Nahum 3

1 Woe [to] the city of blood, She is all full with lies [and] burglary, Prey does not depart.

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

2 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.

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

3 And the flame of a sword, and the lightning of a spear, And the abundance of the wounded, And the weight of carcasses, Indeed, there is no end to the bodies, They stumble over their bodies.

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 abundance of the fornications of a harlot, The goodness of the grace of the lady of witchcrafts, Who is selling nations by her fornications, And families by her witchcrafts.

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

5 “Behold, I [am] against you,” A declaration of YHWH of Hosts, “And have removed your skirts before your face, And have showed nations your nakedness, And kingdoms your 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 have cast on you abominations, And dishonored you, and made you as a sight.

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

7 And it has come to pass, Each of your beholders flees from you, And has said: Nineveh is spoiled, Who bemoans for her? From where do I seek comforters for you?”

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

8 Are you better than No-Ammon, That is dwelling among brooks? Waters she has around her, Whose bulwark [is] the sea, waters 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 Cush her might, and Egypt, and there is no end. Put and Lubim have been for your help.

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

10 Even she becomes an exile, She has gone into captivity, Even her sucklings are dashed to pieces At the top of all out-places, And for her honored ones they cast a lot, And all her great ones have been 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 Even you are drunken, you are hidden, Even you seek a strong place, because of an enemy.

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

12 All your fortresses [are] fig trees with first-fruits, If they are shaken, They have fallen 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, your people [are] women in your midst, To your enemies thoroughly opened Have been the gates of your land, Fire has consumed your bars.

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

14 Waters of a siege draw for yourself, Strengthen your fortresses, Enter into mire, and tread on clay, Make strong a brick-kiln.

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

15 There a fire consumes you, A sword cuts you off, It consumes you as a cankerworm! Make yourself heavy as the cankerworm, Make yourself heavy as the locust.

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

16 Multiply your merchants above the stars of the heavens, The cankerworm has stripped off, and flees away.

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

17 Your crowned ones [are] as a locust, And your princes as great grasshoppers, That encamp in hedges in a day of cold, The sun has risen, and it flees away, And its place where they are is not known.

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 Your friends have slumbered, king of Asshur, Your majestic ones rest, Your people have been scattered on the mountains, And there is none gathering.

“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 weakening of your destruction, Your striking [is] grievous, All hearing your fame have clapped the hand at you, For over whom did your wickedness not pass 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?”