Nahum 1:1–3:19

The oracle ^aconcerning Nineveh. ^bThe book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

God’s Vengeance

²The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;

the Lord takes vengeance

and is fierce in ^cwrath.

The Lord takes vengeance against His foes; ^d

He is furious with His enemies. ^e

³The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;

the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished. ^f

His path is in the whirlwind and storm, ^g

and clouds are the dust beneath His feet. ^h

⁴He rebukes the sea so that it dries up,

and He makes all the rivers run dry. ⁱ

Bashan and Carmel wither; ^j

even the flower of Lebanon withers.

⁵The mountains quake before Him,

and the hills melt;

the earth trembles ^klat His presence—

the world and all who live in it. ^m

⁶Who can withstand His indignation?

Who can endure His burning anger? ⁿ

His wrath is poured out like fire, ^o

even rocks are shattered before Him.

Destruction of Nineveh

⁷The Lord is good,

a stronghold in a day of distress;

He cares for those who take refuge ^pin Him.

⁸But He will completely destroy Nineveh ^q

with an overwhelming flood, ^r

and He will chase His enemies into darkness.

⁹Whatever you ^splot against the Lord,

He will bring it to complete destruction; ^t

oppression will not rise up a second time.

¹⁰For they will be consumed

like entangled thorns, ^u

like the drink of a drunkard

and like straw that is fully dry. ^v

¹¹One has gone out from you, ^w

who plots evil against Yahweh,

and is a wicked counselor.

Promise of Judah’s Deliverance

¹²This is what the Lord says:

Though they are strong ^xand numerous,

they will still be mowed down,

and he ^ywill pass away.

Though I have afflicted you, ^za

I will afflict you no longer. ^b

¹³For I will now break off his yoke from you

and tear off your shackles.

The Assyrian King’s Demise

¹⁴The Lord has issued an order concerning you:

There will be no offspring

to carry on your name. ^cd

I will eliminate the carved idol and cast image

from the house of your gods; ^e

I will prepare your grave,

for you are contemptible.

^15fLook to the mountains—

the feet of one bringing good news ^g

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

2One who scatters is coming up against you. ^h

Man the fortifications!

Watch the road!

Brace ⁱyourself!

Summon all your strength! ^j

²For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob, ^k

yes, ^lthe majesty of Israel,

though ravagers have ravaged them ^m

and ruined their vine branches. ⁿ

³The shields of his ^owarriors are dyed red;

the valiant men are dressed in scarlet. ^p

The fittings of the chariot flash like fire ^q

on the day of its battle preparations,

and the spears are brandished.

⁴The chariots dash madly through the streets;

they rush around in the plazas.

They look like torches;

they dart back and forth like lightning.

⁵He gives orders to his officers;

they stumble as they advance.

They race to its wall;

the protective shield is set in place.

⁶The river gates are opened,

and the palace erodes away. ^r

⁷Beauty ^sis stripped, ^t

she is carried away;

her ladies-in-waiting moan

like the sound of doves, ^u

and beat their breasts. ^v

⁸Nineveh has been like a pool of water

from her first days, ^w

but they are fleeing.

“Stop! Stop!” they cry,

but no one turns back.

⁹“Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!” ^x

There is no end to the treasure,

an abundance of every precious thing. ^y

¹⁰Desolation, decimation, devastation!

Hearts melt, ^z

knees tremble, ^a

loins shake, ^b

every face grows pale! ^c

¹¹Where is the lions’ lair, ^d

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? ^e

¹²The 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. ^f

¹³Beware, I am against you. ^g

This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

I will make your chariots go up in smoke ^h

and the sword will devour your young lions. ⁱ

I will cut off your prey from the earth,

and the sound of your messengers

will never be heard again. ^j

Nineveh’s Downfall

3Woe to the city of blood, ^k

totally deceitful,

full of plunder,

never without prey. ^l

²The crack of the whip

and rumble of the wheel,

galloping horse

and jolting chariot! ^m

³Charging horseman,

flashing sword,

shining spear;

heaps of slain,

mounds of corpses, ⁿ

dead bodies without end ^o—

they stumble over their dead.

⁴Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute,

the attractive mistress of sorcery,

who betrays nations by her prostitution

and clans by her witchcraft, ^p

⁵I am against you. ^q

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. ^r

⁶I will throw filth on you

and treat you with contempt; ^s

I will make a spectacle of you.

⁷Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying, ^t

“Nineveh is devastated;

who will show sympathy to her?”

Where can I find anyone to comfort you?

⁸Are you better than Thebes ^uv

that sat along the Nile

with water surrounding her,

whose rampart was the sea,

the river ^wxher wall?

⁹Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength;

Put and Libya were among her ^yallies.

¹⁰Yet she became an exile;

she went into captivity.

Her children were also dashed to pieces ^z

at the head of every street.

They cast lots for her dignitaries, ^a

and all her nobles were bound in chains.

¹¹You ^balso will become drunk;

you will hide yourself. ^c

You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

¹²All your fortresses are fig trees

with figs that ripened first;

when shaken, they fall—

right into the mouth of the eater!

¹³Look, 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.

¹⁴Draw water for the siege;

strengthen your fortresses.

Step into the clay and tread the mortar;

take hold of the brick-mold!

¹⁵The fire will devour you there;

the sword will cut you down.

It will devour you like the young locust. ^d

Multiply yourselves like the young locust,

multiply like the swarming locust!

¹⁶You have made your merchants ^e

more numerous than the stars of the sky.

The young locust strips ^fthe land

and flies away.

¹⁷Your 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.

¹⁸King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; ^g

your officers sleep.

Your people are scattered across the mountains ^h

with no one to gather them together. ⁱ

¹⁹There is no remedy for your injury;

your wound is severe. ^j

All who hear the news about you

will clap their hands because of you, ^k

for who has not experienced

your constant cruelty?