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Nahum 1-3
Contemporary English Version
Nahum 1-3
Contemporary English Version
1 (A) I am Nahum from Elkosh.[a] And this is the message[b] that I wrote down about Nineveh.[c]
The Fierce Anger of the Lord
2 The Lord God demands loyalty.
In his anger, he takes revenge
on his enemies.
3 The Lord is powerful,
yet patient;
he makes sure that the guilty
are always punished.
He can be seen in storms
and in whirlwinds;
clouds are the dust from his feet.
4 At the Lord's command,
oceans and rivers dry up.
Bashan, Mount Carmel,
and Lebanon[d] wither,
and their flowers fade.
5 At the sight of the Lord,
mountains and hills
tremble and melt;
the earth and its people
shudder and shake.
6 Who can stand the heat
of his furious anger?
It flashes out like fire
and shatters stones.
The Power of Assyria Will Be Broken
7 The Lord is good.
He protects those who trust him
in times of trouble.
8 But like a roaring flood,
the Lord chases his enemies
into dark places
and destroys them.[e]
9 So don't plot against the Lord!
He wipes out his enemies,
and they never revive.
10 They are like drunkards
overcome by wine,
or like twisted thornbushes
burning in a fire.[f]
11 Assyria, one of your rulers
has made evil plans
against the Lord.
12 But the Lord says, “Assyria,
no matter how strong you are,
you will be cut down!
My people Judah,
I have troubled you before,
but I won't do it again.
13 I'll snap your chains
and set you free
from the Assyrians.”
14 Assyria, this is what else
the Lord says to you:
“Your name will be forgotten.
I will destroy every idol
in your temple,
and I will send you to the grave,
because you are worthless.”
15 (B) Look toward the mountains,
people of Judah!
Here comes a messenger
with good news of peace.
Celebrate your festivals.
Keep your promises to God.
Your evil enemies are destroyed
and will never again
invade your country.
Nineveh Will Fall
2 Nineveh, someone is coming
to attack and scatter you.
Guard your fortresses!
Watch the road! Be brave!
Prepare for battle!
2 Judah and Israel are like trees
with branches broken
by their enemies.
But the Lord is going to restore
their power and glory.
* 3 Nineveh, on this day of attack,
your enemies' shields are red;
their uniforms are crimson.
4 Their horses[g] prance,
and their armored[h] chariots
dart around like lightning
or flaming torches.
5 An officer gives a command.
But his soldiers stumble,
as they hasten to build
a shelter to protect themselves
against rocks thrown down
from the city wall.[i]
6 The river gates[j] fly open,
and panic floods the palace.
7 Nineveh is disgraced.
The queen is dragged off.
Her servant women mourn;
they moan like doves,
and they beat their breasts
in sorrow.[k]
8 Nineveh is like a pond
with leaking water.
Shouts of “Stop! Don't go!”
can be heard everywhere.
But everyone is leaving.
9 Enemy soldiers shout,
“The city is full of treasure
and all kinds of wealth.
Steal her silver! Grab her gold!”
10 Nineveh is doomed! Destroyed!
Her people tremble with fear;
their faces turn pale.[l]
11 What happened to this city?
They were safer there
than powerful lions in a den,
with no one to disturb them.
12 These are the same lions
that ferociously attacked
their victims,
then dragged away the flesh
to feed their young.
13 The Lord All-Powerful
is against you, Nineveh.
God will burn your chariots
and send an army to kill
those young lions of yours.
You will never again
make victims of others
or send messengers to threaten
everyone on this earth.
Punishment for Nineveh
The Lord said:
3 Doom to the crime capital!
Nineveh, city of murder
and treachery,
2 here is your fate—
cracking whips,
churning wheels;
galloping horses,
roaring chariots;
3 cavalry attacking,
swords and spears flashing;
soldiers stumbling
over piles of dead bodies.
4 You were nothing more
than a prostitute
using your magical charms
and witchcraft
to attract and trap nations.
5 But I, the Lord All-Powerful,
am now your enemy.
I will pull up your skirt
and let nations and kingdoms
stare at your nakedness.
6 I will cover you with garbage,
treat you like trash,
and rub you in the dirt.
7 Everyone who sees you
will turn away and shout,
“Nineveh is done for!
Is anyone willing to mourn
or to give her comfort?”
Nineveh's Fate Is Sealed
8 Nineveh, do you feel safer
than the city of Thebes?[m]
The Nile River
was its wall of defense.[n]
9 Thebes trusted the mighty power
of Ethiopia[o] and Egypt;
the nations of Put[p] and Libya
were her allies.
10 But she was captured and taken
to a foreign country.
Her children were murdered
at every street corner.
The members of her royal family
were auctioned off,
and her high officials
were bound in chains.
11 Nineveh, now it's your turn!
You will get drunk and try to hide
from your enemy.
12 Your fortresses are fig trees
with ripe figs.
