Bible in 90 Days
Israel to be Restored
11 “At that time I will restore David’s fallen tent,
restoring its torn places.
I will restore its ruins,
rebuilding it as it was long ago,
12 so my people[a] may inherit the remnant of Edom
and all of the nations that bear my name,”
declares the Lord who is bringing this about.
13 “Look! The days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when the one who sows will overtake the harvester
and the treader of grapes will overtake[b] the planter.
Fresh wine will drip down from the mountains,
cascading down from the hills.
14 I will surely restore my people Israel;
they will rebuild the ruined cities
and inhabit them.[c]
They will plant vineyards
and drink the wine from them.
They will plant gardens
and eat the fruit from them.
15 I will plant the people of Israel[d] in their own land,
never again to be torn out of their land
that I gave them,”
says the Lord your God.
Coming Judgment against Edom
1 Obadiah’s[e] vision:
This is what the Lord God has to say about Edom.
We have heard a report from the Lord,
and a messenger has been dispatched among the nations to say[f]
“Get up! Let us rise up against her to fight!”
God’s Announcement to Edom
2 “Look! I will make you insignificant among the nations;
you will be utterly despised.
3 The arrogance in your heart has deceived you,
who inhabit hidden places on rocky cliffs,
whose dwelling is in the heights,
who say continuously to yourself,[g]
‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
4 Though you soar high like the eagle
and make your nest among the stars,
I will bring you down even from there,”
declares the Lord.[h]
The Harvest from Edom’s Arrogance
5 “If thieves came against you,
if marauding gangs by night
—Oh, how you will be destroyed!—
Would they not steal only until they had enough?
If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave some[i] grapes to be gleaned?
6 “Oh, how Esau is ransacked,
how his hidden treasures are thoroughly[j] searched out!
7 All your allies will force you out of the land,[k]
your associates will deceive you and prevail against you.
Your friends[l] will lay out a trap for you,
and you will[m] never understand it!
8 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“will I not destroy the wise from Edom,
and those with understanding from Esau’s Mountain?
9 Teman, our mighty soldiers will be dismayed,
so that every man from Esau’s Mountain will be slaughtered.”[n]
Judgment for Edom’s Cruelty to Jacob
10 “Shame will overwhelm you
because of the violence you inflicted on your brother Jacob,
and you will be excluded[o] forever.
11 “On the day you just stood by,[p]
when[q] strangers carried away Jacob’s[r] wealth
and foreigners entered his gates,
casting lots for Jerusalem,
you were just like one of them.
12 “You should not have gloated over your brother,[s]
on the day of his calamity.
You should not have rejoiced
when[t] the descendants of Judah were perishing.
You should not have boasted[u]
when[v] they were in distress.
13 “You should not have entered the gate of my people
on the day of their disaster.[w]
Also, you should not have gloated over Judah’s[x] misfortune
on the day of his disaster,[y]
nor should you have plundered his wealth
on the day of his disaster.[z]
14 And you should not have taken your stand at the crossroads
to cut down his fleeing refugees,
nor should you have handed over his survivors
on the day of his distress.”
The Lord’s Judgment and Israel’s Final Victory
15 “Indeed, the Day of the Lord approaches all nations.
As you have done it will be done to you—
your deeds will return to haunt you![aa]
16 Just as you have drunk from the cup of my wrath[ab] upon my holy mountain,
so will all nations drink from the cup of my wrath[ac] perpetually.
They will drink, they will gulp it down,
and they will be as if they had never existed!
17 “But there will be a delivered remnant on Mount Zion.
There will be holiness,
and the house of Jacob will take back their possessions.
18 “The house of Jacob will be a fire,
and the house of Joseph a flame,
but the house of Esau will be kindling.
Then Jacob and Joseph[ad] will burn and consume Esau,[ae]
and no survivor will remain from the house of Esau.”
Indeed, the Lord has spoken it.
19 “Those in the Negev[af] will possess Esau’s Mountain,
and those in the Shephelah[ag] the Philistines.
They will possess the fields of Ephraim
and the fields of Samaria,
while Benjamin will possess the territory of[ah] Gilead.
