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Nahum 1-3
New King James Version
Nahum 1-3
New King James Version
God’s Mercy and Judgment
1 The [a]burden (A)against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
God’s Wrath on His Enemies
2 God is (B)jealous, and the Lord avenges;
The Lord avenges and is furious.
The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies;
3 The Lord is (C)slow to anger and (D)great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked.
(E)The Lord has His way
In the whirlwind and in the storm,
And the clouds are the dust of His feet.
4 (F)He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,
And dries up all the rivers.
(G)Bashan and Carmel wither,
And the flower of Lebanon wilts.
5 The mountains quake before Him,
The hills melt,
And the earth [b]heaves at His presence,
Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.
6 Who can stand before His indignation?
And (H)who can endure the fierceness of His anger?
His fury is poured out like fire,
And the rocks are thrown down by Him.
7 (I)The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And (J)He knows those who trust in Him.
8 But with an overflowing flood
He will make an utter end of its place,
And darkness will pursue His enemies.
9 (K)What do you [c]conspire against the Lord?
(L)He will make an utter end of it.
Affliction will not rise up a second time.
10 For while tangled (M)like thorns,
(N)And while drunken like drunkards,
(O)They shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.
11 From you comes forth one
Who plots evil against the Lord,
A [d]wicked counselor.
12 Thus says the Lord:
“Though they are [e]safe, and likewise many,
Yet in this manner they will be (P)cut down
When he passes through.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more;
13 For now I will break off his yoke from you,
And burst your bonds apart.”
14 The Lord has given a command concerning you:
[f]“Your name shall be perpetuated no longer.
Out of the house of your gods
I will cut off the carved image and the molded image.
I will dig your (Q)grave,
For you are (R)vile.”[g]
15 Behold, on the mountains
The (S)feet of him who brings good tidings,
Who proclaims peace!
O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,
Perform your vows.
For the [h]wicked one shall no more pass through you;
He is (T)utterly cut off.
The Destruction of Nineveh
2 He[i] who scatters has come up before your face.
Man the fort!
Watch the road!
Strengthen your flanks!
Fortify your power mightily.
2 For the Lord will restore the excellence of Jacob
Like the excellence of Israel,
For the emptiers have emptied them out
And ruined their vine branches.
3 The shields of his mighty men are made red,
The valiant men are in scarlet.
The chariots come with flaming torches
In the day of his preparation,
And [j]the spears are brandished.
4 The chariots rage in the streets,
They jostle one another in the broad roads;
They seem like torches,
They run like lightning.
5 He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their walk;
They make haste to her walls,
And the defense is prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers are opened,
And the palace is dissolved.
7 [k]It is decreed:
She shall be led away captive,
She shall be brought up;
And her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves,
Beating their breasts.
8 Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,
Now they flee away.
[l]“Halt! Halt!” they cry;
But no one turns back.
9 [m]Take spoil of silver!
Take spoil of (U)gold!
There is no end of treasure,
Or wealth of every desirable prize.
10 She is empty, desolate, and waste!
The heart melts, and the knees shake;
Much pain is in every side,
And all their faces [n]are drained of color.
11 Where is the dwelling of the (V)lions,
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub,
And no one made them afraid?
12 The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs,
[o]Killed for his lionesses,
(W)Filled his caves with prey,
And his dens with [p]flesh.
13 “Behold, (X)I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn [q]your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your (Y)messengers shall be heard no more.”
The Woe of Nineveh
3 Woe to the (Z)bloody city!
It is all full of lies and robbery.
Its [r]victim never departs.
2 The noise of a whip
And the noise of rattling wheels,
Of galloping horses,
Of [s]clattering chariots!
3 Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear.
There is a multitude of slain,
A great number of bodies,
Countless corpses—
They stumble over the corpses—
4 Because of the multitude of [t]harlotries of the [u]seductive harlot,
(AA)The mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations through her harlotries,
And families through her sorceries.
5 “Behold, I am (AB)against you,” says the Lord of hosts;
(AC)“I will lift your skirts over your face,
I will show the nations your nakedness,
And the kingdoms your shame.
6 I will cast abominable filth upon you,
Make you (AD)vile,[v]
And make you (AE)a spectacle.
7 It shall come to pass that all who look upon you
(AF)Will flee from you, and say,
(AG)‘Nineveh is laid waste!
(AH)Who will bemoan her?’
Where shall I seek comforters for you?”
8 (AI)Are you better than (AJ)No[w] Amon
That was situated by the [x]River,
That had the waters around her,
Whose rampart was the sea,
Whose wall was the sea?
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength,
And it was boundless;
(AK)Put and Lubim were [y]your helpers.
10 Yet she was carried away,
She went into captivity;
(AL)Her young children also were dashed to pieces
(AM)At the head of every street;
They (AN)cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound in chains.
11 You also will be (AO)drunk;
You will be hidden;
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
12 All your strongholds are (AP)fig trees with ripened figs:
If they are shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Surely, (AQ)your people in your midst are women!
The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies;
Fire shall devour the (AR)bars of your gates.
14 Draw your water for the siege!
(AS)Fortify your strongholds!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Make strong the brick kiln!
15 There the fire will devour you,
The sword will cut you off;
It will eat you up like a (AT)locust.
Make yourself many—like the locust!
Make yourself many—like the swarming locusts!
16 You have multiplied your (AU)merchants more than the stars of heaven.
The locust plunders and flies away.
17 (AV)Your commanders are like swarming locusts,
And your generals like great grasshoppers,
Which camp in the hedges on a cold day;
When the sun rises they flee away,
And the place where they are is not known.
18 (AW)Your shepherds slumber, O (AX)king of Assyria;
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are (AY)scattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.
19 Your injury has no healing,
(AZ)Your wound is severe.
(BA)All who hear news of you
Will clap their hands over you,
For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?
Footnotes
- Nahum 1:1 oracle, prophecy
- Nahum 1:5 Tg. burns
- Nahum 1:9 Or devise
- Nahum 1:11 Lit. counselor of Belial
- Nahum 1:12 Or at peace or complete
- Nahum 1:14 Lit. No more of your name shall be fruitful
- Nahum 1:14 Or contemptible
- Nahum 1:15 Lit. one of Belial
- Nahum 2:1 Vg. He who destroys
- Nahum 2:3 Lit. the cypresses are shaken; LXX, Syr. the horses rush about; Vg. the drivers are stupefied
- Nahum 2:7 Heb. Huzzab
- Nahum 2:8 Lit. Stand
- Nahum 2:9 Plunder
- Nahum 2:10 LXX, Tg., Vg. gather blackness; Joel 2:6
- Nahum 2:12 Lit. Strangled
- Nahum 2:12 Torn flesh
- Nahum 2:13 Lit. her
- Nahum 3:1 Lit. prey
- Nahum 3:2 bounding or jolting
- Nahum 3:4 Spiritual unfaithfulness
- Nahum 3:4 Lit. goodly charm, in a bad sense
- Nahum 3:6 despicable
- Nahum 3:8 Ancient Thebes; Tg., Vg. populous Alexandria
- Nahum 3:8 Lit. rivers, the Nile and the surrounding canals
- Nahum 3:9 LXX her
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
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.