Jonah and the Almighty

I don't know when I first became fascinated with the story of Jonah. At least twenty years ago, I planned to paint this picture in oils on a very large panel. Sketched it out and then something or other intervened. So I decided to scale down my ambition.

Anyway, the story goes like this: The Almighty tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn the sinners there of His displeasure. Jonah tries to avoid this commission by taking ship to Tarshish, upon which the Almighty sends a storm. The sailors, in fear of sinking, find out that it's Jonah who has disobeyed heavenly orders and toss him overboard. 

Jonah is swallowed by a giant fish and, from its belly, prays for redemption and promises to go to Nineveh and do as the Almighty told him. The fish vomits him up onto dry land.

So Jonah goes to Nineveh, warns the king and the people of the Almighty's wrath, and the entire city repents, fasting in sackcloth and ashes. And seeing this, the Almighty decides not to punish them.

But then, and to me this is really strange, Jonah goes into a kind of pout because the city is not destroyed. And, it's the words of the Almighty to him that I've copied here.

It's those last four words, I think, that really captivate me. As you might have guessed by the picture's border.