20 The exiles, the Israeli host,
will possess the territory of the[ai] Canaanites all the way to Zarephath.
The exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad[aj]
will possess the cities of the Negev.[ak]
21 Deliverers will assemble on Mount Zion to judge Esau’s Mountain,
and to the Lord will the kingdom belong!”
Jonah is Called to Go to Nineveh
1 Now this message from the Lord came to Amittai’s son Jonah:[al] 2 “Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city! Then cry out in protest[am] against it, because their evil has come to my attention.”[an]
Jonah Runs from God’s Call
3 But Jonah got up and fled from the Lord to Tarshish.[ao] He went down to Joppa, secured passage on a ship bound for Tarshish, paid the fare, and boarded, intending to go with the mariners[ap] to Tarshish to escape from the Lord. 4 Then the Lord sent[aq] a great wind over the sea, and a severe storm broke out. It seemed as if the ship were[ar] about to break up. 5 At this point the mariners became terrified, and each man cried out to his gods. They began to throw the cargo into the sea in order to lighten the vessel. But Jonah had gone down into the vessel’s hold, had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain approached him, and told him, “What are you doing asleep? Get up! Call on your gods! Maybe your[as] god will think about us so we won’t die!”
7 Meanwhile, each crewman told another, “Come on! Let’s cast lots to find out whose fault it is that we’re in this trouble.” So they cast lots, and the lot indicated Jonah! 8 So they interrogated him: “Tell us, why has this trouble come upon us? What’s your occupation? Where’d you come from? What’s your home country? What’s your nationality?”
9 “I’m a Hebrew,” he replied, “and I’m afraid of the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea—along with the dry land!”
10 In mounting terror, the men asked him, “What have you done?” The men were aware that he was fleeing from the Lord, because he had admitted this to them.
Jonah is Thrown Overboard
11 Because the sea was growing more and more stormy, they asked him, “What do we have to do to you so the sea will calm down for us?”
12 Jonah[at] told them, “Pick me up and toss me into the sea. Then the sea will calm down for you, because I know that it’s my fault that this mighty storm has come[au] upon you.” 13 Even so, the crewmen rowed hard to bring the ship toward dry land, but they were unsuccessful, because the sea was growing more and more stormy.
14 At last they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us perish because of this man’s life, and do not hold us responsible for innocent blood, because you, Lord, have done what pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and tossed him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and made vows.
17 [av]Now the Lord had prepared a large sea creature[aw] to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the sea creature for three days and three nights.
Jonah’s Prayer for Deliverance
2 [ax]Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the sea creature. 2 He said:
“I called out to the Lord from the midst of affliction directed at me,[ay]
and he answered me.
From the depths[az] of death[ba] I cried out for help;
and you heard my cry.[bb]
3 You cast me into the deep—
into the heart of the sea.
Flood waters engulfed me.
All your breakers and your waves swirled over me.
4 So I told myself,[bc] ‘I have been driven away from you.[bd]
How[be] will I again gaze on your holy Temple?’
5 Flood waters encompassed me,
the deep surrounded me
while seaweed wrapped around my head.
6 I sank to the roots of the mountains;
the earth’s prison[bf] bars closed[bg] around me forever.
Yet you resurrect the dead[bh] from the Pit,[bi] Lord my God!
7 “As my life was fading away,
I remembered the Lord;
and my prayer came to you in your holy Temple.
8 Those who cling to vain idols
leave behind the gracious love that could have been theirs.[bj]
9 But as for me, with a voice of thanksgiving I will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Deliverance[bk] is the Lord’s!”
10 Then the Lord spoke to the sea creature, and it spewed Jonah onto the dry land.
The Lord Again Calls Jonah to Go to Nineveh
3 This message from the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh to do what the Lord had ordered.
Now Nineveh was a very large city,[bl] requiring[bm] a three-day journey to cross through it.[bn] 4 As Jonah started into the city on the first day’s journey, he proclaimed the message, “40 days more and Nineveh will be overthrown!”
