Nahum 3
1 Wee der bloedstad, die gans vol leugen, en verscheuring is! de roof houdt niet op.
Terrible things will happen to [Nineveh], that city [that is full of people who] murder [MTY] and lie. [The city is] full of things that were seized [from other countries by their soldiers]; [their armies] continually [LIT] have acted brutally towards people whom they conquered.
2 Er is het geklap der zweep, en het geluid van het bulderen der raderen; en de paarden stampen, en de wagens springen op.
But [now listen to the enemy soldiers coming to attack Nineveh]; [listen to them] cracking their whips, and [listen to the] rattle of [their chariot] wheels! [Listen to] their galloping horses and their chariots as they bounce along!
3 De ruiter steekt omhoog, zo het vlammende zwaard, als de bliksemende spies, en er zal veelheid der verslagenen zijn, en een zware menigte der dode lichamen; ja, er zal geen einde zijn der lichamen, men zal over hun lichamen struikelen;
[Look at their] flashing swords and glittering spears as the horsemen race forward! Many [people of Nineveh will be] killed; [there will be] piles of corpses, [with the result that] people will stumble over them.
4 Om der grote hoererijen wil der zeer bevallige hoer, der meesteres der toverijen, die met haar hoererijen volken verkocht heeft, en geslachten met haar toverijen.
All [that will happen] because [Nineveh is like] [MET] a beautiful prostitute [who lures men to where they will be ruined]; [Nineveh is a beautiful city] which has attracted/enticed [people of] other nations [to come there]. [The people of Nineveh] taught those people [of other nations rituals of] magic, and caused them to become their slaves.
5 Ziet, Ik wil aan u, spreekt de HEERE der heirscharen, en Ik zal uw zomen ontdekken boven uw aangezicht, en Ik zal den heidenen uw naaktheid, en den koninkrijken uw schande wijzen.
[So] the Commander of the armies of angels says to [the people of Nineveh]: “I am your enemy, and I will [cause the people in other] nations to see you [completely] humiliated like [MET] [women who have committed adultery are humiliated by] having their skirts lifted high, [with the result that] people can see their naked [bodies].
6 En Ik zal verfoeilijke dingen op u werpen, en u tot schande maken, en Ik zal u als een spiegel stellen.
I will cause rubbish/garbage to be thrown at you; I will show [others] that I despise you very much, and I will cause you to be publicly ridiculed.
7 En het zal geschieden, dat allen, die u zien, van u wegvlieden zullen en zeggen: Nineve is verstoord, wie zal medelijden met haar hebben? Van waar zal ik u troosters zoeken?
All those who see you will turn their backs to you and say, ‘Nineveh is ruined, but absolutely no one [RHQ] will mourn for it.’ No one will regret Nineveh being destroyed!”
8 Zijt gij beter dan No, de volkrijke, gelegen in de rivieren? die rondom henen water heeft, welker voormuur de zee is, haar muur is van zee.
Your city is certainly [RHQ] no safer than Thebes [city] was. [Thebes was an important city] beside the Nile [River]; the river was [like] [SIM] a wall that protected the city [DOU].
9 Morenland en Egypte waren haar macht, en er was geen einde; Put en Lybea waren tot uw hulp.
[The rulers of] Ethiopia and Egypt helped Thebes; there was no limit to their power. [The governments of the nearby countries of] Put and Libya were also allies of Thebes.
10 Nog is zij gevankelijk gegaan in de gevangenis; ook zijn haar kinderen op het hoofd van alle straten verpletterd geworden; en over haar geeerden hebben zij het lot geworpen, en al haar groten zijn in boeien gebonden geworden.
But Thebes was captured, and [its people were] (exiled/forced to go to other countries). Their babies were dashed to pieces in the streets [of the city]. [Enemy soldiers] (cast lots/threw small marked stones) to decide who would get each official in Thebes [to become his slave]. All the leaders of Thebes were fastened/tied by chains.
11 Ook zult gij dronken worden, gij zult u verbergen; ook zult gij een sterkte zoeken vanwege den vijand.
You [people of Nineveh] will similarly become dazed and drunk, and you will search for places to hide [to escape] from your enemies.
12 Al uw vastigheden zijn vijgebomen met de eerste vruchten; indien zij geschud worden, zo vallen zij dien op den mond, die ze eten wil.
[Your enemies will cause] the walls around your city to fall down like [SIM] the first figs that fall from fig trees [each year]. [Your city will be captured easily, like] [MET] [figs that fall] into the mouths [HYP] of those who shake the fig trees.
13 Ziet, uw volk zal in het midden van u tot vrouwen worden; de poorten uws lands zullen uw vijanden wijd geopend worden; het vuur zal uw grendelen verteren.
Look at your soldiers! They will be [as weak/helpless as] [MET] women! The gates of your city will be opened wide [to allow] your enemies [to enter them], [and then] the bars of those gates will be burned.
14 Schep u water ter belegering; versterk uw vastigheden; ga in de klei, en treed in het leem; verbeter den ticheloven.
Store up water [now to use when] your enemies surround the city! Repair the forts! Dig up clay and trample it [to make it soft], and put it into molds to make bricks [to repair the walls]!
15 Het vuur zal u aldaar verteren; het zwaard zal u uitroeien, het zal u afeten, als de kevers, vermeerder u als sprinkhanen.
[Nevertheless, your enemies] will burn your [city]; they will kill you with their swords; they will kill you like [SIM] locusts [destroy crops].
16 Gij hebt meer handelaars, dan er sterren aan den hemel zijn; de kevers zullen invallen, en er van vliegen.
In your [city] there are now very many merchants; [it seems that] there are more of them than there are stars. But [when your city is being destroyed, those merchants will take the valuable things and disappear] [like] [SIM] locusts that strip the leaves from plants and [then] fly away.
17 Uw gekroonden zijn als de sprinkhanen, en uw krijgsoversten als de grote kevers, die zich in de heiningmuren legeren in de koude der dagen; wanneer de zon opgaat, zo vliegen zij weg, alzo dat hun plaats onbekend is, waar zij geweest zijn.
Your leaders are [also] like a swarm of [SIM] locusts [DOU] that crowd together on the stone fences/walls on a cold day, and [then] fly away when the sun comes up, and no one knows where they have gone.
18 Uw herders zullen sluimeren, o koning van Assur! uw voortreffelijken zullen zich leggen, uw volk zal zich op de bergen wijd uitbreiden, en niemand zal ze verzamelen.
O King of Assyria, your officials will [all] be dead [EUP]; your important people will lie down and rest [forever]. Your people will be scattered over the mountains, and there will no one to gather them [together].
19 Er is geen samentrekking voor uw breuk, uw plage is smartelijk; allen, die het gerucht van u horen, zullen de handen over u klappen; want over wien is uw boosheid niet geduriglijk gegaan?
You [are like someone who] has a wound that cannot be healed; [it will be] a wound that causes him to die. And all those who hear about what has happened to you will clap their hands [joyfully]. [They will say, ] “Everyone has [RHQ] suffered because he continually was [very] cruel to us.”
