Nahum 3

1Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;footnote a

2The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.

3The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:footnote b

4Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

5Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

6And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.

7And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

8Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?footnote c

9Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.footnote d

10Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.

11Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.

12All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.

13Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.

14Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.

15There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.

16Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.footnote e

17Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

18Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.footnote f

19There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?footnote g

Judgment on Nineveh

1Woe to the city of blood,full of lies,full of plunder,never without prey. 2The crack of the whip,the rumble of the wheel,galloping horseand bounding chariot! 3Charging horseman,flashing sword,shining spear;heaps of slain,mounds of corpses,dead bodies without end—they stumble over their dead— 4because of the many harlotries of the harlot,the seductive mistress of sorcery,who betrays nations by her prostitutionand clans by her witchcraft.

5“Behold, I am against you,”declares the LORD of Hosts.“I will lift your skirts over your face.I will show your nakedness to the nationsand your shame to the kingdoms. 6I will pelt you with filthand treat you with contempt;I will make a spectacle of you. 7Then all who see youwill recoil from you and say,‘Nineveh is devastated;who will grieve for her?’Where can I findcomforters for you?”

8Are you better than Thebes,footnote astationed by the Nile with water around her,whose rampart was the sea,whose wall was the water? 9Cushfootnote band Egypt were her boundless strength;Put and Libya were her allies. 10Yet she became an exile;she went into captivity.Her infants were dashed to piecesat the head of every street.They cast lots for her dignitaries,and all her nobles were bound in chains. 11You too will become drunk;you will go into hidingand seek refuge from the enemy.

12All your fortresses are fig treeswith the first ripe figs;when shaken, they fallinto the mouth of the eater!

13Look at your troops—they are like your women!The gates of your landare wide open to your enemies;fire consumes their bars.

14Draw your water for the siege;strengthen your fortresses.Work the clay and tread the mortar;repair the brick kiln! 15There the fire will devour you;the sword will cut you downand consume you like a young locust.Make yourself many like the young locust;make yourself many like the swarming locust! 16You have multiplied your merchantsmore than the stars of the sky.The young locust strips the landand flies away. 17Your guardsfootnote care like the swarming locust,and your scribesfootnote dlike clouds of locuststhat settle on the walls on a cold day.When the sun rises, they fly away,and no one knows where.

18O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber;your officers sleep.Your people are scattered on the mountainswith no one to gather them. 19There is no healing for your injury;your wound is severe.All who hear the news of youapplaud your downfall,for who has not experiencedyour constant cruelty?