Merely shake the trees,
and fruit will fall
into every open mouth.
13 Your army is weak.
Fire has destroyed the crossbars
on your city gates;
now they stand wide open
to your enemy.
14 Your city is under attack.
Haul in extra water!
Strengthen your defenses!
Start making bricks!
Stir the mortar!
15 You will still go up in flames
and be cut down by swords
that will wipe you out like a field
attacked by grasshoppers.
So, go ahead and increase
like a swarm of locusts![q]
16 More merchants are in your city
than there are stars
in the sky—
but they are like locusts
that eat everything,
then fly away.
17 Your guards and your officials
are swarms of locusts.
On a chilly day
they settle on a fence,
but when the sun comes out,
they take off
to who-knows-where.
18 King of Assyria,
your officials and leaders
are sound asleep,
while your people are scattered
in the mountains.
Yes, your people are sheep
without a shepherd.
19 You're fatally wounded.
There's no hope for you.
But everyone claps
when they hear this news,
because your constant cruelty
has caused them pain.
Footnotes
- 1.1 Elkosh: The location of Elkosh is not known.
- 1.1 message: Or “vision.”
- 1.1 Nineveh: The capital of Assyria, the hated enemy of Israel.
- 1.4 Bashan, Mount Carmel, and Lebanon: Three regions noted for their trees and flowers.
- 1.8 the Lord chases his enemies … and destroys them: Or “the Lord chases Nineveh … and destroys her.”
- 1.10 fire: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
- 2.4 horses: Two ancient translations; Hebrew “spears.”
- 2.4 armored: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 2.5 to build … city wall: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 2.6 river gates: Nineveh was protected by a moat filled with water from the nearby Tigris River.
- 2.7 sorrow: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 7.
- 2.10 faces turn pale: Or “ashes cover their faces.”
- 3.8 Thebes: In 663 b.c., the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal captured this Egyptian city, which seems to have been built with protection similar to that of Nineveh.
- 3.8 was its … defense: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 3.9 Ethiopia: The Hebrew text has “Cush,” which was a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan.
- 3.9 Put: A region in Africa, possibly part of the present country of Libya.
- 3.15 locusts: A type of grasshopper that comes in swarms and causes great damage to plant life.
Nahum 1-3
New International Version
Nahum 1-3
New International Version
1 A prophecy(A) concerning Nineveh.(B) The book of the vision(C) of Nahum the Elkoshite.
The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh
2 The Lord is a jealous(D) and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance(E) and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
and vents his wrath against his enemies.(F)
3 The Lord is slow to anger(G) but great in power;
the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.(H)
His way is in the whirlwind(I) and the storm,(J)
and clouds(K) are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebukes(L) the sea and dries it up;(M)
he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel(N) wither
and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
5 The mountains quake(O) before him
and the hills melt away.(P)
The earth trembles(Q) at his presence,
the world and all who live in it.(R)
6 Who can withstand(S) his indignation?
Who can endure(T) his fierce anger?(U)
His wrath is poured out like fire;(V)
the rocks are shattered(W) before him.
7 The Lord is good,(X)
a refuge in times of trouble.(Y)
He cares for(Z) those who trust in him,(AA)
8 but with an overwhelming flood(AB)
he will make an end of Nineveh;
he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.
9 Whatever they plot(AC) against the Lord
he will bring[a] to an end;
trouble will not come a second time.
10 They will be entangled among thorns(AD)
and drunk(AE) from their wine;
they will be consumed like dry stubble.[b](AF)
11 From you, Nineveh, has one come forth
who plots evil against the Lord
and devises wicked plans.
12 This is what the Lord says:
“Although they have allies and are numerous,
they will be destroyed(AG) and pass away.
Although I have afflicted you, Judah,
I will afflict you no more.(AH)
13 Now I will break their yoke(AI) from your neck
and tear your shackles away.”(AJ)
14 The Lord has given a command concerning you, Nineveh:
“You will have no descendants to bear your name.(AK)
I will destroy the images(AL) and idols
that are in the temple of your gods.
I will prepare your grave,(AM)
for you are vile.”
15 Look, there on the mountains,
the feet of one who brings good news,(AN)
who proclaims peace!(AO)
Celebrate your festivals,(AP) Judah,
and fulfill your vows.
No more will the wicked invade you;(AQ)
they will be completely destroyed.[c]
Nineveh to Fall
2 [d]An attacker(AR) advances against you, Nineveh.
Guard the fortress,
watch the road,
brace yourselves,
marshal all your strength!
2 The Lord will restore(AS) the splendor(AT) of Jacob
like the splendor of Israel,
though destroyers have laid them waste
and have ruined their vines.
3 The shields of the soldiers are red;
the warriors are clad in scarlet.(AU)
The metal on the chariots flashes
on the day they are made ready;
the spears of juniper are brandished.[e]
4 The chariots(AV) storm through the streets,
rushing back and forth through the squares.
