Jonah 4

1 But Jonah was deeply grieved and confused. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Lord, is this not what I said while I was still in my own land? That is why I fled to Tarshish so quickly. I knew that you are merciful and full of pity, patient and rich in mercy, and that you change your mind about harm. 3 Now, Master and Lord, take my life from me, because it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 The Lord said to Jonah, “Are you really so deeply grieved?”

5 Jonah went out of the city and sat across from it. He made himself a shelter there and sat beneath it in the shade, waiting to see what would happen to the city. 6 The Lord God appointed a gourd, and it grew over Jonah’s head to give him shade and shelter him from his troubles. Jonah was extremely happy about the gourd. 7 At dawn the next day God appointed a worm. It struck the gourd, and the plant dried up. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. He gave up on his life and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

9 God said to Jonah, “Are you really so deeply grieved about the gourd?” Jonah answered, “I am deeply grieved—to the point of death.” 10 The Lord said, “You cared about the gourd, though you did not work for it or make it grow. It came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 Should I not care about Nineveh, the great city, where more than 120,000 people live who do not know their right hand from their left—and many animals besides?” [a]