Nahum 1–2

Chapter 1

This message concerning Nineveh came as a vision to Nahum, who lived in Elkosh.

The Lord’s Anger against Nineveh

²The Lord is a jealous God,

filled with vengeance and rage.

He takes revenge on all who oppose him

and continues to rage against his enemies!

³The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great,

and he never lets the guilty go unpunished.

He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm.

The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet.

⁴At his command the oceans dry up,

and the rivers disappear.

The lush pastures of Bashan and Carmel fade,

and the green forests of Lebanon wither.

⁵In his presence the mountains quake,

and the hills melt away;

the earth trembles,

and its people are destroyed.

⁶Who can stand before his fierce anger?

Who can survive his burning fury?

His rage blazes forth like fire,

and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence.

⁷The Lord is good,

a strong refuge when trouble comes.

He is close to those who trust in him.

⁸But he will sweep away his enemies

in an overwhelming flood.

He will pursue his foes

into the darkness of night.

⁹Why are you scheming against the Lord?

He will destroy you with one blow;

he won’t need to strike twice!

¹⁰His enemies, tangled like thornbushes

and staggering like drunks,

will be burned up like dry stubble in a field.

¹¹Who is this wicked counselor of yours

who plots evil against the Lord?

¹²This is what the Lord says:

“Though the Assyrians have many allies,

they will be destroyed and disappear.

O my people, I have punished you before,

but I will not punish you again.

¹³Now I will break the yoke of bondage from your neck

and tear off the chains of Assyrian oppression.”

¹⁴And this is what the Lord says concerning the Assyrians in Nineveh:

“You will have no more children to carry on your name.

I will destroy all the idols in the temples of your gods.

I am preparing a grave for you

because you are despicable!”

¹⁵ Look! A messenger is coming over the mountains with good news!

He is bringing a message of peace.

Celebrate your festivals, O people of Judah,

and fulfill all your vows,

for your wicked enemies will never invade your land again.

They will be completely destroyed!

Chapter 2

The Fall of Nineveh

¹Your enemy is coming to crush you, Nineveh.

Man the ramparts! Watch the roads!

Prepare your defenses! Call out your forces!

²Even though the destroyer has destroyed Judah,

the Lord will restore its honor.

Israel’s vine has been stripped of branches,

but he will restore its splendor.

³Shields flash red in the sunlight!

See the scarlet uniforms of the valiant troops!

Watch as their glittering chariots move into position,

with a forest of spears waving above them.

⁴The chariots race recklessly along the streets

and rush wildly through the squares.

They flash like firelight

and move as swiftly as lightning.

⁵The king shouts to his officers;

they stumble in their haste,

rushing to the walls to set up their defenses.

⁶The river gates have been torn open!

The palace is about to collapse!

⁷Nineveh’s exile has been decreed,

and all the servant girls mourn its capture.

They moan like doves

and beat their breasts in sorrow.

⁸Nineveh is like a leaking water reservoir!

The people are slipping away.

“Stop, stop!” someone shouts,

but no one even looks back.

⁹Loot the silver!

Plunder the gold!

There’s no end to Nineveh’s treasures—

its vast, uncounted wealth.

¹⁰Soon the city is plundered, empty, and ruined.

Hearts melt and knees shake.

The people stand aghast,

their faces pale and trembling.

¹¹Where now is that great Nineveh,

that den filled with young lions?

It was a place where people—like lions and their cubs—

walked freely and without fear.

¹²The lion tore up meat for his cubs

and strangled prey for his mate.

He filled his den with prey,

his caverns with his plunder.

¹³“I am your enemy!”

says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“Your chariots will soon go up in smoke.

Your young men will be killed in battle.

Never again will you plunder conquered nations.

The voices of your proud messengers will be heard no more.”