Nahum 3
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Nineveh’s Downfall
3 Woe to the city of blood,(A)
totally deceitful,
full of plunder,
never without prey.(B)
2 The crack of the whip
and rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse
and jolting chariot!(C)
3 Charging horseman,
flashing sword,
shining spear;
heaps of slain,
mounds of corpses,(D)
dead bodies without end(E) –
they stumble over their dead.
4 Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute,
the attractive mistress of sorcery,
who treats nations and clans like merchandise
by her prostitution and sorcery,(F)
5 I am against you.(G)
This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.
I will lift your skirts over your face
and display your nakedness to nations,
your shame to kingdoms.(H)
6 I will throw filth on you
and treat you with contempt;(I)
I will make a spectacle of you.
7 Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying,(J)
‘Nineveh is devastated;
who will show sympathy to her? ’
Where can I find anyone to comfort you?
8 Are you better than Thebes[a](K)
that sat along the Nile
with water surrounding her,
whose rampart was the sea,
the river[b][c] her wall?
9 Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength;
Put and Libya were among her[d] allies.
10 Yet she became an exile;
she went into captivity.
Her children were also dashed to pieces(L)
at the head of every street.
They cast lots for her dignitaries,(M)
and all her nobles were bound in chains.
11 You[e] also will become drunk;
you will hide.[f]
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortresses are fig trees
with figs that ripened first;
when shaken, they fall –
right into the mouth of the eater!
13 Look, your troops are like women among you;
your land’s city gates
are wide open to your enemies.
Fire will devour the bars of your gates.
14 Draw water for the siege;
strengthen your fortresses.
Step into the clay and tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick-mould!
15 The fire will devour you there;
the sword will cut you down.
It will devour you like the young locust.(N)
Multiply yourselves like the young locust;
multiply like the swarming locust!
16 You have made your merchants(O)
more numerous than the stars of the sky.
The young locust strips[g] the land
and flies away.
17 Your court officials are like the swarming locust,
and your scribes like clouds of locusts,
which settle on the walls on a cold day;
when the sun rises, they take off,
and no one knows where they are.
18 King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber;(P)
your officers sleep.
Your people are scattered across the mountains(Q)
with no one to gather them together.(R)
19 There is no remedy for your injury;
your wound is severe.(S)
All who hear the news about you
will clap their hands because of you,(T)
for who has not experienced
your constant cruelty?
Nahum 3
Tree of Life Version
City of Corpses
3 Oy, bloody city!
Full of deceit, full of plunder.
The prey never departs.
2 Crack of whip,
rattling of wheels,
horse galloping,
chariot jolting,
3 horseman climbing up,
blade of sword and flash of spear,
many slain, a mass of corpses
—no end to the corpses—
they stumble over their corpses!
The Harlot Humiliated
4 Because of the many fornications of the elegant prostitute,
the mistress of sorceries,
who sells nations by her fornications,
and clans through her sorceries—
5 Behold, I am against you
—it is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot—
I will lift your skirts over your face,
I will show nations your nakedness
and kingdoms your disgrace.
6 Yes, I will fling filth on you.
I will treat you with contempt
and set you up as a spectacle.
7 So it will be that all who see you
will recoil from you and say,
“Nineveh has been ravaged!
Who will lament for her?”
Where will I find comforters for you?
8 Are you better than No-amon[a],
situated among channels of the Nile,
water surrounding her,
whose fortress and wall was water?[b]
9 Cush and Egypt were her might—unlimited.
Put and Libya were her allies.
10 Yet she went off to exile among the captives.
Even her babes were dashed to pieces
at the head of all streets.
They cast lots for her dignitaries,
and all her great men were bound with chains.
11 You too will become drunk.
You will hide yourself.
You too will seek refuge from an enemy.
12 All your fortifications will be fig trees with firstfruits—
when shaken, they will fall, into an eater’s mouth.
13 See, your people within you are women[c].
The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies—
fire has devoured your gate-bars.
14 Draw water for a siege.
Strengthen your fortifications!
Go into the mud and tread mortar.
Take hold of the brick mold.
15 There fire will devour you.
Sword will cut you off,
devouring you like the locust.
Multiply like the locust.
Multiply like the swarming locust!
16 You have multiplied your traders
more than the stars of heaven.
Locusts have stripped and flown off.
17 Your princes are like locusts,
your officials like a locust swarm,
camping in the walls on a chilly day.
The sun rises, and they are chased away,
and where they are is unknown.
18 Your shepherds have become drowsy,
king of Assyria, your nobles lie down.
Your people are scattered on the hills,
with no one to gather them.
19 There is no cure for your brokenness,
your wound is severe.
All who hear the report about you,
clap hands over you.
For over whom has not passed
your constant cruelty?
Footnotes
- Nahum 3:8 Or city of Amon (Thebes)
- Nahum 3:8 Heb. the sea, i.e., the Nile.
- Nahum 3:13 i.e., incapable of getting the better of armed adversaries.
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Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.