Nahum 3
3
1Doom, city of bloodshed—all deceit,
full of plunder: prey cannot get away.
2Cracking whip and rumbling wheel,
galloping horse and careening chariot!
3Charging cavalry, flashing sword, and glittering spear;
countless slain, masses of corpses,
endless dead bodies—they stumble over their dead bodies!
4Because of the many whorings of the whore,
the lovely graces of the mistress of sorceries,
the one who sells nations by means of her whorings
and peoples by means of her sorceries:
5Look! I am against you, proclaims
the LORD of heavenly forces.
I will lift your skirts over your face;
I will show nations your nakedness
and kingdoms your dishonor.
6I will throw disgusting things at you;
I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle.
7Then all who look at you will recoil from you and say,
“Nineveh has been devastated!
Who will lament for her?”
Where could I possibly seek comforters for you?
8Are you better than Thebes,
situated by the Nile, waters surrounding her,
whose fortress is sea and whose city wall is waters?
9Cush#3.9 Traditionally Ethiopia and Egypt constituted her strength, without limit;
Put and the Libyans were her#3.9 LXX; MT your help.
10Yet even she was destined for exile;
she went into captivity.
Indeed, her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street.
They cast lots for her officials;
all of her powerful citizens were bound in chains.
11Yes, even you will become drunk;
you will have to hide!
Even you will have to seek refuge from the enemy!
12All your fortifications are fig trees with ripe fruit;
when the trees are shaken, the fruit falls into the mouth of the eater.
13Look, your people are women in your midst.
The gates of your land have been flung wide open to your enemies.
Fire consumes the bars of your gates.
14Draw water for yourself to prepare for siege!
Strengthen your fortifications!
Tread the clay, trample the mortar, grab the brick mold!
15Fire will consume you there;
the sword will cut you down;
like the locust it will consume you.
Multiply like the locust; multiply like the grasshopper!
16You boasted more traders than the heavens have stars.
The locust sheds its skin and flies away.
17Your guards are like grasshoppers,
your marshals like swarms of cicadas
that encamp on stone fences on a chilly day;
when the sun rises, they take flight;
no one knows where they have gone.
18Your shepherds have fallen asleep, king of Assyria!
Your officials are lying down.
Your people are scattered across the mountains;
there is no one to gather them.
19There is no remedy for your injury;
your wound is grievous.
All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you.
Who has not suffered from your continual cruelty?
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Nahum 3
3
It Will Be Terrible for Nineveh
1How terrible it will be for the city that has killed so many.
It is full of lies
and goods stolen from other countries.
It is always killing somebody.
2Hear the sound of whips
and the noise of the wheels.
Hear horses galloping
and chariots bouncing along!
3Horses are charging,
swords are shining,
spears are gleaming!
Many are dead;
their bodies are piled up—
too many to count.
People stumble over the dead bodies.
4The city was like a prostitute;
she was charming and a lover of magic.
She made nations slaves with her prostitution
and her witchcraft.
5“I am against you, Nineveh,” says the Lord All-Powerful.
“I will pull your dress up over your face
and show the nations your nakedness
and the kingdoms your shame.
6I will throw filthy garbage on you
and make a fool of you.
I will make people stare at you.
7Everyone who sees you will run away and say,
‘Nineveh is in ruins. Who will cry for her?’
Nineveh, where will I find anyone to comfort you?”
8You are no better than Thebes,
who sits by the Nile River
with water all around her.
The river was her defense;
the waters were like a wall around her.
9Cush and Egypt gave her endless strength;
Put and Libya supported her.
10But Thebes was captured
and went into captivity.
Her small children were beaten to death
at every street corner.
Lots were thrown for her important men,
and all of her leaders were put in chains.
11Nineveh, you will be drunk, too.
You will hide;
you will look for a place safe from the enemy.
12All your defenses are like fig trees with ripe fruit.
When the tree is shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater.
13Look at your soldiers.
They are all women!
The gates of your land
are wide open for your enemies;
fire has burned the bars of your gates.
14Get enough water before the long war begins.
Make your defenses strong!
Get mud,
mix clay,
make bricks!
15There the fire will burn you up.
The sword will kill you;
like grasshoppers eating crops, the battle will completely destroy you.
Grow in number like hopping locusts;
grow in number like swarming locusts!
16Your traders are more than the stars in the sky,
but like locusts, they strip the land and then fly away.
17Your guards are like locusts.
Your officers are like swarms of locusts
that hang on the walls on a cold day.
When the sun comes up, they fly away,
and no one knows where they have gone.
18King of Assyria, your rulers are asleep;
your important men lie down to rest.
Your people have been scattered on the mountains,
and there is no one to bring them back.
19Nothing can heal your wound;
your injury will not heal.
Everyone who hears about you applauds,
because everyone has felt your endless cruelty.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.