They look like flaming torches;
they dart about like lightning.
5 Nineveh summons her picked troops,
yet they stumble(AW) on their way.
They dash to the city wall;
the protective shield is put in place.
6 The river gates(AX) are thrown open
and the palace collapses.
7 It is decreed[f] that Nineveh
be exiled and carried away.
Her female slaves moan(AY) like doves
and beat on their breasts.(AZ)
8 Nineveh is like a pool
whose water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9 Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
The supply is endless,
the wealth from all its treasures!
10 She is pillaged, plundered, stripped!
Hearts melt,(BA) knees give way,
bodies tremble, every face grows pale.(BB)
11 Where now is the lions’ den,(BC)
the place where they fed their young,
where the lion and lioness went,
and the cubs, with nothing to fear?
12 The lion killed(BD) enough for his cubs
and strangled the prey for his mate,
filling his lairs(BE) with the kill
and his dens with the prey.(BF)
13 “I am against(BG) you,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,(BH)
and the sword(BI) will devour your young lions.
I will leave you no prey on the earth.
The voices of your messengers
will no longer be heard.”(BJ)
Woe to Nineveh
3 Woe to the city of blood,(BK)
full of lies,(BL)
full of plunder,
never without victims!
2 The crack of whips,
the clatter of wheels,
galloping horses
and jolting chariots!
3 Charging cavalry,
flashing swords
and glittering spears!
Many casualties,
piles of dead,
bodies without number,
people stumbling over the corpses(BM)—
4 all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute,
alluring, the mistress of sorceries,(BN)
who enslaved nations by her prostitution(BO)
and peoples by her witchcraft.
5 “I am against(BP) you,” declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will lift your skirts(BQ) over your face.
I will show the nations your nakedness(BR)
and the kingdoms your shame.
6 I will pelt you with filth,(BS)
I will treat you with contempt(BT)
and make you a spectacle.(BU)
7 All who see you will flee(BV) from you and say,
‘Nineveh(BW) is in ruins(BX)—who will mourn for her?’(BY)
Where can I find anyone to comfort(BZ) you?”
8 Are you better than(CA) Thebes,(CB)
situated on the Nile,(CC)
with water around her?
The river was her defense,
the waters her wall.
9 Cush[g](CD) and Egypt were her boundless strength;
Put(CE) and Libya(CF) were among her allies.
10 Yet she was taken captive(CG)
and went into exile.
Her infants were dashed(CH) to pieces
at every street corner.
Lots(CI) were cast for her nobles,
and all her great men were put in chains.(CJ)
11 You too will become drunk;(CK)
you will go into hiding(CL)
and seek refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortresses are like fig trees
with their first ripe fruit;(CM)
when they are shaken,
the figs(CN) fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Look at your troops—
they are all weaklings.(CO)
The gates(CP) of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire has consumed the bars of your gates.(CQ)
14 Draw water for the siege,(CR)
strengthen your defenses!(CS)
Work the clay,
tread the mortar,
repair the brickwork!
15 There the fire(CT) will consume you;
the sword(CU) will cut you down—
they will devour you like a swarm of locusts.
Multiply like grasshoppers,
multiply like locusts!(CV)
16 You have increased the number of your merchants
till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky,
but like locusts(CW) they strip the land
and then fly away.
17 Your guards are like locusts,(CX)
your officials like swarms of locusts
that settle in the walls on a cold day—
but when the sun appears they fly away,
and no one knows where.
18 King of Assyria, your shepherds[h] slumber;(CY)
your nobles lie down to rest.(CZ)
Your people are scattered(DA) on the mountains
with no one to gather them.
19 Nothing can heal you;(DB)
your wound is fatal.
All who hear the news about you
clap their hands(DC) at your fall,
for who has not felt
your endless cruelty?(DD)
Footnotes
- Nahum 1:9 Or What do you foes plot against the Lord? / He will bring it
- Nahum 1:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
- Nahum 1:15 In Hebrew texts this verse (1:15) is numbered 2:1.
- Nahum 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1-13 is numbered 2:2-14.
- Nahum 2:3 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac ready; / the horsemen rush to and fro.
- Nahum 2:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Nahum 3:9 That is, the upper Nile region
- Nahum 3:18 That is, rulers
Nahum 1-3
King James Version
Nahum 1-3
King James Version
1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2 God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.
5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
9 What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.
11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor.
12 Thus saith the Lord; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.
13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.
14 And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
2 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
2 For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
5 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.
9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid?
12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
3 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
3 The 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:
4 Because 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.
5 Behold, 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.
6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.
7 And 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?
8 Art 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?
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10 Yet 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.
11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
12 All 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.
13 Behold, 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.
14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.
15 There 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.
16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away.
17 Thy 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.
18 Thy 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.
19 There 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?
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
New International Version (NIV) 
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