsod. Pinatubo ng Diyos na si Yahweh sa may tabi ni Jonas ang isang malagong halaman na nagbibigay ng lilim sa kanya. Labis naman itong ikinagalak ni Jonas. Ngunit kinabukasan, ang halaman ay ipinasira ng Diyos sa isang uod at ito'y natuyo. Sumikat nang matindi ang araw at umihip ang nakakapasong hangin; halos mahilo si Jonas sa tindi ng init. Kaya sinabi niya, “Mabuti pang mamatay na ako.”

Sinabi sa kanya ng Diyos, “Dapat ka bang magalit dahil sa nangyari sa halaman?”

Sumagot siya, “Opo, nagagalit po ako. Gusto ko nang mamatay.”

10 Sinabi ni Yahweh, “Tumubo ang halamang iyon, lumago sa loob ng magdamag, at namatay kinabukasan. Wala kang hirap diyan ngunit nalungkot ka nang iyan ay mamatay. 11 Ako pa kaya ang hindi malulungkot sa kalagayan ng Nineve? Ito'y isang malaking lunsod na tinitirhan ng mahigit na 120,000 taong hindi alam kung ano ang mabuti o ang masama, bukod pa sa maraming kawan!”

Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Mercy

This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”

The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”

Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.

But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.

Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”

“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”

10 Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. 11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness,[a] not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”

Footnotes

  1. 4:11 Hebrew people who don’t know their right hand from their left.

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?

So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.

And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

10 Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.(A) 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) Now, Lord, take away my life,(G) for it is better for me to die(H) than to live.”(I)

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

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. 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. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.(L) 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.”

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?”

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:6 The precise identification of this plant is uncertain; also in verses 7, 9 and 10.