Nahum 3

Nineveh’s Complete Ruin

11Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage; Her prey never departs.2The 2noise of the whip, The noise of the rattling of the wheel, Galloping horses And 3bounding chariots!3Horsemen charging, Swords flashing, 4spears gleaming, 5Many slain, a mass of corpses, And 67countless dead bodies-- They stumble over 8the dead bodies!4All because of the 9many harlotries of the harlot, The charming one, the 10mistress of sorceries, Who 11sells nations by her harlotries And families by her sorceries.5“Behold, 12I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts; “And I will 1314lift up your skirts over your face, And 15show to the nations your nakedness And to the kingdoms your disgrace.6I will 16throw 17filth on you And 18make you vile, And set you up as a 19spectacle.7And it will come about that all who see you Will 20shrink from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated! 21Who will grieve for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?”

8Are you better than 2223No-amon, Which was situated by the 24waters of the Nile, With water surrounding her, Whose rampart was 25the sea, Whose wall consisted of 26the sea?927Ethiopia was her might, And Egypt too, without limits. 28Put and 29Lubim were among 30her helpers.10Yet she 31became an exile, She went into captivity; Also her 32small children were dashed to pieces 33At the head of every street; They 34cast lots for her honorable men, And all her great men were bound with fetters.11You too will become 35drunk, You will be 36hidden. You too will search for a refuge from the enemy.12All your fortifications are 37fig trees with 3839ripe fruit-- When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.13Behold, your people are 40women in your midst! The gates of your land are 41opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars.1442Draw for yourself water for the siege! 43Strengthen your fortifications! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold!15There 44fire will consume you, The sword will cut you down; It will 45consume you as the locust does. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust, Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.16You have increased your 46traders more than the stars of heaven-- The creeping locust 47strips and flies away.17Your 4849guardsmen are like the swarming locust. Your 50marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers Settling in the stone walls on a cold day. The sun rises and they flee, And the place where they are is not known.18Your shepherds are 51sleeping, O 52king of Assyria; Your 53nobles are lying down. Your people are 54scattered on the mountains And there is no one to regather them.19There is 55no relief for your breakdown, Your 56wound is incurable. All who hear 57about you Will 58clap their hands over you, For on whom has not your evil passed continually?