نَاحُوم 3

١ 1 وَيْلٌ لِمَدِينَةِ ٱلدِّمَاءِ. كُلُّهَا مَلْآنَةٌ كَذِبًا وَخَطْفًا. لَا يَزُولُ ٱلِٱفْتِرَاسُ.

Woe to the bloody city! Full of lies and plunder, without end is the spoil.

٢ 2 صَوْتُ ٱلسَّوطِ وَصَوْتُ رَعْشَةِ ٱلْبَكَرِ، وَخَيْلٌ تَخُبُّ وَمَرْكَبَاتٌ تَقْفِزُ،

Hear the crack of the whip, hear the rattle of wheels. Galloping horses, jolting chariots.

٣ 3 وَفُرْسَانٌ تَنْهَضُ، وَلَهِيبُ ٱلسَّيْفِ وَبَرِيقُ ٱلرُّمْحِ، وَكَثْرَةُ جَرْحَى، وَوَفْرَةُ قَتْلَى، وَلَا نِهَايَةَ لِلْجُثَثِ. يَعْثُرُونَ بِجُثَثِهِمْ.

Horsemen charging, swords flashing, spears glittering, a multitude of slain, a heap of bodies, no end to the corpses over which people stumble!

٤ 4 مِنْ أَجْلِ زِنَى ٱلزَّانِيَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةِ ٱلْجَمَالِ صَاحِبَةِ ٱلسِّحْرِ ٱلْبَائِعَةِ أُمَمًا بِزِنَاهَا، وَقَبَائِلَ بِسِحْرِهَا.

“Because you acted like a whore, bewitching the nations, enticing the peoples,

٥ 5 «هَأَنَذَا عَلَيْكِ، يَقُولُ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ، فَأَكْشِفُ أَذْيَالَكِ إِلَى فَوْقِ وَجْهِكِ، وَأُرِي ٱلْأُمَمَ عَوْرَتَكِ وَٱلْمَمَالِكَ خِزْيَكِ.

I am against you, Nineveh” the Lord of hosts declares. “I will strip your clothes and show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.

٦ 6 وَأَطْرَحُ عَلَيْكِ أَوْسَاخًا، وَأُهِينُكِ وَأَجْعَلُكِ عِبْرَةً.

“I will fling loathsome filth at you, and make you an object of contempt, a spectacle,

٧ 7 وَيَكُونُ كُلُّ مَنْ يَرَاكِ يَهْرُبُ مِنْكِ وَيَقُولُ: خَرِبَتْ نِينَوَى، مَنْ يَرْثِي لَهَا؟ مِنْ أَيْنَ أَطْلُبُ لَكِ مُعَزِّينَ؟».

so that everyone who sees you will flee from you and say: ‘Nineveh is laid waste, who will mourn for her?’

٨ 8 هَلْ أَنْتِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ نُوَ أَمُونَ ٱلْجَالِسَةِ بَيْنَ ٱلْأَنْهَارِ، حَوْلَهَا ٱلْمِيَاهُ ٱلَّتِي هِيَ حِصْنُ ٱلْبَحْرِ، وَمِنَ ٱلْبَحْرِ سُورُهَا؟

“Are you any better than Thebes, which stood on the banks of the Nile, with waters around as a rampart, whose wall was the sea of waters?

٩ 9 كُوشٌ قُوَّتُهَا مَعَ مِصْرَ وَلَيْسَتْ نِهَايَةٌ. فُوطٌ وَلُوبِيمُ كَانُوا مَعُونَتَكِ.

Her strength was Ethiopia and Egypt. The Libyans were her helpers, and Put with its countless people.

١٠ 10 هِيَ أَيْضًا قَدْ مَضَتْ إِلَى ٱلْمَنْفَى بِٱلسَّبْيِ، وَأَطْفَالُهَا حُطِّمَتْ فِي رَأْسِ جَمِيعِ ٱلْأَزِقَّةِ، وَعَلَى أَشْرَافِهَا أَلْقَوْا قُرْعَةً، وَجَمِيعُ عُظَمَائِهَا تَقَيَّدُوا بِٱلْقُيُودِ.

