Bible in 90 Days
Announcement of Restoration
11 In that day
I will restore the fallen booth(A) of David:(B)
I will repair its gaps,
restore its ruins,(C)
and rebuild it as in the days of old,(D)
12 so that they may possess
the remnant of Edom(E)
and all the nations
that are called by My name[a](F)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
He will do this.
13 Hear this! The days are coming—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
when the plowman will overtake the reaper(G)
and the one who treads grapes,
the sower of seed.
The mountains will drip with sweet wine,
and all the hills will flow with it.(H)
14 I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel.[b](I)
They will rebuild and occupy ruined cities,(J)
plant vineyards and drink their wine,
make gardens and eat their produce.(K)
15 I will plant them on their land,
and they will never again be uprooted
from the land I have given them.(L)
Yahweh your God has spoken.
The vision of Obadiah.
Edom’s Certain Judgment
This is what the Lord God has said about Edom:(M)
We have heard a message from the Lord;(N)
a messenger has been sent(O) among the nations:
“Rise up,(P) and let us go to war against her.”[c]
2 Look, I will make you insignificant(Q)
among the nations;
you will be deeply despised.
3 Your presumptuous heart has deceived you,(R)
you who live in clefts of the rock[d][e](S)
in your home on the heights,
who say to yourself,
“Who can bring me down to the ground?”(T)
4 Though you seem to soar[f] like an eagle(U)
and make your nest among the stars,(V)
even from there I will bring you down.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
5 If thieves came to you,(W)
if marauders by night—
how ravaged you would be!—
wouldn’t they steal only what they wanted?
If grape pickers came to you,
wouldn’t they leave some grapes?(X)
6 How Esau will be pillaged,(Y)
his hidden treasures searched out!(Z)
7 Everyone who has a treaty with you(AA)
will drive you to the border;
everyone at peace with you
will deceive and conquer you.
Those who eat your bread(AB)
will set[g] a trap for you.
He will be unaware of it.(AC)
8 In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
will I not eliminate the wise ones of Edom(AD)
and those who understand
from the hill country of Esau?
9 Teman,[h](AE) your warriors(AF) will be terrified
so that everyone from the hill country of Esau
will be destroyed by slaughter.(AG)
Edom’s Sins against Judah
10 You will be covered with shame
and destroyed forever
because of violence done to your brother Jacob.(AH)
11 On the day you stood aloof,(AI)
on the day strangers captured his wealth,[i]
while foreigners entered his gate
and cast lots for Jerusalem,(AJ)
you were just like one of them.(AK)
12 Do not[j] gloat over your brother(AL)
in the day of his calamity;
do not rejoice over the people of Judah(AM)
in the day of their destruction;
do not boastfully mock[k](AN)
in the day of distress.(AO)
13 Do not enter the gate of My people
in the day of their disaster.(AP)
Yes, you—do not gloat over their misery
in the day of their disaster
and do not appropriate their possessions(AQ)
in the day of their disaster.
14 Do not stand at the crossroads[l](AR)
to cut off their fugitives,
and do not hand over their survivors
in the day of distress.
Judgment of the Nations
15 For the Day of the Lord(AS) is near,
against all the nations.(AT)
As you have done,(AU) so it will be done to you;
what you deserve will return on your own head.(AV)
16 As you have drunk on My holy mountain,(AW)
so all the nations will drink continually.(AX)
They will drink and gulp down
and be as though they had never been.
17 But there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion,(AY)
and it will be holy;(AZ)
the house of Jacob will dispossess(BA)
those who dispossessed them.[m](BB)
18 Then the house of Jacob will be a blazing fire,(BC)
and the house of Joseph, a burning flame,
but the house of Esau will be stubble;
Jacob[n] will set them on fire and consume Edom.[o]
Therefore no survivor will remain(BD)
of the house of Esau,
for the Lord has spoken.
Future Blessing for Israel
19 People from the Negev will possess(BE)
the hill country of Esau;(BF)
those from the Judean foothills will possess
the land of the Philistines.(BG)
They[p] will possess
the territories of Ephraim and Samaria,(BH)
while Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20 The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah[q]
and who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath(BI)
as well as the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
will possess the cities of the Negev.(BJ)
21 Saviors[r] will ascend Mount Zion(BK)
to rule over the hill country of Esau,
but the kingdom will be the Lord’s.(BL)
Jonah’s Flight
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:(BM) 2 “Get up!(BN) Go to the great city(BO) of Nineveh(BP) and preach against it,(BQ) because their wickedness(BR) has confronted[s] Me.”(BS) 3 However, Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish(BT) from the Lord’s presence.(BU) He went down(BV) to Joppa(BW) and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, from the Lord’s presence.
