Nahum 3
1 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and rapine; the prey departeth not.
Woe to the bloody city! Full of lies and plunder, without end is the spoil.
2 Hark! the whip, and hark! the rattling of the wheels; and prancing horses, and bounding chariots;
Hear the crack of the whip, hear the rattle of wheels. Galloping horses, jolting chariots.
3 The horseman charging, and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear; and a multitude of slain, and a heap of carcases; and there is no end of the corpses, and they stumble upon their corpses;
Horsemen charging, swords flashing, spears glittering, a multitude of slain, a heap of bodies, no end to the corpses over which people stumble!
4 Because of the multitude of the harlotries of the well-favoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her harlotries, and families through her witchcrafts.
‘Because you acted like a whore, bewitching the nations, enticing the peoples,
5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
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.
6 And I will cast detestable things upon thee, and make thee vile, and will make thee as dung.
‘I will fling loathsome filth at you, and make you an object of contempt, a spectacle,
7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say: 'Nineveh is laid waste; who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?'
so that everyone who sees you will flee from you and say: “Nineveh is laid waste, who will mourn for her?”
8 Art thou better than No-amon, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about her; whose rampart was the sea, and of the sea her wall?
‘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?
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were thy strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
Her strength was Ethiopia and Egypt. The Libyans were her helpers, and Put with its countless people.
10 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity; her young children also were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets; and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
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.
11 Thou also shalt be drunken, thou shalt swoon; thou also shalt seek a refuge because of the enemy.
‘You too, Nineveh, will be drunk with fear; you too will seek a place of escape from the foe.
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 your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; if shaken, they fall 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 unto thine enemies; the fire hath devoured thy bars.
Your troops are weak as women before your foes; the gates of your land are wide open; your defenses burned down.
14 Draw thee water for the siege, strengthen thy fortresses; go into the clay, and tread the mortar, lay hold of the brickmould.
‘Draw water for the siege, strengthen your forts. Go to the clay pits and tread the clay; take up the brick moulds.
15 There shall the fire 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 locusts.
There the fire will consume you, the sword will cut you down. Multiply like the locust or a swarm of grasshoppers.
16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven; the canker-worm spreadeth itself, and flieth away.
Increase the numbers of your merchants until they are more than the stars of heaven,
17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, which camp in the walls in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
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.
18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria, thy worthies are at rest; thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and there is none to gather them.
‘King of Assyria: your princes slumber, your nobles sleep! Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them!
19 There is no assuaging of thy hurt, thy wound is grievous; all that hear the report of thee clap the hands over thee; for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?
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?’
