Nahum 1–3

Superscription

1The oracle concerning Nineveh—

the scroll of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:

Half-Acrostic: Yahweh Takes Vengeance against His Enemies

²Yahweh is a jealous God and avenging;

Yahweh is avenging and full of wrath.^a

Yahweh takes vengeance against his enemies;

he rages against his adversaries.

³Yahweh is slow to anger but great in power;

and Yahweh will certainly not allow the guilty to go unpunished.

He marches^b in storm wind and in gale;

storm clouds are the dust of his feet.

⁴He rebukes the sea and he dries up the rivers;

he makes all the rivers run dry.

Bashan and Carmel wither;^c

the blossom of Lebanon languishes.

⁵Mountains quake before him;

the hills shake apart.^d

The earth heaves before him—

the world and all her inhabitants.

⁶His indignation—who can stand before it?

Who can endure his fierce anger?^e

His wrath is poured out like fire;

rocks are shattered before^f him.

⁷Yahweh is good—a refuge in the day of distress;

he knows those who take refuge in him.

⁸But with a rushing torrent he will bring Nineveh to an end;

he will chase his enemies into darkness.

Yahweh Will Destroy Nineveh

⁹What^g do you plot against Yahweh?

He will completely destroy it;^h

trouble will not rise up a second time!

¹⁰For like entangled thorns,

and like their drink which is drunk,

they will be consumed like fully dry chaff.

¹¹From you goes out one who plots evil against Yahweh,

one who plans wickedness.

Yahweh Will Deliver Judah and Destroy Nineveh

¹²Yahweh says this:

“Even though they are powerful and likewise many,

even so they will be cut off and pass away.

Though I have afflicted you,ⁱ

I will afflict you^j no longer.

¹³And now, I will break his yoke from upon you;

I will snap your bonds.”

¹⁴Yahweh has commanded concerning you:

“Your name will no longer be sown.

I will cut off the idols and images^k from the temple^l of your gods;

I will send you to the grave^m because you are worthless.”

¹⁵ⁿ Look! On the mountains!

The feet of the one who brings good tidings,

the one who proclaims peace!

“Celebrate your festivals, O Judah,

Fulfill your vows!

For he will not invade you again;

the wicked one is cut off completely!”

The Divine Warrior Will Attack Nineveh

2One who shatters^a has come up against you!

Guard the fortification!

Watch the road!^b

Gird your loins!

Muster^c all your strength!

²For Yahweh will restore the majesty of Jacob

like the majesty of Israel;

for ravagers have ravaged them

and ruined their branches.

The Enemy Army Conquers the City of Nineveh

³The shields of his warriors are dyed red;

The powerful men are dressed in scarlet.

The metal of the chariots^d shines like fire on the day of battle,^e

and their spears quiver.

⁴The chariots^f race madly through the streets;

they rush back and forth in the public squares.

Their appearance like lightning bolts,

they dart about like flashes of lightning.

⁵He calls his officers;

they stumble as they march;

they rush to her wall;

they set the covering^g in place.

⁶The gates of the river are opened;

the palace trembles.

⁷Her goddess is taken out and taken into exile;^h

her maidservants moan like doves;

they beat on their breasts.

⁸Nineveh is like a pool of water without its water.ⁱ

As they flee,^j she cries, “Stop! Stop!”

But there is no one who turns back.

⁹Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!

There is no end to the spoils,^k

an abundance of everything one could want!^l

¹⁰Emptiness and plundering and devastation!

Their hearts faint and their knees tremble,^m

All their loins shakeⁿ and all their faces turn^o pale.

The Divine Warrior Will Hunt down the Mighty Lions

¹¹Where now is the den of the lions

and the cave of the fierce lions?

There the lioness, the cub, and the lion once prowled,^p

and no one disturbed them.^q

¹²The lion tore apart enough prey for his cubs,

he strangled prey for his lioness;

he filled his lair^r with prey

and his den with mangled carcass.

¹³“Look! I am against you!” declares^s Yahweh of hosts.

“I will burn her chariots with fire;^t

the sword will devour fierce lions.

I will cut off your prey from the earth;

the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard.”

The Doom of the Wicked City is Certain

3Woe to the city that has shed much blood!^a

She is a deceiver,^b

She is filled with plunder,

She has hoarded her spoils of war.^c

²The crack of the whip!

The rumbling of the chariot wheel!

The galloping of the horse!

The racing of the chariot!

³Chariots charge!

Swords flash!

Spears glitter!

Many corpses are piled high!^d

There is no end to the slain!

They stumble over their dead!

Harlot Nineveh Will Get What She Deserves

⁴“Because of the many idolatries of the prostitute,

the beautiful charm of a mistress of witchcraft,

she who enslaves nations by her harlotries,

and peoples by her sorceries,

⁵“Look! I am against you!” declares^e Yahweh of hosts.

“I will strip up your skirts over your face;

I will let nations look at your nakedness, and kingdoms your shame.

⁶“I will throw filth upon you,

I will treat you with contempt,

I will make you a spectacle.

⁷“And it will be that everyone who sees you will flee from you,

And they^f will say, ‘Nineveh is destroyed!’

Who will mourn for her?

From whence shall I seek comforters for you?”

Nineveh Will Suffer the Same Fate She Inflicted on Thebes

⁸Are you better than Thebes?^g

She who sits at the Nile, surrounded by her waters,

her rampart was the sea and water was her wall.

⁹Cush was her strength, Egypt without end;

Put and Libya were among your allies.^h

¹⁰Yet she went into captivity as an exile;

her children were dashed to pieces at the head of all the streets.

They cast lots for her nobles;

all of her dignitaries were bound with chains.

¹¹You also will behave like a drunkard;

You also will hide yourself;

You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

Nineveh’s Defenses Will Fail

¹²All of your fortifications are like fig trees with ripe firstfruits—

if they are shaken, they will fall into the mouth of the eater.

¹³Look! Your troops are like women in your midst.

The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies;

fire will consume the bars of your gates.

¹⁴Draw water for a siege!

Strengthen your fortifications!

Go to the mud pit!

Trample the clay!

Grasp the brick mold!

¹⁵There fire will consume you;

the sword will cut you off.

It will consume you like the locust.

Nineveh’s Defenders Will Flee

Multiply yourself like the locust!

Multiply yourself like the grasshopper!

¹⁶You have increased your merchants more than the stars of heaven;

like the locust they will shed their skin and fly away.

¹⁷Your officials are like locusts;

your commanders are like a swarm of locusts.

They encamp on the walls on a cold day;

when the sun rises, they fly away—

no one knows where they have gone.

Nineveh Will Come to an End

¹⁸Your shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria!

Your nobles slumber.

Your people are scattered on the mountains;

no one can gather them.

¹⁹There is no healing for your wound;

your injury is fatal.

All who hear the report of you will clap their hands for joy concerning you,

For who has not suffered at the hands of your endless cruelty?ⁱ