4 Then the Lord hurled(BX) a violent wind on the sea,(BY) and such a violent storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. 5 The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god.(BZ) They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load.(CA) Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.(CB)
6 The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god.[t](CC) Maybe this god will consider us,(CD) and we won’t perish.”
7 “Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots.(CE) Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah.(CF) 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.(CG) What is your business(CH) and where are you from? What is your country and what people are you from?”
9 He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew.(CI) I worship[u] Yahweh,(CJ) the God of the heavens,(CK) who made the sea(CL) and the dry land.”
10 Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What is this you’ve done?” The men knew he was fleeing from the Lord’s presence,(CM) because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you to calm this sea that’s against us?” For the sea was getting worse and worse.
12 He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea[v] so it may quiet down for you, for I know that I’m to blame(CN) for this violent storm that is against you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more.
14 So they called out to the Lord:(CO) “Please, Yahweh, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For You, Yahweh, have done just as You pleased.”(CP) 15 Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.(CQ) 16 The men feared the Lord(CR) even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.(CS)
17 [w]Now the Lord had appointed a huge fish(CT) to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in[x] the fish three days and three nights.(CU)
Jonah’s Prayer
2 Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside[y] the fish:(CV)
2 I called to the Lord in my distress,(CW)
and He answered me.
I cried out for help in the belly of Sheol;(CX)
You heard my voice.(CY)
3 You threw me into the depths,(CZ)
into the heart of the seas,(DA)
and the current[z] overcame me.
All Your breakers and Your billows swept over me.(DB)
4 But I said: I have been banished(DC)
from Your sight,(DD)
yet I will look once more[aa]
toward Your holy temple.(DE)
5 The waters engulfed me up to the neck;[ab](DF)
the watery depths overcame me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.(DG)
6 I sank to the foundations of the mountains;(DH)
the earth with its prison bars closed behind me forever!(DI)
But You raised my life(DJ) from the Pit, Lord my God!(DK)
7 As my life was fading away,(DL)
I remembered Yahweh.(DM)
My prayer came to You,(DN)
to Your holy temple.(DO)
8 Those who cling to worthless idols(DP)
forsake faithful love,(DQ)
9 but as for me, I will sacrifice(DR) to You
with a voice of thanksgiving.(DS)
I will fulfill(DT) what I have vowed.
Salvation[ac] is from the Lord!(DU)
10 Then the Lord commanded the fish,(DV) and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah’s Preaching
3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:(DW) 2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh(DX) and preach(DY) the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the Lord’s command.
Now Nineveh was an extremely large city,[ad](DZ) a three-day walk.[ae] 4 Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed,(EA) “In 40 days Nineveh will be demolished!” 5 The men of Nineveh believed in God.[af] They proclaimed a fast(EB) and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.
6 When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth,(EC) and sat in ashes. 7 Then he issued a decree(ED) in Nineveh:
By order of the king and his nobles: No man or beast, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. 8 Furthermore, both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God.(EE) Each must turn from his evil ways(EF) and from the violence[ag] he is doing.[ah] 9 Who knows?(EG) God may turn and relent; He may turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.(EH)
10 Then God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways(EI)—so God relented from the disaster(EJ) He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it.
Jonah’s Anger
4 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious.(EK) 2 He prayed to the Lord:(EL) “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place.(EM) I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God,(EN) slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and One who relents from sending disaster.(EO) 3 And now, Lord, please take my life from me,(EP) for it is better for me to die than to live.”(EQ)
4 The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah left the city and sat down east of it.(ER) He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God appointed a plant,[ai] and it grew up to provide shade over Jonah’s head to ease his discomfort.[aj] Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant. 7 When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.(ES)
8 As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind.(ET) The sun beat down so much on Jonah’s head(EU) that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”(EV)
9 Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“Yes,” he replied. “It is right. I’m angry enough to die!”