The City of Nineveh Repents
5 The people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least important. 6 When the message reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his royal garments, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. 7 Then he had this proclamation published throughout Nineveh:
“By decree of the king and his nobles:
No man or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything, graze, or drink water. 8 Instead, let both man and animal clothe themselves with sackcloth and cry out to God forcefully. Let every person turn from his evil ways and from his tendency to do violence.[bo] 9 Who knows but that God may relent, have compassion, and turn from his fierce anger, so that we are not exterminated?”
10 God took note of what they did—that they turned from their evil ways. Because God relented concerning the trouble about which he had warned them, he did not carry it out.
Jonah’s Anger at God’s Kindness
4 Greatly displeased, Jonah flew into a rage. 2 So he prayed to the Lord, “Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my home country? That’s why I fled previously to Tarshish, because I knew you’re a compassionate God, slow to anger, overflowing with gracious love, and reluctant[bp] to send trouble. 3 Therefore, Lord, please kill me, because it’s better for me to die than to live!”
4 The Lord replied, “Does being angry make you right?”
Jonah’s Discouragement
5 Then Jonah left the city and sat down on the eastern side.[bq] There he made a shelter for himself and sat down under its shade to see what would happen to the city. 6 The Lord God prepared a vine plant,[br] and it grew over Jonah to shade his head and provide relief from his misery. Jonah was happy—indeed, he was ecstatic—about the vine plant. 7 But at dawn the next day, God provided a worm that attacked the vine plant so that it withered away. 8 When the sun rose, God prepared a harsh east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head, he became faint, and he begged to die. “It is better for me to die than to live!” he said.
9 Then God asked Jonah, “Is your anger about the vine plant justified?”
And he answered, “Absolutely! I’m so angry I could die!”
10 But the Lord asked, “You cared about a vine plant that you neither worked on nor cultivated? A vine plant that grew up overnight and died overnight? 11 So why shouldn’t I be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 human beings who do not know their right hand from their left,[bs] as well as a lot of livestock?
God’s Coming Judgment
1 This message from the Lord came to Micah[bt] of Moresheth during the reigns of[bu] the Judean kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah concerning the vision he saw about Samaria and Jerusalem:
2 “Listen, people! All of you!
Earth! Pay attention, and all you inhabitants of it!
May the Lord God be a witness against you—
the Lord from his holy Temple.
3 Look here! The Lord is coming from his place!
He will come down
and will trample down the high places[bv] throughout the land.
4 The mountains will melt under him
and the valleys will split apart,
like wax in the presence of fire
and like water gushing down a steep incline.
5 All this comes about due to the transgression of Jacob,
and due to the sins of the house of Israel.
What is Jacob’s sin? It’s Samaria, isn’t it?
And what’s Judah’s high place?[bw] It’s Jerusalem, isn’t it?
6 “So I will turn Samaria into a mound of dirt in a field,
a place to plant vineyards.
And I will dump her building stones into the valley,
uncovering her foundation.
7 All of her carved images will be crushed to pieces,
all the earnings of her prostitution will be burned up,
and I will destroy all her idols;
because she collected the wages of prostitution,
and to the wages of prostitution they will return.”
The Coming Destruction
8 “Therefore I will cry out and grieve loudly;
I will walk around stripped and naked.
I will cry out like a jackal
and mourn like a company of ostriches.
9 For Samaria’s[bx] injury is fatal,
reaching all the way to Judah,
extending even to the gate of my people—to Jerusalem.”
10 “Don’t discuss it in Gath![by]
Don’t cry bitterly in Akim![bz]
Roll in the ashes, Beth-leaphrah!
11 Run away, you residents of Shaphir,
displaying your shameful nakedness.
Don’t come out, you residents of Zaanan![ca]
Your firm standing will disappear as Beth-ezel mourns.
12 Even though the inhabitants of Maroth long for success,
nevertheless evil descended from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 “You inhabitants of Lachish, harness your chariot to your swiftest steed—
the daughter of Zion has begun to sin—
because within you the transgressions of Israel were revealed.