Yet she was exiled and made captive. On all corners of the streets her infants were dashed to pieces. Lots were cast for her nobles, all her great ones were bound in chains.

١١ 11 أَنْتِ أَيْضًا تَسْكَرِينَ. تَكُونِينَ خَافِيَةً. أَنْتِ أَيْضًا تَطْلُبِينَ حِصْنًا بِسَبَبِ ٱلْعَدُوِّ.

“You too, Nineveh, will be drunk with fear; you too will seek a place of escape from the foe.

١٢ 12 جَمِيعُ قِلَاعِكِ أَشْجَارُ تِينٍ بِٱلْبَوَاكِيرِ، إِذَا ٱنْهَزَّتْ تَسْقُطُ فِي فَمِ ٱلْآكِلِ.

All your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; if shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater!

١٣ 13 هُوَذَا شَعْبُكِ نِسَاءٌ فِي وَسَطِكِ! تَنْفَتِحُ لِأَعْدَائِكِ أَبْوَابُ أَرْضِكِ. تَأْكُلُ ٱلنَّارُ مَغَالِيقَكِ.

Your troops are weak as women before your foes; the gates of your land are wide open; your defenses burned down.

١٤ 14 اِسْتَقِي لِنَفْسِكِ مَاءً لِلْحِصَارِ. أَصْلِحِي قِلَاعَكِ. ٱدْخُلِي فِي ٱلطِّينِ وَدُوسِي فِي ٱلْمِلَاطِ. أَصْلِحِي ٱلْمِلْبَنَ.

“Draw water for the siege, strengthen your forts. Go to the clay pits and tread the clay; take up the brick moulds.

١٥ 15 هُنَاكَ تَأْكُلُكِ نَارٌ، يَقْطَعُكِ سَيْفٌ، يَأْكُلُكِ كَٱلْغَوْغَاءِ، تَكَاثَرِي كَٱلْغَوْغَاءِ. تَعَاظَمِي كَٱلْجَرَادِ!

There the fire will consume you, the sword will cut you down. Multiply like the locust or a swarm of grasshoppers.

١٦ 16 أَكْثَرْتِ تُجَّارَكِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ نُجُومِ ٱلسَّمَاءِ. ٱلْغَوْغَاءُ جَنَّحَتْ وَطَارَتْ.

Increase the numbers of your merchants until they are more than the stars of heaven,

١٧ 17 رُؤَسَاؤُكِ كَٱلْجَرَادِ، وَوُلَاتُكِ كَحَرْجَلَةِ ٱلْجَرَادِ ٱلْحَالَّةِ عَلَى ٱلْجُدْرَانِ فِي يَوْمِ ٱلْبَرْدِ. تُشْرِقُ ٱلشَّمْسُ فَتَطِيرُ وَلَا يُعْرَفُ مَكَانُهَا أَيْنَ هُوَ.

until your watchmen are locusts, and your scribes like grasshoppers, which swarm in the hedges on a cold day; but when the sun rises they fly away, no one knows where.

١٨ 18 نَعِسَتْ رُعَاتُكَ يَا مَلِكَ أَشُّورَ. ٱضْطَجَعَتْ عُظَمَاؤُكَ. تَشَتَّتَ شَعْبُكَ عَلَى ٱلْجِبَالِ وَلَا مَنْ يَجْمَعُ.

“King of Assyria: your princes slumber, your nobles sleep! Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them!

١٩ 19 لَيْسَ جَبْرٌ لِٱنْكِسَارِكَ. جُرْحُكَ عَدِيمُ ٱلشِّفَاءِ. كُلُّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ خَبَرَكَ يُصَفِّقُونَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ عَلَيْكَ، لِأَنَّهُ عَلَى مَنْ لَمْ يَمُرَّ شَرُّكَ عَلَى ٱلدَّوَامِ؟

There is no healing for your hurt, your wound is incurable. All who hear of your fate clap their hands in joy, for who has escaped your limitless cruelty?”