10 So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night. 11 Should I not care about the great city of Nineveh,(EW) which has more than 120,000 people[ak] who cannot distinguish between their right and their left,(EX) as well as many animals?”(EY)
1 The word of the Lord that came(EZ) to Micah(FA) the Moreshite(FB)—what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham,(FC) Ahaz,(FD) and Hezekiah,(FE) kings of Judah.
Coming Judgment on Israel
2 Listen, all you peoples;(FF)
pay attention, earth[al] and everyone in it!(FG)
The Lord God will be a witness against you,(FH)
the Lord, from His holy temple.(FI)
3 Look, the Lord is leaving His place(FJ)
and coming down to trample
the heights[am] of the earth.(FK)
4 The mountains will melt beneath Him,
and the valleys will split apart,
like wax near a fire,(FL)
like water cascading down a mountainside.
5 All this will happen because of Jacob’s rebellion
and the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the rebellion of Jacob?
Isn’t it Samaria?(FM)
And what is the high place of Judah?(FN)
Isn’t it Jerusalem?
6 Therefore, I will make Samaria
a heap of ruins(FO) in the countryside,
a planting area(FP) for a vineyard.
I will roll her stones(FQ) into the valley
and expose her foundations.(FR)
7 All her carved images will be smashed(FS) to pieces;
all her wages(FT) will be burned in the fire,
and I will destroy all her idols.
Since she collected the wages of a prostitute,(FU)
they will be used again for a prostitute.
Micah’s Lament
8 Because of this I will lament and wail;
I will walk barefoot and naked.(FV)
I will howl like the jackals(FW)
and mourn like ostriches.[an]
9 For her wound is incurable(FX)
and has reached even Judah;(FY)
it has approached the gate of my people,(FZ)
as far as Jerusalem.
10 Don’t announce it in Gath,(GA)
don’t weep at all.
Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.
11 Depart in shameful nakedness,(GB)
you residents of Shaphir;
the residents of Zaanan(GC) will not come out.
Beth-ezel is lamenting;
its support[ao] is taken from you.
12 Though the residents of Maroth
anxiously wait for something good,(GD)
disaster has come from the Lord(GE)
to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the horses to the chariot,
you residents of Lachish.(GF)
This was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion,
because Israel’s acts of rebellion(GG) can be traced to you.
14 Therefore, send farewell gifts(GH) to Moresheth-gath;
the houses of Achzib(GI) are a deception(GJ)
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring a conqueror
against you who live in Mareshah.(GK)
The nobility[ap] of Israel will come to Adullam.(GL)
16 Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair(GM)
in sorrow for your precious children;
make yourselves as bald as an eagle,
for they have been taken from you into exile.(GN)
Oppressors Judged
2 Woe to those who dream up wickedness
and prepare evil plans(GO) on their beds!
At morning light(GP) they accomplish it
because the power is in their hands.(GQ)
2 They covet fields(GR) and seize them;(GS)
they also take houses.
They deprive a man of his home,(GT)
a person of his inheritance.(GU)
3 Therefore, the Lord says:
I am now planning(GV) a disaster
against this nation;(GW)
you cannot free your necks from it.(GX)
Then you will not walk so proudly(GY)
because it will be an evil time.(GZ)
4 In that day one will take up(HA) a taunt against you,
and lament mournfully,(HB) saying,
“We are totally ruined!(HC)
He measures out the allotted land of my people.
How He removes it from me!
He allots our fields(HD) to traitors.”
5 Therefore, there will be no one
in the assembly of the Lord
to divide the land by casting lots.[aq](HE)
God’s Word Rejected
6 “Quit your preaching,”(HF) they[ar] preach.
“They should not preach these things;(HG)
shame will not overtake us.”[as](HH)
7 House of Jacob, should it be asked,
“Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient?(HI)
Are these the things He does?”
Don’t My words bring good(HJ)
to the one who walks uprightly?(HK)
8 But recently My people have risen up
like an enemy:(HL)
You strip off the splendid robe(HM)
from those who are passing through confidently,(HN)
like those returning from war.
9 You force(HO) the women of My people
out of their comfortable homes,
and you take My blessing[at](HP)
from their children forever.
