Nahum 1:1–8

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.