14 Therefore give your gifts to Moresheth-gath;
that is, the houses of Achzib as a deceitful symbol[cb] to the kings of Israel.
15 Nevertheless, I will deliver an heir to you, inhabitants of Mareshah—
to Adullam the glory of Israel will come.
16 “Shave your head
and cut off your locks as you mourn your beloved children.
Make yourself bald as an eagle,
because they will go from you into exile!”
God’s Warning to His People
2 “Woe to those who are crafting iniquity,
planning evil well into the night![cc]
When morning’s light comes,
they carry out their plans[cd] because they have the power to do so.
2 They covet fields and seize them;
they covet[ce] houses, and grab them, too.
They harass the valiant man, along with his household,
an individual and his estate.
3 “Therefore this is what the Lord says,
‘I’m crafting evil against this family,
from which you can’t escape.[cf]
You won’t strut around arrogantly,
because the times are evil.’
4 “When this happens,[cg] someone will compose a proverb about you, lamenting sorrowfully,
‘We are completely ruined!
He has given my people’s heritage to others.[ch]
How he has removed it from me,
dividing up our fields!’
5 “This is why there will not be left even a single person
to settle boundary disputes[ci] in the Lord’s community.
6 To those who speak out, they will declare,
‘Don’t prophesy to anyone!’
so their shame won’t go away.
7 “It is said, house of Jacob,
‘The Spirit of the Lord is limited,
if he acts this way, is he not?’
“But my words benefit those who live righteously, do they not?
8 Lately my people have acted like an enemy—
you strip travelers who thought they were[cj] as secure
as those who return from war.
9 You have evicted the wives of my people from their dream homes;
you have removed my majesty from their children permanently.
10 “Get up and go,
because there’s no rest for you here!
Since everything[ck] is polluted, it can only cause destruction,
even heavy destruction.
11 Suppose a man who keeps company with a deceiving spirit prophesies like this:
‘Drink wine and strong drink!’
Won’t the people accept him as a prophet?”
The Coming Judgment
12 “Jacob, how I will surely gather all of you!
How I will gather the survivors of Israel!
I will gather them together like sheep in a pen,[cl]
like the flock in the midst of the sheepfold.
There will be a great commotion because of all[cm] the people.
13 God will stand up and break through[cn] in their presence.
Then they will pass through the gate, going out by it.
Their king will pass in front of them
with the Lord at their head.”
3 “He will say, ‘Listen, you leaders of Jacob,
you officials of the house of Israel!
You should know justice, should you not?—
2 you who despise good and love evil,
who tear off the skin of my people,[co]
along with the flesh from their bones.
3 You eat the flesh of my people,
flaying their skin from them.
You break their bones,
chopping them in pieces like meat[cp] for a pot,
like meat destined for a soup kettle.’
4 “Then they will cry to the Lord,
but he will not listen to them.
In fact, he will hide his face from them at that time,
because they were so wicked in what they were doing.”
God’s Judgment against False Prophets
5 “This is what the Lord says about the prophets
who are causing my people to go astray,
who are calling out ‘Peace’ when they’re being fed,[cq]
but who declare war against those who won’t feed them:[cr]
6 ‘You will have nights without visions,
and darkness without prophecy.
The sun will set on the prophets,
and the day will darken for them.
7 Those who see visions will be put to shame,
and the diviners will be disgraced—every one of them—
they will cover their faces,[cs]
because there will be no answer from God.’”
The Message of God’s Prophet
8 “As for me, I am truly filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord,
filled[ct] with judgment and power
to announce to Jacob his transgression,
and to Israel his sin.
9 Please listen to this, you leaders of the house of Jacob,
you officials of the house of Israel,
you who hate administering justice,
who pervert the very meaning of[cu] equity,
10 who are building up Zion by means of bloodshed,
and Jerusalem by means of iniquity.
11 Her leaders judge for the money,
her priests teach only when they’re paid,
and her prophets prophesy for cash.
Even so, don’t they all rely on the Lord as they ask,
‘The Lord is among us, is he not?
Nothing bad can possibly happen to us!’
