Nahum 3
1 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and rapine. The prey departs not.
Woe [to] the city of blood, She is all with lies — burglary — full, Prey doth not depart.
2 The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses, and bounding chariots,
The sound of a whip, And the sound of the rattling of a wheel, And of a prancing horse, and of a bounding chariot, Of a horseman mounting.
3 the horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble upon their bodies,
And the flame of a sword, and the lightning of a spear, And the abundance of the wounded, And the weight of carcases, Yea, there is no end to the bodies, They stumble over their bodies.
4 because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, who sells nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.
Because of the abundance of the fornications of an harlot, The goodness of the grace of the lady of witchcrafts, Who is selling nations by her fornications, And families by her witchcrafts.
5 Behold, I am against thee, says Jehovah of hosts, and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
Lo, I [am] against thee, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And have removed thy skirts before thy face, And have shewed nations thy nakedness, And kingdoms thy shame,
6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing-stock.
And I have cast upon thee abominations, And dishonoured thee, and made thee as a sight.
7 And it shall come to pass, that all those who look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste. Who will bemoan her? From where shall I seek comforters for thee?
And it hath come to pass, Each of thy beholders fleeth from thee, And hath said: 'Spoiled is Nineveh, Who doth bemoan for her?' Whence do I seek comforters for thee?
8 Are thou better than No-amon, that was situated among the rivers, that had the waters round about her, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea?
Art thou better than No-Ammon, That is dwelling among brooks? Waters she hath round about her, Whose bulwark [is] the sea, waters her wall.
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite. Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
Cush her might, and Egypt, and there is no end. Put and Lubim have been for thy help.
10 Yet she was carried away. She went into captivity. Her young sons also were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets. And they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
Even she doth become an exile, She hath gone into captivity, Even her sucklings are dashed to pieces At the top of all out-places, And for her honoured ones they cast a lot, And all her great ones have been bound in fetters.
11 Thou also shall be drunken. Thou shall be hid. Thou also shall seek a stronghold because of the enemy.
Even thou art drunken, thou art hidden, Even thou dost seek a strong place, because of an enemy.
12 All thy fortresses shall be like fig trees with the first ripe figs. If they be shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
All thy fortresses [are] fig-trees with first-fruits, If they are shaken, They have fallen into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women. The gates of thy land are set wide open to thine enemies. The fire has devoured thy bars.
Lo, thy people [are] women in thy midst, To thine enemies thoroughly opened Have been the gates of thy land, Consumed hath fire thy bars.
14 Draw thee water for the siege. Strengthen thy fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make strong the brick kiln.
Waters of a siege draw for thyself, Strengthen thy fortresses, Enter into mire, and tread on clay, Make strong a brick-kiln.
15 There the fire shall devour thee. The sword shall cut thee off. It shall devour thee like the canker-worm. Make thyself many as the canker-worm. Make thyself many as the locust.
There consume thee doth a fire, Cut thee off doth a sword, It doth consume thee as a cankerworm! Make thyself heavy as the cankerworm, Make thyself heavy as the locust.
16 Thou have multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven. The canker-worm ravages, and flees away.
Multiply thy merchants above the stars of the heavens, The cankerworm hath stripped off, and doth flee away.
17 Thy rulers are as the locusts, and thy marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, which encamp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun arises they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
Thy crowned ones [are] as a locust, And thy princes as great grasshoppers, That encamp in hedges in a day of cold, The sun hath risen, and it doth flee away, And not known is its place where they are.
18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria. Thy nobles are at rest. Thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and there is none to gather them.
Slumbered have thy friends, king of Asshur, Rest do thine honourable ones, Scattered have been thy people on the mountains, And there is none gathering.
19 There is no assuaging of thy hurt. Thy wound is grievous. All who hear the report of thee clap their hands over thee, for upon whom has not thy wickedness passed continually?
There is no weakening of thy destruction, Grievous [is] thy smiting, All hearing thy fame have clapped the hand at thee, For over whom did not thy wickedness pass continually?
