A prophecy(A) concerning Nineveh.(B) The book of the vision(C) of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh

The Lord is a jealous(D) and avenging God;
    the Lord takes vengeance(E) and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
    and vents his wrath against his enemies.(F)
The Lord is slow to anger(G) but great in power;
    the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.(H)
His way is in the whirlwind(I) and the storm,(J)
    and clouds(K) are the dust of his feet.
He rebukes(L) the sea and dries it up;(M)
    he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel(N) wither
    and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
The mountains quake(O) before him
    and the hills melt away.(P)
The earth trembles(Q) at his presence,
    the world and all who live in it.(R)
Who can withstand(S) his indignation?
    Who can endure(T) his fierce anger?(U)
His wrath is poured out like fire;(V)
    the rocks are shattered(W) before him.

The Lord is good,(X)
    a refuge in times of trouble.(Y)
He cares for(Z) those who trust in him,(AA)

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Nineveh to Fall

[a]An attacker(A) advances against you, Nineveh.
    Guard the fortress,
    watch the road,
    brace yourselves,
    marshal all your strength!

The Lord will restore(B) the splendor(C) of Jacob
    like the splendor of Israel,
though destroyers have laid them waste
    and have ruined their vines.

The shields of the soldiers are red;
    the warriors are clad in scarlet.(D)
The metal on the chariots flashes
    on the day they are made ready;
    the spears of juniper are brandished.[b]
The chariots(E) storm through the streets,
    rushing back and forth through the squares.
They look like flaming torches;
    they dart about like lightning.

Nineveh summons her picked troops,
    yet they stumble(F) on their way.
They dash to the city wall;
    the protective shield is put in place.
The river gates(G) are thrown open
    and the palace collapses.
It is decreed[c] that Nineveh
    be exiled and carried away.
Her female slaves moan(H) like doves
    and beat on their breasts.(I)
Nineveh is like a pool
    whose water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
    but no one turns back.
Plunder the silver!
    Plunder the gold!
The supply is endless,
    the wealth from all its treasures!
10 She is pillaged, plundered, stripped!
    Hearts melt,(J) knees give way,
    bodies tremble, every face grows pale.(K)

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Footnotes

  1. Nahum 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1-13 is numbered 2:2-14.
  2. Nahum 2:3 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac ready; / the horsemen rush to and fro.
  3. Nahum 2:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Woe to Nineveh

Woe to the city of blood,(A)
    full of lies,(B)
full of plunder,
    never without victims!
The crack of whips,
    the clatter of wheels,
galloping horses
    and jolting chariots!
Charging cavalry,
    flashing swords
    and glittering spears!
Many casualties,
    piles of dead,
bodies without number,
    people stumbling over the corpses(C)
all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute,
    alluring, the mistress of sorceries,(D)
who enslaved nations by her prostitution(E)
    and peoples by her witchcraft.

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18 King of Assyria, your shepherds[a] slumber;(A)
    your nobles lie down to rest.(B)
Your people are scattered(C) on the mountains
    with no one to gather them.
19 Nothing can heal you;(D)
    your wound is fatal.
All who hear the news about you
    clap their hands(E) at your fall,
for who has not felt
    your endless cruelty?(F)

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Footnotes

  1. Nahum 3:18 That is, rulers

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it(A) is the Lord of heaven and earth(B) and does not live in temples built by human hands.(C) 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.(D) 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.(E) 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.(F) 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a](G) As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[b]

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.(H) 30 In the past God overlooked(I) such ignorance,(J) but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.(K) 31 For he has set a day when he will judge(L) the world with justice(M) by the man he has appointed.(N) He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”(O)

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 17:28 From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides
  2. Acts 17:28 From the Cilician Stoic philosopher Aratus

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