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DECEMBER 18
throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king that he grew faint. Then he wished death for
and his nobles, saying, himself, and said, “It is better for me to die
than to live.”
Let neither man nor beast, herd nor
9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you
flock, taste anything; do not let them to be angry about the plant?”
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eat, or drink water. But let man and And he said, “It is right for me to be angry,
beast be covered with sackcloth, and even to death!”
cry mightily to God; yes, let every one
10 But the LORD said, “You have had pity on
turn from his evil way and from the the plant for which you have not labored, nor
violence that is in his hands. Who can made it grow, which came up in a night and
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tell if God will turn and relent, and turn perished in a night. And should I not pity
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away from His fierce anger, so that we Nineveh, that great city, in which are more
may not perish?
than one hundred and twenty thousand per-
10 Then God saw their works, that they sons who cannot discern between their right
turned from their evil way; and God relented hand and their left—and much livestock?”
from the disaster that He had said He would Psalm 144:1–8
bring upon them, and He did not do it.
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and A Psalm of David.
4 he became angry. So he prayed to the lessed be the LORD my Rock,
2
LORD, and said, “Ah, LORD, was not this what I B Who trains my hands for war,
said when I was still in my country? Therefore And my fingers for battle—
I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that 2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to My high tower and my deliverer,
anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One My shield and the One in whom I take
who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, refuge,
3
O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is Who subdues my people under me.
better for me to die than to live!”
3 LORD, what is man, that You take
knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are
mindful of him?
4
4:1,2 Jonah, because of his rejection of Man is like a breath;
Gentiles and distaste for their participation in His days are like a passing shadow.
salvation, was displeased at God’s demonstra- 5 Bow down Your heavens, O LORD,
tion of mercy toward the Ninevites, thereby and come down;
displaying the real reason for his original flight Touch the mountains, and they shall
to Tarshish. From the very beginning, Jonah smoke.
had clearly understood the gracious character 6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
of God (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). He had received
pardon, but didn’t want Nineveh to know Shoot out Your arrows and destroy
them.
God’s mercy (a similar attitude in Luke 15:25ff.). 7 Stretch out Your hand from above;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great
waters,
Then the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be From the hand of foreigners,
4
angry?” 8 Whose mouth speaks lying words,
5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the And whose right hand is a right hand
east side of the city. There he made himself a of falsehood.
shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he Proverbs 30:6–9
might see what would become of the city.
6 And the LORD God prepared a plant and made 6 Do not add to His words,
it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade Lest He rebuke you, and you be found
for his head to deliver him from his misery. a liar.
7
So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But 7 Two things I request of You
as morning dawned the next day God pre- (Deprive me not before I die):
pared a worm, and it so damaged the plant 8 Remove falsehood and lies far from
8
that it withered. And it happened, when the me;
sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east Give me neither poverty nor riches—
wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so Feed me with the food allotted to me;

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