12 “Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed up like a field,
and Jerusalem will become heaps of rubble,
and the Temple Mount like a forest high place.”
The Future Reign of God
4 “But in the last days it will come about
that the Temple Mount of the Lord will be firmly set
as the leading mountain.
It will be exalted above its surrounding[cv] hills,
and people will stream toward it.
2 Many nations will approach and say,
‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,
and to the Temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us about his ways,
and we will walk according to his directions.’
“Indeed, the Law will proceed from Zion,
and the message of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 And he will judge among many people,
rebuking strong nations far away;
and they will reshape their swords as plowshares
and their spears as pruning hooks.
No nation will threaten another,[cw]
nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Instead, each man will sit in the shade of[cx] his grape vines
and beneath the shade of[cy] his fig tree,”
since the[cz] Lord of the Heavenly Armies has spoken.
5 “Because all of the people will walk,
each person in the name of his God,
and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
6 “At that time,” declares the Lord,
“I will assemble the lame;
and I will gather those whom I have scattered,
along with those whom I have afflicted.
7 I will transform the lame into survivors,
and those who were scattered into a strong nation;
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion,
now and forever.”
Zion’s Captivity
8 “And you, watchtower of the flock,
you stronghold of the daughter of Zion,
it will happen even to you:
The former dominion, even the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem, will come.
9 Why are you crying so loud now?
There’s no king among you, is there?
Perhaps your advisor has died?
For pain has overtaken you like a woman in labor.
10 Be in pain! Be in labor, you daughter of Zion,
like a woman about to give birth,
because now you will depart from the city,
living in the open fields.
To Babylon you will go.
There you will be delivered,
there the Lord will rescue you from the power[da] of your enemies.”
The Nations Despise Zion
11 “Now many nations have gathered against you, saying,
‘Let her be defiled,’ and
‘Let’s look down on Zion.’
12 But they don’t know the thoughts of the Lord,
and they don’t understand his tactics,
for he will gather them like harvested grain to his threshing floor.
13 Get up and smash[db] them to pieces, daughter of Zion,
because I will make your horn like iron
and your hooves like bronze!
And you will beat many people to pieces,
and I will consecrate their dishonest[dc] gain to the Lord
and their assets to the Lord of the entire earth.”
5 [dd]“Now marshal yourselves as troops.[de]
He has laid siege to us.
They will strike the judge[df] of Israel on the cheek with a rod.”
The Ruler from Bethlehem
2 [dg]“As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
even though you remain least among the clans[dh] of Judah,
nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me
will emerge from you.
His existence has been[di] from antiquity,
even from eternity.
3 Therefore that ruler[dj] will abandon them
until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then the rest of his countrymen will return to the Israelis.”
4 “Then he will take his stand,
shepherding by means of the strength of the Lord,
by the power[dk] of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will be firmly[dl] established;
indeed, from then on he will become great—
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace.”
God’s Judgment on Assyria
“When the Assyrian invades our land,
trampling through our palaces,
we will raise up seven shepherds against him,
even eight significant men.
6 The shepherds[dm] will devastate the land of Assyria with the sword,
along with the entrances to the land of Nimrod.
“This is how he will vanquish[dn] Assyria
when he invades our land,
trampling within our borders:
7 The survivors of Jacob will live among many nations,
as dew from the Lord,
as showers upon the grass.
They will look to no one,
and will place no hope in human beings.
8 The survivors of Jacob will live among the nations;
they will live among many nations,
like a lion among flocks of sheep,
who, if he passes through,
will trample and tear down
with no one to deliver.
9 You will turn your power[do] against your adversaries,
and all of your enemies will be cut down.”
God Removes Idolatry
10 “It will come about at that time,” declares the Lord,
“I will tear away your horses from you,
and I will destroy your chariots.
11 I will cut off the cities of your land,
and I will tear down all of your fortifications.
12 I will render your witchcraft powerless,[dp]
and mediums will no longer exist among you.
13 I will separate you from your carved images and sacred pillars,
and you no longer will worship
what you’ve made with your hands.
