Nahum 1

1 Burden of Nineveh. The Scroll of the Vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The doom of Nineveh, The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 A God zealous and avenging [is] YHWH, An avenger [is] YHWH, and possessing fury. An avenger [is] YHWH on His adversaries, And He is watching for His enemies.

A God watchful and avenging is the Lord; an avenger is the Lord, and full of fury; the Lord taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and keepeth in mind the deeds of his enemies.

3 YHWH [is] slow to anger, and great in power, And YHWH does not entirely acquit, In a windstorm and in a storm [is] His way, And a cloud [is] the dust of His feet.

The Lord is long-suffering, and great in power, but he will by no means clear the guilty: the Lord—in the whirlwind and in the storm is his way, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

4 He is pushing against a sea, and dries it up, Indeed, He has made all the floods dry, Bashan and Carmel [are] languishing, Indeed, the flower of Lebanon [is] languishing.

He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and all the rivers he drieth up: Bashan then withereth, with Carmel, and the flowers of Lebanon wither.

5 Mountains have shaken because of Him, And the hills have been melted; And the earth [is] lifted up at His presence, And the world and all dwelling in it.

Mountains quake before him, and the hills melt away; and the earth is lifted up at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

6 Who stands before His indignation? And who rises up in the heat of His anger? His fury has been poured out like fire, And the rocks have been broken by Him.

Before his indignation who can stand? and who can subsist before the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken down by him.

7 Good [is] YHWH for a strong place in a day of distress. And He knows those trusting in Him.

The Lord is good, a strong-hold on the day of distress; and he knoweth those that trust in him.

8 And with a flood passing over, An end He makes of its place, And darkness pursues His enemies.

But with an overflowing flood will he utterly destroy the place of [Nineveh], and his enemies will he pursue with darkness.

9 What do we devise against YHWH? He is making an end, distress does not arise twice.

What will you devise against the Lord? he is bringing about an utter destruction, the distress shall not rise up twice.

10 For while princes [are] perplexed, And with their drink are drunken, They have been consumed as stubble fully dried.

For they, like thorns interwoven, and as men made drunken in their drinking bout, shall be entirely consumed as dry stubble.

11 From you has come forth a deviser of evil Against YHWH—a worthless counselor.

There is gone forth out of thee he that devised evil against the Lord, the counsellor of infamous things.

12 Thus said YHWH: “Though complete, and thus many, Yet thus they have been cut off, And he has passed away. Though I afflicted you, I afflict you no longer.

Thus hath said the Lord, Though they be complete, and ever so many, nevertheless shall they be cut down, and it shall be over [with them]: and if even I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

13 And now I break his rod from off you, And your bands I draw away.”

For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and thy bonds will I tear asunder.

14 And YHWH has commanded concerning you, “No more of your name spreads abroad, I cut off carved and molten image from the house of your gods, I appoint your grave, for you have been vile.”

But against thee hath the Lord decreed, that no heir of thy name shall be any more: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven and the molten image; I will prepare thy grave [there]; for thou art made vile.

15 Behold, on the mountains the feet of one proclaiming tidings, sounding peace! Celebrate, O Judah, your festivals, complete your vows, For the worthless no longer pass over into you, He has been completely cut off!

Behold, upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, Celebrate thy feasts, O Judah, fulfill thy vows; for never more shall the wicked pass again through thee, he is utterly cut off.