Nahum 3

1 Woe [to] the city of blood, She is all with lies — burglary — full, Prey doth 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 carcases, Yea, 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 an 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 Lo, I [am] against thee, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And have removed thy skirts before thy face, And have shewed nations thy nakedness, And 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 have cast upon thee abominations, And dishonoured thee, and made thee as a sight.

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

7 And it hath come to pass, Each of thy beholders fleeth from thee, And hath said: 'Spoiled is Nineveh, Who doth bemoan for her?' Whence do 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-Ammon, That is dwelling among brooks? Waters she hath round about 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 thy help.

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

10 Even she doth become an exile, She hath gone into captivity, Even her sucklings are dashed to pieces At the top of all out-places, And for her honoured ones they cast a lot, And all her great ones have been bound in fetters.

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 thou art drunken, thou art hidden, Even thou dost 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 thy 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 Lo, thy people [are] women in thy midst, To thine enemies thoroughly opened Have been the gates of thy land, Consumed hath fire thy 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 thyself, Strengthen thy 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 consume thee doth a fire, Cut thee off doth a sword, It doth consume thee as a cankerworm! Make thyself heavy as the cankerworm, Make thyself 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 thy merchants above the stars of the heavens, The cankerworm hath stripped off, and doth flee away.

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

17 Thy crowned ones [are] as a locust, And thy princes as great grasshoppers, That encamp in hedges in a day of cold, The sun hath risen, and it doth flee away, And not known is its place 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 Slumbered have thy friends, king of Asshur, Rest do thine honourable ones, Scattered have been thy people 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 thy destruction, Grievous [is] thy smiting, All hearing thy fame have clapped the hand at thee, For over whom did not thy wickedness 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?”