14 I will uproot your cultic gods[dq] from you,
and I will tear down your cities.
15 I will execute vengeance, anger, and fury
on the nations who do not obey.”
The Lord’s Indictment against Israel
6 Please hear what the Lord says:
“Get up and make your case before the mountains,
and let the hills listen to your voice.
2 Listen, you mountains, to the Lord’s argument!
Listen, you[dr] strong foundations of the earth,
because the Lord has a dispute with his people,
and he will set out his case before Israel.
3 “My people, what have I done to you,
and how have I offended you?
Answer me!
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and ransomed you from the house of slavery,
sending Moses, Aaron, and Miriam into your presence.
5 “My people, recall how king Balak of Moab deliberated,
and how Beor’s son Balaam counseled him from Shittim to Gilgal,
so that you may know the righteousness of the Lord.”
The Nature of True Righteousness
6 How am I to present myself in the Lord’s presence
and bow in the presence of the High God?
Should I present myself with burnt offerings,
with year-old calves?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
or with endless[ds] rivers of oil?
Am I to give my firstborn to pay for[dt] my rebellion,
the fruit of my body in exchange for[du] my soul?
8 He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good
and what the Lord is requiring from you—
to act with justice,
to treasure the Lord’s[dv] gracious love,
and to walk humbly in the company of your God.
A Call to Honest Business Practices
9 The voice of the Lord cries out to the city—
wisdom fears your name:
“Heed the rod, and the one who prepared it!
10 Are there still wicked treasures in the house of the wicked,
along with deceitful and abominable measuring standards?[dw]
11 Will I tolerate those who maintain deceptive standards[dx]
and who use deceitful weights in their business?[dy]
12 Her rich people are filled with violence,
and her inhabitants tell lies—
their tongues speak deceitfully!
13 “Therefore I will make you ill when I attack you;
I will bring you to ruin because of your offenses.
14 You’ll eat,
but you won’t have enough;
and hunger will be common among you.
You’ll horde things,
but you won’t save them,
and what you preserve
I’ll give over to the sword.
15 You’ll plant,
but you won’t reap.
You’ll crush the olive harvest,
but you’ll have no oil to anoint yourself.
You’ll tread out the grapes,
but you’ll never drink wine.
16 You keep Omri’s[dz] statutes
and observe the customs of the house of Ahab.
Because you live according to their advice,
I’ll make you desolate
and turn your[ea] inhabitants into an object of scorn.
Therefore you will bear the shame of my people.”
The Evil Behavior of the People
7 Poor me!
I feel like those who harvest summer fruit,
or like those who pick grapes—
there are no clusters to eat
or any fresh fruit that I want.
2 The faithful have died off,
and there is not one upright human being in the land.
They all stalk one another[eb] with lethal intent,
a man will even hunt his own brother with a net.
3 And speaking of evil,
they practice it eagerly—with both hands!
Both leader and judge demand a bribe,
the famous confess their perverted desires,
and they scheme together.
4 The best of them is like a thorn,
and their most upright like a hedge of thorns.
The day announced by[ec] your watchmen—
and by your own calculations—approaches.
Now it’s your time to be[ed] confused!
5 Don’t trust your friends,
don’t confide in a companion,
watch what you say to your wife.[ee]
6 The son disrespects his father,
the daughter rebels against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,
and a man’s enemies are the people of his own house.[ef]
Micah Looks to God
7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God who will deliver me.
My God will hear me.
8 Don’t be glad on my account, my enemy.
When I fall, I’ll get up.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord is a light for me.
9 I will endure the Lord’s anger—
since I have sinned against him—
until he takes over my defense,
administers justice on my behalf,
and brings me out to the light,
where I will gaze on his righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will observe it,
and shame will engulf the ones[eg] who asked me,
‘Where is the Lord your God?’
My own eyes will see them,[eh]
they[ei] will be trampled on like mud in the streets.
A Word of Restoration
11 When the time comes[ej] for rebuilding your walls,
that time[ek] will surely be extended.[el]
12 At that time[em] armies[en] will invade you from Assyria,
from Egyptian cities to the Euphrates[eo] River,
from sea to sea
and from mountain to mountain.
