So the Lord God designated a [a]plant, and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head, to [b]relieve him of his discomfort. And Jonah [c]was overjoyed about the plant. But God designated a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it (A)withered. And when the sun came up God designated a scorching (B)east wind, and the (C)sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint, and he begged with all his soul to die, saying, “(D)Death is better to me than life!”

But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to the point of death!” 10 Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant, for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which [d]came up overnight and perished [e]overnight. 11 Should I not also (E)have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 people, who do not (F)know the difference between their right hand and their left, as well as many (G)animals?”

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Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:6 Prob. a castor oil plant, and so throughout the ch
  2. Jonah 4:6 Lit save him from
  3. Jonah 4:6 Lit rejoiced with great joy
  4. Jonah 4:10 Lit was a son of a night
  5. Jonah 4:10 Lit a son of a night

Then the Lord God provided(A) 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.(B) 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,(C) 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?”(D)

“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(E) for the great city of Nineveh,(F) 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?”

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Footnotes

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