The Woe of Nineveh

3 Woe to the abloody city!

It is all full of lies and robbery.

Its 1victim never departs.

2 The noise of a whip

And the noise of rattling wheels,

Of galloping horses,

Of 2clattering chariots!

3 Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear.

There is a multitude of slain,

A great number of bodies,

Countless corpses—

They stumble over the corpses—

4 Because of the multitude of 3harlotries of the 4seductive harlot,

bThe mistress of sorceries,

Who sells nations through her harlotries,

And families through her sorceries.

5 “Behold, I am cagainst you,” says the Lord of hosts;

d“I will lift your skirts over your face,

I will show the nations your nakedness,

And the kingdoms your shame.

6 I will cast abominable filth upon you,

Make you evile, 5

And make you fa spectacle.

7 It shall come to pass that all who look upon you

gWill flee from you, and say,

h‘Nineveh is laid waste!

iWho will bemoan her?’

Where shall I seek comforters for you?”

8 jAre you better than kNo 6Amon

That was situated by the 7River,

That had the waters around her,

Whose rampart was the sea,

Whose wall was the sea?

9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength,

And it was boundless;

lPut and Lubim were 8your helpers.

10 Yet she was carried away,

She went into captivity;

mHer young children also were dashed to pieces

nAt the head of every street;

They ocast lots for her honorable men,

And all her great men were bound in chains.

11 You also will be pdrunk;

You will be hidden;

You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

12 All your strongholds are qfig trees with ripened figs:

If they are shaken,

They fall into the mouth of the eater.

13 Surely, ryour people in your midst are women!

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

Fire shall devour the sbars of your gates.

14 Draw your water for the siege!

tFortify your strongholds!

Go into the clay and tread the mortar!

Make strong the brick kiln!

15 There the fire will devour you,

The sword will cut you off;

It will eat you up like a ulocust.

Make yourself many—like the locust!

Make yourself many—like the swarming locusts!

16 You have multiplied your vmerchants more than the stars of heaven.

The locust plunders and flies away.

17 wYour commanders are like swarming locusts,

And your generals like great grasshoppers,

Which camp in the hedges on a cold day;

When the sun rises they flee away,

And the place where they are is not known.

18 xYour shepherds slumber, O yking of Assyria;

Your nobles rest in the dust.

Your people are zscattered on the mountains,

And no one gathers them.

19 Your injury has no healing,

aYour wound is severe.

bAll who hear news of you

Will clap their hands over you,

For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?