13 The land will become desolate
because of its inhabitants,
and as a result of their behavior.
14 Use your rod to shepherd your people,
the flock that belongs to you,
that lives alone in the forest of Carmel.
Let them find pasture in Bashan and Gilead,
as they did long ago.
15 As I did when[ep] you came out of the land of Egypt,
I will show you[eq] awesome things.
16 The nations will look on
and will be ashamed in spite of all their power;
they will cup their hands over their mouths,
and their ears will be deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a serpent;
they will crawl from their strongholds like snakes.
They will fear the Lord our God.
They will be terrified because of you.
Who is like God?
18 Is there any God like you,
forgiving iniquity,
passing over transgressions by the survivors who are your[er] heritage?[es]
He is not angry forever,
because he delights in gracious love.
19 He will again show us compassion;
he will subdue our iniquities.
You will hurl all their sins into the deepest sea.
20 You will remain true to Jacob,
and merciful to Abraham,
as you promised our ancestors long ago.
Nahum’s Vision
1 A pronouncement[et] about Nineveh: The record of the vision of Nahum[eu] from Elkosh.
The Lord’s Anger against Assyria
2 A jealous God, the Lord avenges.
The Lord avenges;
The Lord is an angry husband.
The Lord takes vengeance on his enemies,
reserving anger for his adversaries.
3 The Lord is slow to anger and powerful,
and he will never let the guilty[ev] go unpunished.
The Lord’s path is in the windstorm and hurricane;
thunderclouds are dust beneath his feet.
4 He rebukes the sea, and it evaporates;
he dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither,
while the flowers of Lebanon languish.
5 Mountains shake because of him,
and the hills melt.
The earth goes into upheaval at his presence,
as does the world with all of its inhabitants.
6 Who can stand before his fury?
And who can endure his fierce anger?
His displeasure pours out like fire,
and rocks are broken to pieces because of him.
The Lord’s Goodness in the Midst of Judgment
7 The Lord is good—
a refuge in troubled times.[ew]
He knows those who are confiding in him.
8 But with an overwhelming deluge he will bring utter desolation to Nineveh,[ex]
and his enemies he will pursue with darkness.
9 What are you scheming against the Lord?
He will bring about utter desolation—
adversity will not strike twice!
10 Indeed, while tangled as by a thorn bush,
while drunken as by a strong drink,
the Ninevites[ey] will be burned like dry straw.
11 Someone has left you who plans evil against the Lord.
He is a demonic counselor.[ez]
The Lord’s Rebuke to Assyria
12 This is what the Lord says:
“No matter how strong they are,[fa]
and no matter how numerous,
they will surely be annihilated[fb] and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,[fc]
I will do so no more.
13 Now I will break off Assyria’s[fd] yoke from you,
and tear apart your shackles.”
14 Now this is what the Lord has decreed about you, Nineveh:[fe]
“There will be no more children born[ff] to carry on your name.
I will cut out the graven and molten images from the temples of your gods.
I myself will dig your grave,
because you are vile.”
The Sure and Certain Deliverance of Judah
15 [fg]Look! There on the mountains!
The feet of the one who brings good news,
who broadcasts a message of peace.
Judah, celebrate your solemn festivals
and keep your vows,
because the wicked will never again invade you.
Nineveh[fh] will be[fi] completely eliminated!
The Coming Invasion of Nineveh
2 [fj]You are being attacked by advancing forces!
Guard your rampart!
Watch your roads![fk]
Prepare yourselves![fl]
Marshall your defenses![fm]
2 For the Lord will restore the glory of Jacob,
just as he will restore[fn] the glory of Israel,
although plunderers have devastated them,
vandalizing their vine branches.
3 The shields deployed by[fo] Israel’s[fp] elite forces are scarlet,
their valiant men are clothed in crimson.
When they are prepared,
the polished armament on their chariots will shine,
and lances will be brandished about ferociously.[fq]
4 Their chariots storm through the streets,
jostling each other along broad avenues.
