Jonah’s Anger and God’s Kindness

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. ² So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I ^(A)fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a ^(B)gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. ^3 (C)Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for ^(D)it is better for me to die than to live!”

⁴ Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

⁵ So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸ “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my ^(A)vineyard.’ ²⁹ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. ³⁰ Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to Him, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, ^(B)“Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. ³² For ^(C)John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; ^(D)but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward ^[a]relent and believe him.

⁶ “For you are a ^[a]holy people to the Lord your God; ^(A)the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. ⁷ The Lord did not set His ^(B)love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were ^(C)the least of all peoples; ⁸ but ^(D)because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep ^(E)the oath which He swore to your fathers, ^(F)the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of ^[b]bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

⁹ “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, ^(G)the faithful God ^(H)who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;