< נחום 3 >
הוי עיר דמים כלה כחש פרק מלאה--לא ימיש טרף | 1 |
Terrible things will happen to [Nineveh], that city [that is full of people who] murder [MTY] and lie. [The city is] full of things that were seized [from other countries by their soldiers]; [their armies] continually [LIT] have acted brutally towards people whom they conquered.
קול שוט וקול רעש אופן וסוס דהר ומרכבה מרקדה | 2 |
But [now listen to the enemy soldiers coming to attack Nineveh]; [listen to them] cracking their whips, and [listen to the] rattle of [their chariot] wheels! [Listen to] their galloping horses and their chariots as they bounce along!
פרש מעלה ולהב חרב וברק חנית ורב חלל וכבד פגר ואין קצה לגויה יכשלו (וכשלו) בגויתם | 3 |
[Look at their] flashing swords and glittering spears as the horsemen race forward! Many [people of Nineveh will be] killed; [there will be] piles of corpses, [with the result that] people will stumble over them.
מרב זנוני זונה טובת חן בעלת כשפים המכרת גוים בזנוניה ומשפחות בכשפיה | 4 |
All [that will happen] because [Nineveh is like] [MET] a beautiful prostitute [who lures men to where they will be ruined]; [Nineveh is a beautiful city] which has attracted/enticed [people of] other nations [to come there]. [The people of Nineveh] taught those people [of other nations rituals of] magic, and caused them to become their slaves.
הנני אליך נאם יהוה צבאות וגליתי שוליך על פניך והראיתי גוים מערך וממלכות קלונך | 5 |
[So] the Commander of the armies of angels says to [the people of Nineveh]: “I am your enemy, and I will [cause the people in other] nations to see you [completely] humiliated like [MET] [women who have committed adultery are humiliated by] having their skirts lifted high, [with the result that] people can see their naked [bodies].
והשלכתי עליך שקצים ונבלתיך ושמתיך כראי | 6 |
I will cause rubbish/garbage to be thrown at you; I will show [others] that I despise you very much, and I will cause you to be publicly ridiculed.
והיה כל ראיך ידוד ממך ואמר שדדה נינוה מי ינוד לה מאין אבקש מנחמים לך | 7 |
All those who see you will turn their backs to you and say, ‘Nineveh is ruined, but absolutely no one [RHQ] will mourn for it.’ No one will regret Nineveh being destroyed!”
התיטבי מנא אמון הישבה ביארים מים סביב לה--אשר חיל ים מים חומתה | 8 |
Your city is certainly [RHQ] no safer than Thebes [city] was. [Thebes was an important city] beside the Nile [River]; the river was [like] [SIM] a wall that protected the city [DOU].
כוש עצמה ומצרים ואין קצה פוט ולובים היו בעזרתך | 9 |
[The rulers of] Ethiopia and Egypt helped Thebes; there was no limit to their power. [The governments of the nearby countries of] Put and Libya were also allies of Thebes.
גם היא לגלה הלכה בשבי--גם עלליה ירטשו בראש כל חוצות ועל נכבדיה ידו גורל וכל גדוליה רתקו בזקים | 10 |
But Thebes was captured, and [its people were] (exiled/forced to go to other countries). Their babies were dashed to pieces in the streets [of the city]. [Enemy soldiers] (cast lots/threw small marked stones) to decide who would get each official in Thebes [to become his slave]. All the leaders of Thebes were fastened/tied by chains.
גם את תשכרי תהי נעלמה גם את תבקשי מעוז מאויב | 11 |
You [people of Nineveh] will similarly become dazed and drunk, and you will search for places to hide [to escape] from your enemies.
כל מבצריך--תאנים עם בכורים אם ינועו ונפלו על פי אוכל | 12 |
[Your enemies will cause] the walls around your city to fall down like [SIM] the first figs that fall from fig trees [each year]. [Your city will be captured easily, like] [MET] [figs that fall] into the mouths [HYP] of those who shake the fig trees.
הנה עמך נשים בקרבך לאיביך פתוח נפתחו שערי ארצך אכלה אש בריחיך | 13 |
Look at your soldiers! They will be [as weak/helpless as] [MET] women! The gates of your city will be opened wide [to allow] your enemies [to enter them], [and then] the bars of those gates will be burned.
מי מצור שאבי לך חזקי מבצריך באי בטיט ורמסי בחמר החזיקי מלבן | 14 |
Store up water [now to use when] your enemies surround the city! Repair the forts! Dig up clay and trample it [to make it soft], and put it into molds to make bricks [to repair the walls]!
שם תאכלך אש--תכריתך חרב תאכלך כילק התכבד כילק התכבדי כארבה | 15 |
[Nevertheless, your enemies] will burn your [city]; they will kill you with their swords; they will kill you like [SIM] locusts [destroy crops].
הרבית רכליך מכוכבי השמים ילק פשט ויעף | 16 |
In your [city] there are now very many merchants; [it seems that] there are more of them than there are stars. But [when your city is being destroyed, those merchants will take the valuable things and disappear] [like] [SIM] locusts that strip the leaves from plants and [then] fly away.
מנזריך כארבה וטפסריך כגוב גבי החונים בגדרות ביום קרה--שמש זרחה ונודד ולא נודע מקומו אים | 17 |
Your leaders are [also] like a swarm of [SIM] locusts [DOU] that crowd together on the stone fences/walls on a cold day, and [then] fly away when the sun comes up, and no one knows where they have gone.
נמו רעיך מלך אשור ישכנו אדיריך נפשו עמך על ההרים ואין מקבץ | 18 |
O King of Assyria, your officials will [all] be dead [EUP]; your important people will lie down and rest [forever]. Your people will be scattered over the mountains, and there will no one to gather them [together].
אין כהה לשברך נחלה מכתך כל שמעי שמעך תקעו כף עליך--כי על מי לא עברה רעתך תמיד | 19 |
You [are like someone who] has a wound that cannot be healed; [it will be] a wound that causes him to die. And all those who hear about what has happened to you will clap their hands [joyfully]. [They will say, ] “Everyone has [RHQ] suffered because he continually was [very] cruel to us.”