Nahum 1:1–3:19

This is the message for the city of Nineveh. ⁿ This is the book of the vision of Nahum, who was from the town of Elkosh.

The Lord Is Angry with Nineveh

²The Lord is a jealous God who punishes;

the Lord punishes and is filled with anger.

The Lord punishes those who are against him,

and he stays angry with his enemies.

³The Lord does not become angry quickly,

and his power is great.

The Lord will not let the guilty go unpunished.

Where the Lord goes, there are whirlwinds and storms,

and the clouds are the dust beneath his feet.

⁴He speaks to the sea and makes it dry;

he dries up all the rivers.

The areas of Bashan and Carmel dry up,

and the flowers of Lebanon dry up.

⁵The mountains shake in front of him,

and the hills melt.

The earth trembles when he comes;

the world and all who live in it shake with fear.

⁶No one can stay alive when he is angry;

no one can survive his strong anger.

His anger is poured out like fire;

the rocks are smashed by him.

⁷The Lord is good,

giving protection in times of trouble.

He knows who trusts in him.

⁸But like a rushing flood,

he will completely destroy Nineveh;

he will chase his enemies until he kills them.

⁹The Lord will completely destroy

anyone making plans against him.

Trouble will not come a second time.

¹⁰Those people will be like tangled thorns

or like people drunk from their wine;

they will be burned up quickly like dry weeds.

¹¹Someone has come from Nineveh

who makes evil plans against the Lord

and gives wicked advice.

¹²This is what the Lord says:

“Although Assyria is strong and has many people,

it will be defeated and brought to an end.

Although I have made you suffer, Judah,

I will make you suffer no more.

¹³Now I will free you from their control

and tear away your chains.”

¹⁴The Lord has given you this command, Nineveh:

“You will not have descendants to carry on your name.

I will destroy the idols and metal images

that are in the temple of your gods.

I will make a grave for you,

because you are wicked.”

¹⁵Look, there on the hills,

someone is bringing good news!

He is announcing peace!

Celebrate your feasts, people of Judah,

and give your promised sacrifices to God.

The wicked will not come to attack you again;

they have been completely destroyed.

Nineveh Will Be Defeated

2The destroyer ⁿ is coming to attack you, Nineveh.

Guard the defenses.

Watch the road.

Get ready.

Gather all your strength!

²Destroyers have destroyed God’s people

and ruined their vines,

but the Lord will bring back Jacob’s greatness

like Israel’s greatness.

³The shields of his soldiers are red;

the army is dressed in red.

The metal on the chariots flashes like fire

when they are ready to attack;

their horses are excited.

⁴The chariots race through the streets

and rush back and forth through the city squares.

They look like torches;

they run like lightning.

⁵He ⁿ calls his officers,

but they stumble on the way.

They hurry to the city wall,

and the shield is put into place.

⁶The river gates are thrown open,

and the palace is destroyed.

⁷It has been announced that the people of Nineveh

will be captured and carried away.

The slave girls moan like doves

and beat their breasts, because they are sad.

⁸Nineveh is like a pool,

and now its water is draining away.

“Stop! Stop!” the people yell,

but no one turns back.

⁹Take the silver!

Take the gold!

There is no end to the treasure—

piles of wealth of every kind.

¹⁰Nineveh is robbed, ruined, and destroyed.

The people lose their courage, and their knees knock.

Stomachs ache, and everyone’s face grows pale.

¹¹Where is the lions’ ⁿ den

and the place where they feed their young?

Where did the lion, lioness, and cubs go

without being afraid?

¹²The lion killed enough for his cubs,

enough for his mate.

He filled his cave with the animals he caught;

he filled his den with meat he had killed.

¹³“I am against you, Nineveh,”

says the Lord All-Powerful.

“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,

and the sword will kill your young lions.

I will stop you from hunting down others on the earth,

and your messengers’ voices

will no longer be heard.”

It Will Be Terrible for Nineveh

3How terrible it will be for the city that has killed so many.

It is full of lies

and goods stolen from other countries.

It is always killing somebody.

²Hear the sound of whips

and the noise of the wheels.

Hear horses galloping

and chariots bouncing along!

³Horses are charging,

swords are shining,

spears are gleaming!

Many are dead;

their bodies are piled up—

too many to count.

People stumble over the dead bodies.

⁴The city was like a prostitute;

she was charming and a lover of magic.

She made nations slaves with her prostitution

and her witchcraft.

⁵“I am against you, Nineveh,” says the Lord All-Powerful.

“I will pull your dress up over your face

and show the nations your nakedness

and the kingdoms your shame.

⁶I will throw filthy garbage on you

and make a fool of you.

I will make people stare at you.

⁷Everyone who sees you will run away and say,

‘Nineveh is in ruins. Who will cry for her?’

Nineveh, where will I find anyone to comfort you?”

⁸You are no better than Thebes, ⁿ

who sits by the Nile River

with water all around her.

The river was her defense;

the waters were like a wall around her.

⁹Cush and Egypt gave her endless strength;

Put and Libya supported her.

¹⁰But Thebes was captured

and went into captivity.

Her small children were beaten to death

at every street corner.

Lots were thrown for her important men,

and all of her leaders were put in chains.

¹¹Nineveh, you will be drunk, too.

You will hide;

you will look for a place safe from the enemy.

¹²All your defenses are like fig trees with ripe fruit.

When the tree is shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater.

¹³Look at your soldiers.

They are all women!

The gates of your land

are wide open for your enemies;

fire has burned the bars of your gates.

¹⁴Get enough water before the long war begins.

Make your defenses strong!

Get mud,

mix clay,

make bricks!

¹⁵There the fire will burn you up.

The sword will kill you;

like grasshoppers eating crops, the battle will completely destroy you.

Grow in number like hopping locusts;

grow in number like swarming locusts!

¹⁶Your traders are more than the stars in the sky,

but like locusts, they strip the land and then fly away.

¹⁷Your guards are like locusts.

Your officers are like swarms of locusts

that hang on the walls on a cold day.

When the sun comes up, they fly away,

and no one knows where they have gone.

¹⁸King of Assyria, your rulers are asleep;

your important men lie down to rest.

Your people have been scattered on the mountains,

and there is no one to bring them back.

¹⁹Nothing can heal your wound;

your injury will not heal.

Everyone who hears about you applauds,

because everyone has felt your endless cruelty.