Nahum 3
1 Woe to the city full of blood! It is all full of lies and stolen property; victims are always in her.
Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and rapine. The prey departs not.
2 But now there is the noise of whips and the sound of rattling wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots.
The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses, and bounding chariots,
3 There are attacking horsemen, flashing swords, glittering spears, heaps of corpses, great piles of bodies. There is no end to the bodies; their attackers stumble over them.
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,
4 This is happening because of the lustful actions of the beautiful prostitute, the expert in witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and peoples through her acts of witchcraft.
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.
5 “See, I am against you—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—I will raise up your skirt over your face and show your private parts to the nations, your shame to the kingdoms.
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.
6 I will throw disgusting filth on you and make you vile; I will make you someone that everyone will look at.
And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing-stock.
7 It will come about that everyone who looks at you will flee from you and say, 'Nineveh is destroyed; who will weep for her?' Where can I find anyone to comfort you?”
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?
8 Nineveh, are you better than Thebes, that was built on the Nile River, that had water around her, whose defense was the ocean, whose wall was the sea itself?
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?
9 Cush and Egypt were her strength, and there was no end to it; Put and Libya were allies to her.
Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite. Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10 Yet Thebes was carried away; she went into captivity; her young children were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; her enemies threw lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
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.
11 You also will become drunk; you will try to hide, and you will also look for a refuge from your enemy.
Thou also shall be drunken. Thou shall be hid. Thou also shall seek a stronghold because of the enemy.
12 All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the earliest ripe figs: if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
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.
13 See, the people among you are women; the gates of your land have been opened wide to your enemies; fire has devoured their bars.
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.
14 Go draw water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses; go into the clay and tread the mortar; pick up the molds for the bricks.
Draw thee water for the siege. Strengthen thy fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make strong the brick kiln.
15 Fire will devour you there, and the sword will destroy you. It will devour you as young locusts devour everything. Make yourselves as many as the young locusts, as many as the full-grown locusts.
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.
16 You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars in the heavens; but they are like young locusts: they plunder the land and then fly away.
Thou have multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven. The canker-worm ravages, and flees away.
17 Your princes are as many as the full-grown locusts, and your generals are like swarms of them that camp in the walls on a cold day. But when the sun rises they fly away to no one knows where.
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.
18 King of Assyria, your shepherds are asleep; your rulers are lying down resting. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.
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.
19 No healing is possible for your wounds. Your wounds are severe. Everyone who hears the news about you will clap their hands in joy over you. Who has escaped your constant wickedness?
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?