10 Get up and leave,
for this is not your place of rest,(HQ)
because defilement(HR) brings destruction—
a grievous destruction!(HS)
11 If a man of wind[au] comes
and invents lies:(HT)
“I will preach to you about wine and beer,”(HU)
he would be just the preacher for this people!(HV)
The Remnant Regathered
12 I will indeed gather(HW) all of you, Jacob;
I will collect the remnant of Israel.(HX)
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in the middle of its fold.
It will be noisy with people.(HY)
13 One who breaks open the way
will advance before them;
they will break out, pass through the gate,
and leave by it.
Their King will pass through before them,
the Lord as their leader.
Unjust Leaders Judged
3 Then I said, “Now listen,(HZ) leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of the house of Israel.
Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?(IA)
2 You hate good and love evil.
You tear off people’s skin(IB)
and strip their flesh from their bones.
3 You eat the flesh(IC) of my people
after you strip their skin from them
and break their bones.
You chop them up(ID)
like flesh for the cooking pot,
like meat in a cauldron.”
4 Then they will cry out(IE) to the Lord,
but He will not answer them.
He will hide His face from them at that time(IF)
because of the crimes they have committed.
False Prophets Judged
5 This is what the Lord says
concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,(IG)
who proclaim(IH) peace
when they have food to sink their teeth into
but declare war against the one
who puts nothing in their mouths.
6 Therefore, it will be night(II) for you—
without visions;
it will grow dark for you—
without divination.(IJ)
The sun will set(IK) on these prophets,
and the daylight will turn black over them.
7 Then the seers will be ashamed(IL)
and the diviners disappointed.(IM)
They will all cover their mouths[av](IN)
because there will be no answer from God.(IO)
8 As for me, however, I am filled with power(IP)
by the Spirit of the Lord,
with justice and courage,
to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion
and to Israel his sin.(IQ)
Zion’s Destruction
9 Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob,(IR)
you rulers of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice(IS)
and pervert everything that is right,
10 who build Zion with bloodshed(IT)
and Jerusalem with injustice.
11 Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe,(IU)
her priests teach for payment,(IV)
and her prophets practice divination for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Isn’t the Lord(IW) among us?
No disaster will overtake us.”
12 Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,(IX)
and the hill of the temple mount(IY)
will be a thicket.(IZ)
The Lord’s Rule from Restored Zion
4 In the last days(JA)
the mountain of the Lord’s house(JB)
will be established
at the top of the mountains
and will be raised above the hills.
Peoples will stream to it,(JC)
2 and many nations will come and say,(JD)
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,(JE)
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us about His ways(JF)
so we may walk in His paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion(JG)
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will settle disputes among many peoples(JH)
and provide arbitration for strong nations
that are far away.
They will beat their swords into plows,
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
and they will never again train for war.
4 But each man will sit under his grapevine(JI)
and under his fig tree
with no one to frighten him.(JJ)
For the mouth of the Lord(JK) of Hosts
has promised this.
5 Though all the peoples each walk
in the name of their gods,(JL)
we will walk(JM) in the name of Yahweh our God
forever and ever.(JN)
6 On that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will assemble the lame
and gather the scattered,(JO)
those I have injured.
7 I will make the lame into a remnant,(JP)
those far removed into a strong nation.
Then the Lord will rule over them(JQ) in Mount Zion
from this time on and forever.
8 And you, watchtower for the flock,(JR)
fortified hill[aw] of Daughter Zion,
the former rule(JS) will come to you,
sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.
From Exile to Victory
9 Now, why are you shouting loudly?(JT)
Is there no king with you?
Has your counselor perished(JU)
so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor?
10 Writhe and cry out,[ax](JV) Daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you will leave the city(JW)
and camp in the open fields.
You will go to Babylon;
there you will be rescued;(JX)
there the Lord will redeem you(JY)
from the power of your enemies!
11 Many nations have now assembled against you;(JZ)
they say, “Let her be defiled,
and let us feast our eyes on Zion.”
12 But they do not know the Lord’s intentions(KA)
or understand His plan,
that He has gathered them
like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Rise and thresh,(KB) Daughter Zion,
for I will make your horns iron
and your hooves bronze,
so you can crush many peoples.(KC)
Then you[ay] will set apart their plunder(KD)
to the Lord for destruction,
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
From Defeated Ruler to Conquering King
5 [az]Now, daughter who is under attack,
you slash yourself in grief;
a siege is set against us!
