Study Desk

The people of Nineveh believed God. They decided to stop eating for a time to think about their sins. They put on special clothes to show they were sorry. All the people in the city did this, from the most important to the least important.

But every person and every animal must be covered with a special cloth to show they are sad. People must cry loudly to God. Everyone must change their life and stop doing bad things.

Who knows? Maybe God will stop being angry and change his mind, and we will not be punished.

God saw what the people did. He saw that they stopped doing evil. So God changed his mind and did not do what he planned. He did not punish the people.

Jonah was not happy that God saved the city. Jonah became angry.

He complained to the Lord and said, " Lord , I knew this would happen! I was in my own country, and you told me to come here. At that time I knew that you would forgive the people of this evil city, so I decided to run away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a kind God. I knew that you show mercy and don't want to punish people. I knew that you are kind, and if these people stopped sinning, you would change your plans to destroy them.

The next morning, God sent a worm to eat part of the plant. The worm began eating the plant, and the plant died.

After the sun was high in the sky, God caused a hot east wind to blow. The sun became very hot on Jonah's head, and he became very weak. He asked God to let him die. He said, "It is better for me to die than to live."

But God said to Jonah, "Do you think it is right for you to be angry just because this plant died?" Jonah answered, "Yes, it is right for me to be angry! I am angry enough to die!"

Listen, all you people! Earth and everyone on it, listen! The Lord God will be a witness against you. The Lord will come from his holy temple.

The seers are ashamed. The fortunetellers are embarrassed. None of them will say anything, because God will not speak to them."

People from many nations will go there and say, "Come, let's go up to the mountain of the Lord , to the Temple of the God of Jacob. Then God will teach us his way of living, and we will follow him." His teaching, the Lord 's message, will begin in Jerusalem on Mount Zion and will go out to all the world.

Then God will act as judge to end arguments between people in many places. He will decide what is right for great nations far and near. They will stop using their weapons for war. They will hammer their swords into plows and use their spears to make tools for harvesting. All fighting between nations will end. They will never again train for war.

All the people from other nations follow their own gods, but we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever!

He will begin to rule Israel in the power of the Lord . Like a shepherd, he will lead his people in the wonderful name of the Lord his God. And they will live in safety because then his greatness will be known all over the world.

What must I bring when I come to meet with the Lord ? What must I do when I bow down to God above? Should I come to him with burnt offerings and a year-old calf?

Human, the Lord has told you what goodness is. This is what he wants from you: Be fair to other people. Love kindness and loyalty, and humbly obey your God.

So I will look to the Lord for help. I will wait for God to save me. My God will hear me.

My enemy said to me, "Where is the Lord your God?" But my enemy will see this, and she will be ashamed. At that time I will laugh at her. People will walk over her, like mud in the streets.

They will crawl in the dust like a snake. They will shake with fear. They will be like insects crawling from their holes in the ground and coming to the Lord our God. God, they will fear and respect you!