Nahum 1–2

1The ¹burden ^aagainst Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

God’s Wrath on His Enemies

²God is ^bjealous, and the Lord avenges;

The Lord avenges and is furious.

The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries,

And He reserves wrath for His enemies;

³The Lord is ^cslow to anger and ^dgreat in power,

And will not at all acquit the wicked.

^eThe Lord has His way

In the whirlwind and in the storm,

And the clouds are the dust of His feet.

^4fHe rebukes the sea and makes it dry,

And dries up all the rivers.

^gBashan and Carmel wither,

And the flower of Lebanon wilts.

⁵The mountains quake before Him,

The hills melt,

And the earth ²heaves at His presence,

Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.

⁶Who can stand before His indignation?

And ^hwho can endure the fierceness of His anger?

His fury is poured out like fire,

And the rocks are thrown down by Him.

⁷ⁱThe Lord is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble;

And ^jHe knows those who trust in Him.

⁸But with an overflowing flood

He will make an utter end of its place,

And darkness will pursue His enemies.

^9kWhat do you ³conspire against the Lord?

^lHe will make an utter end of it.

Affliction will not rise up a second time.

¹⁰For while tangled ^mlike thorns,

ⁿAnd while drunken like drunkards,

^oThey shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.

¹¹From you comes forth one

Who plots evil against the Lord,

A ⁴wicked counselor.

¹²Thus says the Lord:

“Though they are ⁵safe, and likewise many,

Yet in this manner they will be ^pcut down

When he passes through.

Though I have afflicted you,

I will afflict you no more;

¹³For now I will break off his yoke from you,

And burst your bonds apart.”

¹⁴The Lord has given a command concerning you:

⁶“Your name shall be perpetuated no longer.

Out of the house of your gods

I will cut off the carved image and the molded image.

I will dig your ^qgrave,

For you are ^rvile.” ⁷

¹⁵Behold, on the mountains

The ^sfeet of him who brings good tidings,

Who proclaims peace!

O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,

Perform your vows.

For the ⁸wicked one shall no more pass through you;

He is ^tutterly cut off.

The Destruction of Nineveh

2He ¹who scatters has come up before your face.

Man the fort!

Watch the road!

Strengthen your flanks!

Fortify your power mightily.

²For the Lord will restore the excellence of Jacob

Like the excellence of Israel,

For the emptiers have emptied them out

And ruined their vine branches.

³The shields of his mighty men are made red,

The valiant men are in scarlet.

The chariots come with flaming torches

In the day of his preparation,

And ²the spears are brandished.

⁴The chariots rage in the streets,

They jostle one another in the broad roads;

They seem like torches,

They run like lightning.

⁵He remembers his nobles;

They stumble in their walk;

They make haste to her walls,

And the defense is prepared.

⁶The gates of the rivers are opened,

And the palace is dissolved.

⁷³It is decreed:

She shall be led away captive,

She shall be brought up;

And her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves,

Beating their breasts.

⁸Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,

Now they flee away.

⁴“Halt! Halt!” they cry;

But no one turns back.

⁹⁵Take spoil of silver!

Take spoil of ^agold!

There is no end of treasure,

Or wealth of every desirable prize.

¹⁰She is empty, desolate, and waste!

The heart melts, and the knees shake;

Much pain is in every side,

And all their faces ⁶are drained of color.

¹¹Where is the dwelling of the ^blions,

And the feeding place of the young lions,

Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub,

And no one made them afraid?

¹²The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs,

⁷Killed for his lionesses,

^cFilled his caves with prey,

And his dens with ⁸flesh.

¹³“Behold, ^dI am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn ⁹your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your ^emessengers shall be heard no more.”