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

²The 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)
³The 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.
⁴He 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.
⁵The 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)
⁶Who 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.

⁷The 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.

⁹Whatever they plot^(AC) against the Lord
    he will bring^[a] to an end;
    trouble will not come a second time.
¹⁰They will be entangled among thorns^(AD)
    and drunk^(AE) from their wine;
    they will be consumed like dry stubble.^[b]^(AF)
¹¹From you, Nineveh, has one come forth
    who plots evil against the Lord
    and devises wicked plans.

¹²This 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)
¹³Now I will break their yoke^(AI) from your neck
    and tear your shackles away.”^(AJ)

¹⁴The 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.”

¹⁵Look, 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!

²The 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.

³The 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]
⁴The chariots^(AV) storm through the streets,
    rushing back and forth through the squares.
They look like flaming torches;
    they dart about like lightning.

⁵Nineveh summons her picked troops,
    yet they stumble^(AW) on their way.
They dash to the city wall;
    the protective shield is put in place.
⁶The river gates^(AX) are thrown open
    and the palace collapses.
⁷It is decreed^[f] that Nineveh
    be exiled and carried away.
Her female slaves moan^(AY) like doves
    and beat on their breasts.^(AZ)
⁸Nineveh is like a pool
    whose water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
    but no one turns back.
⁹Plunder the silver!
    Plunder the gold!
The supply is endless,
    the wealth from all its treasures!
¹⁰She is pillaged, plundered, stripped!
    Hearts melt,^(BA) knees give way,
    bodies tremble, every face grows pale.^(BB)

¹¹Where 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?
¹²The 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!
²The crack of whips,
    the clatter of wheels,
galloping horses
    and jolting chariots!
³Charging cavalry,
    flashing swords
    and glittering spears!
Many casualties,
    piles of dead,
bodies without number,
    people stumbling over the corpses^(BM)—
⁴all 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.
⁶I will pelt you with filth,^(BS)
    I will treat you with contempt^(BT)
    and make you a spectacle.^(BU)
⁷All 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?”

⁸Are you better than^(CA) Thebes,^(CB)
    situated on the Nile,^(CC)
    with water around her?
The river was her defense,
    the waters her wall.
⁹Cush^[g]^(CD) and Egypt were her boundless strength;
    Put^(CE) and Libya^(CF) were among her allies.
¹⁰Yet 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)
¹¹You too will become drunk;^(CK)
    you will go into hiding^(CL)
    and seek refuge from the enemy.

¹²All 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.
¹³Look 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)

¹⁴Draw water for the siege,^(CR)
    strengthen your defenses!^(CS)
Work the clay,
    tread the mortar,
    repair the brickwork!
¹⁵There 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)
¹⁶You 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.
¹⁷Your 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.

¹⁸King 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.
¹⁹Nothing 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

2 Peter 1-2

New International Version

1 Simon Peter, a servant^(A) and apostle of Jesus Christ,^(B)

To those who through the righteousness^(C) of our God and Savior Jesus Christ^(D) have received a faith as precious as ours:

²Grace and peace be yours in abundance^(E) through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.^(F)

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

³His divine power^(G) has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him^(H) who called us^(I) by his own glory and goodness. ⁴Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises,^(J) so that through them you may participate in the divine nature,^(K) having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.^(L)

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;^(M) ⁶and to knowledge, self-control;^(N) and to self-control, perseverance;^(O) and to perseverance, godliness;^(P) ⁷and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.^(Q) ⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive^(R) in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.^(S) ⁹But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,^(T) forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.^(U)

¹⁰Therefore, my brothers and sisters,^[a] make every effort to confirm your calling^(V) and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,^(W) ¹¹and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom^(X) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.^(Y)

Prophecy of Scripture

¹²So I will always remind you of these things,^(Z) even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth^(AA) you now have. ¹³I think it is right to refresh your memory^(AB) as long as I live in the tent of this body,^(AC) ¹⁴because I know that I will soon put it aside,^(AD) as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.^(AE) ¹⁵And I will make every effort to see that after my departure^(AF) you will always be able to remember these things.

¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power,^(AG) but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.^(AH) ¹⁷He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”^[b]^(AI) ¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.^(AJ)

¹⁹We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable,^(AK) and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light^(AL) shining in a dark place, until the day dawns^(AM) and the morning star^(AN) rises in your hearts.^(AO) ²⁰Above all, you must understand^(AP) that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. ²¹For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God^(AQ) as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.^(AR)

False Teachers and Their Destruction

2 But there were also false prophets^(AS) among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.^(AT) They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord^(AU) who bought them^(AV)—bringing swift destruction on themselves. ²Many will follow their depraved conduct^(AW) and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³In their greed^(AX) these teachers will exploit you^(AY) with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

⁴For if God did not spare angels when they sinned,^(AZ) but sent them to hell,^[c] putting them in chains of darkness^[d] to be held for judgment;^(BA) ⁵if he did not spare the ancient world^(BB) when he brought the flood on its ungodly people,^(BC) but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;^(BD) ⁶if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes,^(BE) and made them an example^(BF) of what is going to happen to the ungodly;^(BG) ⁷and if he rescued Lot,^(BH) a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless^(BI) ⁸(for that righteous man,^(BJ) living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— ⁹if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials^(BK) and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.^(BL) ¹⁰This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire^(BM) of the flesh^[e] and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;^(BN) ¹¹yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from^[f] the Lord.^(BO) ¹²But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.^(BP)

¹³They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.^(BQ) They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.^[g]^(BR) ¹⁴With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce^(BS) the unstable;^(BT) they are experts in greed^(BU)—an accursed brood!^(BV) ¹⁵They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam^(BW) son of Bezer,^[h] who loved the wages of wickedness. ¹⁶But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.^(BX)

¹⁷These people are springs without water^(BY) and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.^(BZ) ¹⁸For they mouth empty, boastful words^(CA) and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping^(CB) from those who live in error. ¹⁹They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”^(CC) ²⁰If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing^(CD) our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ^(CE) and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.^(CF) ²¹It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.^(CG) ²²Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”^[i]^(CH) and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

Footnotes

2 Peter 1:10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
2 Peter 1:17 Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35
2 Peter 2:4 Greek Tartarus
2 Peter 2:4 Some manuscripts in gloomy dungeons
2 Peter 2:10 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 18.
2 Peter 2:11 Many manuscripts beings in the presence of
2 Peter 2:13 Some manuscripts in their love feasts
2 Peter 2:15 Greek Bosor
2 Peter 2:22 Prov. 26:11