They are striking the judge(KE) of Israel
on the cheek with a rod.
2 [ba]Bethlehem Ephrathah,(KF)
you are small among the clans of Judah;
One will come from you(KG)
to be ruler over Israel for Me.(KH)
His origin[bb] is from antiquity,(KI)
from eternity.[bc]
3 Therefore, He will abandon them(KJ) until the time
when she who is in labor(KK) has given birth;
then the rest of His brothers(KL) will return
to the people of Israel.(KM)
4 He will stand and shepherd them(KN)
in the strength of Yahweh,
in the majestic name of Yahweh His God.
They will live securely,
for then His greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.(KO)
5 He will be their peace.(KP)
When Assyria invades our land,(KQ)
when it marches against our fortresses,
we will raise against it seven shepherds,
even eight leaders of men.
6 They will shepherd(KR) the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod(KS) with a drawn blade.[bd]
So He will rescue us(KT) from Assyria
when it invades our land,
when it marches against our territory.
The Glorious and Purified Remnant
7 Then the remnant of Jacob(KU)
will be among many peoples
like dew from the Lord,(KV)
like showers on the grass,(KW)
which do not wait for anyone
or linger for mankind.
8 Then the remnant of Jacob
will be among the nations, among many peoples,
like a lion among animals of the forest,(KX)
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples(KY) and tears(KZ) as it passes through,
and there is no one to rescue them.(LA)
9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,(LB)
and all your enemies will be destroyed.
10 In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will remove your horses from you(LC)
and wreck your chariots.
11 I will remove the cities of your land(LD)
and tear down all your fortresses.(LE)
12 I will remove sorceries from your hands,(LF)
and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.
13 I will remove your carved images(LG)
and sacred pillars from you
so that you will not bow down again
to the work of your hands.
14 I will pull up the Asherah poles(LH) from among you(LI)
and demolish your cities.[be]
15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath(LJ)
against the nations that have not obeyed Me.
God’s Lawsuit against Judah
6 Now listen to what the Lord is saying:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
2 Listen to the Lord’s lawsuit,(LK)
you mountains and enduring foundations of the earth,(LL)
because the Lord has a case against His people,(LM)
and He will argue it against Israel.
3 My people,(LN) what have I done to you,(LO)
or how have I wearied you?(LP)
Testify against Me!
4 Indeed, I brought you up(LQ) from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you(LR) from that place of slavery.(LS)
I sent Moses,(LT) Aaron, and Miriam(LU) ahead of you.
5 My people,
remember what Balak king of Moab(LV) proposed,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,(LW)
and what happened from the Acacia Grove[bf](LX) to Gilgal(LY)
so that you may acknowledge
the Lord’s righteous acts.(LZ)
6 What should I bring before the Lord(MA)
when I come to bow before God on high?
Should I come before Him with burnt offerings,(MB)
with year-old calves?
7 Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams(MC)
or with ten thousand streams of oil?
Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,(MD)
the child of my body for my own sin?
8 Mankind, He has told you what is good(ME)
and what it is the Lord requires of you:(MF)
to act justly,(MG)
to love faithfulness,(MH)
and to walk humbly with your God.(MI)
Verdict of Judgment
9 The voice of Yahweh calls out to the city[bg]
(and it is wise to fear Your name):
“Pay attention to the rod
and the One who ordained it.[bh]
10 Are there still[bi] the treasures of wickedness(MJ)
and the accursed short measure(MK)
in the house of the wicked?
11 Can I excuse wicked scales
or bags of deceptive weights?(ML)
12 For the wealthy of the city are full of violence,(MM)
and its residents speak lies;(MN)
the tongues in their mouths are deceitful.(MO)
13 “As a result, I have begun to strike you severely,[bj](MP)
bringing desolation because of your sins.(MQ)
14 You will eat but not be satisfied,(MR)
for there will be hunger within you.
