Nahum 3

1 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery—no end to the prey.

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

2 The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, 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, the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble on 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 multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.

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

5 “Behold, I am against you,” says the LORD of Armies, “and I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness, and the 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 I will throw abominable filth on you and make you vile, and will make you a spectacle.

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

7 It will happen that all those who look at you will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will mourn for her?’ Where will 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-Amon, who was situated amongst the rivers, who had the waters around her, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea?

“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 and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya were her 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 You also will be drunken. You will be hidden. You also will seek a stronghold 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 your fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs. If they are 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, your troops amongst you are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars.

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

14 Draw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.

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

15 There the fire will devour you. The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust.

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

16 You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips and flees away.

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

17 Your guards are like the locusts, and your officials like the swarms of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day, but when the sun appears, 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 Your shepherds slumber, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one 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 healing your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you, for who hasn’t felt your endless cruelty?

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?”