But Nebuchadnezzar became angry. He pulled it up by its roots. He threw it to the ground. The east wind dried it up. Its fruit was stripped off. Its strong branches dried up. And fire destroyed them.
The people of Ephraim look to others for help. It’s like chasing the wind. The wind they keep chasing is hot and dry. They tell more and more lies. They are always hurting others. They make a peace treaty with Assyria. They send olive oil to Egypt to get help.
Even though they are doing well among the other tribes, trouble will come to them. I will send a hot and dry wind from the east. It will blow in from the desert. Their springs will not have any water. Their wells will dry up. All their treasures will be taken out of their storerooms.
When the sun rose, God sent a burning east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head. It made him very weak. He wanted to die. So he said, “I’d rather die than live.”