What you acquire, you cannot save,(MS)
and what you do save,
I will give to the sword.[bk]
15 You will sow but not reap;(MT)
you will press olives
but not anoint yourself with oil;
and you will tread grapes
but not drink the wine.(MU)
16 The statutes of Omri
and all the practices of Ahab’s house
have been observed;
you have followed their policies.(MV)
Therefore, I will make you a desolate place(MW)
and the city’s[bl] residents an object of contempt;[bm](MX)
you will bear the scorn of My people.”[bn](MY)
Israel’s Moral Decline
7 How sad for me!
For I am like one who—
when the summer fruit has been gathered
after the gleaning of the grape harvest(MZ)—
finds no grape cluster to eat,
no early fig, which I crave.(NA)
2 Godly people have vanished from the land;(NB)
there is no one upright among the people.(NC)
All of them wait in ambush to shed blood;(ND)
they hunt each other with a net.(NE)
3 Both hands are good(NF) at accomplishing evil:
the official and the judge demand a bribe;(NG)
when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,
they plot it together.
4 The best of them is like a brier;(NH)
the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns.(NI)
The day of your watchmen,
the day of your punishment, is coming;(NJ)
at this time their panic is here.(NK)
5 Do not rely on a friend;(NL)
don’t trust in a close companion.
Seal your mouth
from the woman who lies in your arms.
6 Surely a son considers his father a fool,(NM)
a daughter opposes her mother,
and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
7 But I will look to the Lord;(NN)
I will wait for the God of my salvation.(NO)
My God will hear me.(NP)
Zion’s Vindication
8 Do not rejoice over me,(NQ) my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will stand up;(NR)
though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.(NS)
9 Because I have sinned against Him,
I must endure the Lord’s rage
until He argues my case(NT)
and establishes justice for me.(NU)
He will bring me into the light;(NV)
I will see His salvation.[bo](NW)
10 Then my enemy will see,
and she will be covered with shame,
the one who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”(NX)
My eyes will look at her in triumph;
at that time she will be trampled
like mud in the streets.(NY)
11 A day will come for rebuilding your walls;(NZ)
on that day your boundary will be extended.(OA)
12 On that day people will come to you(OB)
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates River
and from sea to sea
and mountain to mountain.
13 Then the earth will become a wasteland(OC)
because of its inhabitants
and as a result of their actions.(OD)
Micah’s Prayer Answered
14 Shepherd Your people(OE) with Your staff,(OF)
the flock that is Your possession.
They live alone(OG) in a woodland
surrounded by pastures.
Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead(OH)
as in ancient times.(OI)
15 I will perform miracles for them[bp]
as in the days of your exodus
from the land of Egypt.(OJ)
16 Nations will see and be ashamed
of[bq] all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths,(OK)
and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a snake;(OL)
they will come trembling out of their hiding places(OM)
like reptiles slithering on the ground.(ON)
They will tremble in the presence of Yahweh our God;(OO)
they will stand in awe of You.
18 Who is a God like You,(OP)
removing iniquity and passing over rebellion(OQ)
for the remnant of His inheritance?(OR)
He does not hold on to His anger forever,(OS)
because He delights in faithful love.(OT)
19 He will again have compassion on us;
He will vanquish our iniquities.(OU)
You will cast all our[br] sins
into the depths of the sea.(OV)
20 You will show loyalty to Jacob(OW)
and faithful love to Abraham,
as You swore to our fathers(OX)
from days long ago.
1 The oracle concerning Nineveh.(OY) The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
God’s Vengeance
2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance
and is fierce in[bs] wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance against His foes;
He is furious with His enemies.(OZ)
3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished.(PA)
His path is in the whirlwind and storm,
and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
4 He rebukes the sea so that it dries up,
and He makes all the rivers run dry.(PB)
Bashan and Carmel wither;(PC)
even the flower of Lebanon withers.
5 The mountains quake before Him,
and the hills melt;
the earth trembles[bt][bu] at His presence—
the world and all who live in it.(PD)
6 Who can withstand His indignation?
Who can endure His burning anger?(PE)
His wrath is poured out like fire,
even rocks are shattered before Him.
Destruction of Nineveh
7 The Lord is good,
a stronghold in a day of distress;
He cares for those who take refuge(PF) in Him.
8 But He will completely destroy Nineveh[bv]
with an overwhelming flood,(PG)
and He will chase His enemies into darkness.
9 Whatever you[bw] plot against the Lord,
He will bring it to complete destruction;(PH)
oppression will not rise up a second time.
10 For they will be consumed
like entangled thorns,(PI)
like the drink of a drunkard
and like straw that is fully dry.[bx]
11 One has gone out from you,[by]
who plots evil against Yahweh,
and is a wicked counselor.
