Nahum 3

Nineveh’s Complete Ruin

11Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage; Her prey does not leave.2The 2sound of the whip, The sound of the roar of the wheel, Galloping horses And 3bounding chariots!3Horsemen charging, Swords flashing, 4spears gleaming, 5Many killed, a mass of corpses, And there is 6no end to the dead bodies-- They stumble over 7the dead bodies!4All because of the 8many sexual acts of the prostitute, The charming one, the 9mistress of sorceries, Who 10sells nations by her sexual acts, And families by her sorceries.5“Behold, 11I am against you,” declares the Lord of armies; “And I will 1213lift up your skirts over your face, And 14show the nations your nakedness, And the kingdoms your shame.6I will 15throw filth on you And 16declare you worthless, And set you up as a 17spectacle.7And it will come about that all who see you Will 18shrink from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated! 19Who will have sympathy for her?’ Where shall I seek comforters for you?”

8Are you better than 2021No-amon, Which was situated by the 22canals of the Nile, With water surrounding her, Whose rampart was 23the sea, Whose wall consisted of 24the sea?925Ethiopia was her might, Egypt too, without limits. 26Put and 27Lubim were among 28her helpers.10Yet she 29became an exile, She went into captivity; Also her 30small children were smashed to pieces 31At the head of every street; They 32cast lots for her honorable men, And all her great men were bound with shackles.11You too will become 33drunk, You will be 34hidden. You too will search for a refuge from the enemy.12All your fortifications are 35fig trees with 3637ripe fruit-- When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.13Behold, your people are 38women in your midst! The gates of your land are 39opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars.1440Draw for yourself water for a siege! 41Strengthen your fortifications! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold!15There 42fire will consume you, The sword will cut you down; It will 43consume you as the creeping locust consumes a crop. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust, Multiply yourself like the migratory locust.16You have made your 44traders more numerous than the stars of heaven-- The creeping locust sheds its skin and flies away.17Your 45courtiers are like the migratory locust. Your 46officials are like a swarm of locusts Settling in the stone shelters on a cold day. The sun rises and they flee, And the place where they are is not known.18Your shepherds are 47sleeping, O 48king of Assyria; Your 49officers are lying down. Your people are 50scattered on the mountains And there is no one to gather them.19There is 51no relief for your collapse, Your 52wound is incurable. All who hear 53about you Will 54clap their hands over you, For upon whom has your evil not come continually?