They look like torches,
as they dart around like lightning.
5 He will remember to summon[fr] his finest troops.
They will stumble on their way,
hurrying over to Nineveh’s[fs] wall.
Their defensive shield is in place.
6 The river gates will be opened,
and the palace will collapse.
7 It has been determined:
The woman[ft] is unveiled and sent away,
her servant girls mourn.
Beating their breasts,
they whimper like doves.
8 Nineveh is a reservoir whose water is draining away.
“Wait! Wait!” they cry,[fu]
yet not even one person[fv] looks back.
9 Take the silver! Take the gold!
There is no end to the treasure—
fabulous riches of every imagination.
10 Nineveh[fw] is devastated, deserted, and desolate.
Her heart melts, her knees knock.
Every stomach is upset,
every face grows pale.[fx]
Nineveh: the Lion’s Den Destroyed
11 Where is this lion’s den?
Where is the place where the young lions fed,
where the lion and its mate walked with their young,
the place where they feared nothing?
12 This lion renders its prey to pieces to feed its whelps,
and strangles enough prey[fy] for its mate,
filling its lairs with prey
and its dens with rendered flesh.
13 “I am against you,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies,
“and I will send your chariots up in smoke.
A sword will devour your young lions,
I will eliminate your prey from the earth,
and the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard.”
The Coming Judgment of Nineveh
3 Woe to this city, contaminated with shed blood,
all full of lies and robberies—
it is[fz] never without victims!
2 The crack of whips
and the clamor of wheels!
The galloping horses
and the bounding chariots!
3 The cavalry attacks—
the flashing sword
and the glittering spear!
Many are the slain—
so many casualties!—
No end to bodies,
and the soldiers[ga] trip over the corpses.
4 Innumerable are the harlotries of this well-favored whore,
this mistress of witchcraft,
who enslaves nations through her fornication
and families through her sorcery.
God’s Decree against Nineveh
5 “Look, I am against you,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies,
“so I will pull up your dress over your face.
I will show your nakedness to the nations,
and your disgrace to the kingdoms.
6 I will hurl abominable filth upon you,
making you look foolish,
and making an example of you.
7 It will be that everyone who looks at you will run away, saying,
‘Nineveh has been violently overthrown!
Who will mourn for her?
Where will I find anyone to comfort you?’”
Thebes: an Example of God’s Justice
8 “Are you any better than Thebes,[gb]
which sits by the upper Nile, surrounded by water?
The sea was her defense,
the waters her wall of protection.[gc]
9 Sudan[gd] was her source of strength, along with Egypt—
there were no limits.
Put and the Libyans were her allies.
10 But she, too, was exiled—
she went into captivity!
Her young children were dashed to pieces
at every crossroad of their streets,
and her famous citizens were sold by lottery,
while all of her aristocrats were put in chains.
11 You will also become drunk.
You will disappear,
trying to hide from your enemies.
12 All your defenses are like fig trees with ripe early fruit—
when shaken, it falls right into the devourer’s mouth.
13 Look at your people—[ge]
they are women!
Your borders stand wide open to your enemies,
while fire consumes the bars of your gates.”
The Futility of Avoiding God’s Judgment
14 “Draw water, because a siege is coming![gf]
Strengthen your fortresses!
Make the clay good and strong!
Mix the mortar!
Go get your brick molds![gg]
15 In that place fire will consume you,
the sword will cut you down,
consuming you as locusts do.
Multiply yourself like locusts,
increase like swarming grasshoppers.
16 You added to your inventory of businessmen—
they number more than the stars of heaven.
The creeping locust sheds its skin and flies away.
17 Your imperial guards are like the swarming grasshopper;
your marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers,
settling in the stone walls on a chilly day.
The sun rises, and they flee away;
no one knows where they went.
18 Hey king of Assyria! Your shepherds are asleep
and your nobles are lying down!
Your people lie scattered on the mountains,
and there is no one to gather them together.
19 There is no healing for your injury—
your wound is fatal.
Everyone who hears about you will applaud,
because who hasn’t escaped your endless evil?”
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.