Promise of Judah’s Deliverance
12 This is what the Lord says:
Though they are strong[bz] and numerous,
they will still be mowed down,
and he[ca] will pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,[cb](PJ)
I will afflict you no longer.(PK)
13 For I will now break off his yoke from you
and tear off your shackles.
The Assyrian King’s Demise
14 The Lord has issued an order concerning you:
There will be no offspring
to carry on your name.[cc](PL)
I will eliminate the carved idol and cast image
from the house of your gods;(PM)
I will prepare your grave,
for you are contemptible.
15 [cd]Look to the mountains—
the feet of one bringing good news(PN)
and proclaiming peace!
Celebrate your festivals, Judah;
fulfill your vows.
For the wicked one will never again
march through you;
he will be entirely wiped out.
Attack against Nineveh
2 One who scatters is coming up against you.
Man the fortifications!
Watch the road!
Brace[ce] yourself!
Summon all your strength!(PO)
2 For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob,
yes,[cf] the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their vine branches.(PP)
3 The shields of his[cg] warriors are dyed red;
the valiant men are dressed in scarlet.(PQ)
The fittings of the chariot flash like fire
on the day of its battle preparations,
and the spears are brandished.
4 The chariots dash madly through the streets;
they rush around in the plazas.
They look like torches;
they dart back and forth like lightning.
5 He gives orders to his officers;
they stumble as they advance.
They race to its wall;
the protective shield is set in place.
6 The river gates are opened,
and the palace erodes away.(PR)
7 Beauty[ch] is stripped,[ci]
she is carried away;
her ladies-in-waiting moan
like the sound of doves,(PS)
and beat their breasts.
8 Nineveh has been like a pool of water
from her first days,[cj]
but they are fleeing.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9 “Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!”
There is no end to the treasure,
an abundance of every precious thing.(PT)
10 Desolation, decimation, devastation!
Hearts melt,(PU)
knees tremble,
loins shake,
every face grows pale!(PV)
11 Where is the lions’ lair,(PW)
or the feeding ground of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness prowled,
and the lion’s cub,
with nothing to frighten them away?(PX)
12 The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed
and strangled prey for its lionesses.
It filled up its dens with the kill,
and its lairs with mauled prey.(PY)
13 Beware, I am against you.(PZ)
This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
I will make your chariots go up in smoke[ck]
and the sword will devour your young lions.
I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the sound of your messengers
will never be heard again.
Nineveh’s Downfall
3 Woe to the city of blood,(QA)
totally deceitful,
full of plunder,
never without prey.(QB)
2 The crack of the whip
and rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse
and jolting chariot!(QC)
3 Charging horseman,
flashing sword,
shining spear;
heaps of slain,
mounds of corpses,
dead bodies without end(QD)—
they stumble over their dead.
4 Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute,
the attractive mistress of sorcery,
who betrays nations by her prostitution
and clans by her witchcraft,(QE)
5 I am against you.(QF)
This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
I will lift your skirts over your face
and display your nakedness to nations,
your shame to kingdoms.(QG)
6 I will throw filth on you
and treat you with contempt;
I will make a spectacle of you.
7 Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying,
“Nineveh is devastated;
who will show sympathy to her?”
Where can I find anyone to comfort you?
8 Are you better than Thebes[cl](QH)
that sat along the Nile
with water surrounding her,
whose rampart was the sea,
the river[cm][cn] her wall?
9 Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength;
Put and Libya were among her[co] allies.
10 Yet she became an exile;
she went into captivity.
Her children were also dashed to pieces(QI)
at the head of every street.
They cast lots for her dignitaries,(QJ)
and all her nobles were bound in chains.
11 You[cp] also will become drunk;
you will hide yourself.[cq]
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;
the gates of your land
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-mold!
15 The fire will devour you there;
the sword will cut you down.
It will devour you like the young locust.(QK)
Multiply yourselves like the young locust,
multiply like the swarming locust!
16 You have made your merchants(QL)
more numerous than the stars of the sky.
The young locust strips[cr] 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;
your officers sleep.
Your people are scattered across the mountains
with no one to gather them together.(QM)
19 There is no remedy for your injury;
your wound is severe.(QN)
All who hear the news about you
will clap their hands because of you,
for who has not experienced
your constant cruelty?
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