God loves everyone
1 But Jonah was greatly displeased at this, and he was in dignant.
2 He prayed to Yahweh and said, ¡°O Yah weh, is this not what I said when I
was yet in my own coun try? This is why I fled to Tar shish. I knew that you
are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and full of love, and you
relent from imposing terrible punishment.
3 I beseech you now, Yahweh, to take my life, for now it is better for me to
die than to live.¡±
4 But Yahweh replied, ¡°What right have you to be angry?¡±
5 Jonah then left the city. He went to a place east of it, built himself a
shelter and sat under its shade to wait and see what would happen to Nine
veh.
6 Then Yahweh God provided a castor-oil plant and made it grow up over Jonah
to give shade over his head and to ease his discomfort. Jonah was very happy
about the plant.
7 But the next day, at dawn, God sent a worm which attacked the plant and
made it wither.
8 When the sun rose, God sent a scorching east wind; the sun blazed down
upon Jo nah¡¯s head, and he grew faint. His death wish returned and he said,
¡°It is better for me to die than to live.¡±
9 Then God asked Jonah, ¡°Do you have a right to be angry about the
castor-oil plant?¡± Jonah answered, ¡°I am right to be angry enough to wish to
die.¡±
10 Yahweh said, ¡°You are concerned about a plant which cost you no labor to
make it grow. Overnight it sprang up, and overnight it perished.
11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot
distinguish right from left and they have many cattle as well. Should I not
be concerned for such a great city?¡±