Nahum 1
King James Version
1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2 God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.
5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
9 What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.
11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor.
12 Thus saith the Lord; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.
13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.
14 And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
Nahum 1
New King James Version
God’s Mercy and Judgment
1 The [a]burden (A)against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
God’s Wrath on His Enemies
2 God is (B)jealous, 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;
3 The Lord is (C)slow to anger and (D)great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked.
(E)The Lord has His way
In the whirlwind and in the storm,
And the clouds are the dust of His feet.
4 (F)He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,
And dries up all the rivers.
(G)Bashan and Carmel wither,
And the flower of Lebanon wilts.
5 The mountains quake before Him,
The hills melt,
And the earth [b]heaves at His presence,
Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.
6 Who can stand before His indignation?
And (H)who can endure the fierceness of His anger?
His fury is poured out like fire,
And the rocks are thrown down by Him.
7 (I)The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And (J)He knows those who trust in Him.
8 But with an overflowing flood
He will make an utter end of its place,
And darkness will pursue His enemies.
9 (K)What do you [c]conspire against the Lord?
(L)He will make an utter end of it.
Affliction will not rise up a second time.
10 For while tangled (M)like thorns,
(N)And while drunken like drunkards,
(O)They shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.
11 From you comes forth one
Who plots evil against the Lord,
A [d]wicked counselor.
12 Thus says the Lord:
“Though they are [e]safe, and likewise many,
Yet in this manner they will be (P)cut down
When he passes through.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more;
13 For now I will break off his yoke from you,
And burst your bonds apart.”
14 The Lord has given a command concerning you:
[f]“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 (Q)grave,
For you are (R)vile.”[g]
15 Behold, on the mountains
The (S)feet of him who brings good tidings,
Who proclaims peace!
O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,
Perform your vows.
For the [h]wicked one shall no more pass through you;
He is (T)utterly cut off.
Footnotes
- Nahum 1:1 oracle, prophecy
- Nahum 1:5 Tg. burns
- Nahum 1:9 Or devise
- Nahum 1:11 Lit. counselor of Belial
- Nahum 1:12 Or at peace or complete
- Nahum 1:14 Lit. No more of your name shall be fruitful
- Nahum 1:14 Or contemptible
- Nahum 1:15 Lit. one of Belial
Nahum 1
Contemporary English Version
1 (A) I am Nahum from Elkosh.[a] And this is the message[b] that I wrote down about Nineveh.[c]
The Fierce Anger of the Lord
2 The Lord God demands loyalty.
In his anger, he takes revenge
on his enemies.
3 The Lord is powerful,
yet patient;
he makes sure that the guilty
are always punished.
He can be seen in storms
and in whirlwinds;
clouds are the dust from his feet.
4 At the Lord's command,
oceans and rivers dry up.
Bashan, Mount Carmel,
and Lebanon[d] wither,
and their flowers fade.
5 At the sight of the Lord,
mountains and hills
tremble and melt;
the earth and its people
shudder and shake.
6 Who can stand the heat
of his furious anger?
It flashes out like fire
and shatters stones.
The Power of Assyria Will Be Broken
7 The Lord is good.
He protects those who trust him
in times of trouble.
8 But like a roaring flood,
the Lord chases his enemies
into dark places
and destroys them.[e]
9 So don't plot against the Lord!
He wipes out his enemies,
and they never revive.
10 They are like drunkards
overcome by wine,
or like twisted thornbushes
burning in a fire.[f]
11 Assyria, one of your rulers
has made evil plans
against the Lord.
12 But the Lord says, “Assyria,
no matter how strong you are,
you will be cut down!
My people Judah,
I have troubled you before,
but I won't do it again.
13 I'll snap your chains
and set you free
from the Assyrians.”
14 Assyria, this is what else
the Lord says to you:
“Your name will be forgotten.
I will destroy every idol
in your temple,
and I will send you to the grave,
because you are worthless.”
15 (B) Look toward the mountains,
people of Judah!
Here comes a messenger
with good news of peace.
Celebrate your festivals.
Keep your promises to God.
Your evil enemies are destroyed
and will never again
invade your country.
Footnotes
- 1.1 Elkosh: The location of Elkosh is not known.
- 1.1 message: Or “vision.”
- 1.1 Nineveh: The capital of Assyria, the hated enemy of Israel.
- 1.4 Bashan, Mount Carmel, and Lebanon: Three regions noted for their trees and flowers.
- 1.8 the Lord chases his enemies … and destroys them: Or “the Lord chases Nineveh … and destroys her.”
- 1.10 fire: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
Nahum 1
Common English Bible
1 An oracle about Nineveh: the scroll containing the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
Power of the creator
2 The Lord is a jealous and vengeful God;
the Lord is vengeful and strong in wrath.
The Lord is vengeful against his foes;
he rages against his enemies.
3 The Lord is very patient but great in power;
the Lord punishes.
His way is in whirlwind and storm;
clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He can blast the sea and make it dry up;
he can dry up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither;
the bud of Lebanon withers.
5 The mountains quake because of him;
the hills melt away.
The earth heaves before him—
the world and all who dwell in it.
6 Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can confront the heat of his fury?
His wrath pours out like fire;
the rocks are shattered because of him.
7 The Lord is good,
a haven in a day of distress.
He acknowledges those who take refuge in him.
8 With a rushing flood, he will utterly destroy her[a] place
and pursue his enemies into darkness.
A challenge to God’s enemies
9 What are you plotting against the Lord?
He is one who can annihilate!
Distress will not arise twice.
10 They are tangled up like thorns,
like drunkards in their cups.
They are consumed like stubble
that is entirely dried up.
11 From you[b] goes out
one who plots evil against the Lord—
a worthless counselor!
Reassurance for God’s people
12 The Lord proclaims:
Though once they were a healthy and numerous force,
they have been cut off and have disappeared.
I have afflicted you;
I won’t afflict you further, Zion.[c]
13 Now I will break off his yoke from you
and tear off your chains.
Assyrian king’s future doom
14 The Lord has commanded concerning you:
You will have no children to carry on your name.
I will remove carved idol and cast image from the house of your gods;
I will make your grave, for you are worthless.
15 [d] Look, on the mountains: the feet of a messenger who announces peace!
Celebrate your festivals, Judah!
Fulfill your solemn promises!
The worthless one will never again invade you;
he has been completely cut off.
Footnotes
- Nahum 1:8 her; likely Nineveh
- Nahum 1:11 you (feminine singular); likely Nineveh
- Nahum 1:12 Heb lacks Zion.
- Nahum 1:15 2:1 in Heb
Nahum 1
New Century Version
1 This is the message for the city of Nineveh.[a] This is the book of the vision of Nahum, who was from the town of Elkosh.
The Lord Is Angry with Nineveh
2 The 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.
3 The 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.
4 He 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.
5 The 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.
6 No 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.
7 The Lord is good,
giving protection in times of trouble.
He knows who trusts in him.
8 But like a rushing flood,
he will completely destroy Nineveh;
he will chase his enemies until he kills them.
9 The Lord will completely destroy
anyone making plans against him.
Trouble will not come a second time.
10 Those people will be like tangled thorns
or like people drunk from their wine;
they will be burned up quickly like dry weeds.
11 Someone has come from Nineveh
who makes evil plans against the Lord
and gives wicked advice.
12 This 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.
13 Now I will free you from their control
and tear away your chains.”
14 The 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.”
15 Look, 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.
Footnotes
- 1:1 Nineveh The capital city of the country of Assyria. Nahum uses Nineveh to stand for all of Assyria.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.