Nahum 1
Lexham English Bible
Superscription
1 The oracle concerning Nineveh—
the scroll of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:
Half-Acrostic: Yahweh Takes Vengeance against His Enemies
2 Yahweh is a jealous God and avenging;
Yahweh is avenging and full of wrath.[a]
Yahweh takes vengeance against his enemies;
he rages against his adversaries.
3 Yahweh is slow to anger but great in power;
he will certainly not allow the guilty to go unpunished.
He marches[b] in storm wind and in gale;
storm clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebukes the sea and he dries up the rivers;
he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither;[c]
the blossom of Lebanon languishes.
5 Mountains quake before him;
the hills shake apart.[d]
The earth heaves before him—
the world and all her inhabitants.
6 His indignation—who can stand before it?
Who can endure his fierce anger?[e]
His wrath is poured out like fire;
rocks are shattered before[f] him.
7 Yahweh is good—a refuge in the day of distress;
he knows those who take refuge in him.
8 But with a rushing torrent he will bring Nineveh to an end;
he will chase his enemies into darkness.
Yahweh Will Destroy Nineveh
9 What[g] do you plot against Yahweh?
He will completely destroy it;[h]
trouble will not rise up a second time!
10 For like entangled thorns,
and like their drink which is drunk,
they will be consumed like fully dry chaff.
11 From you goes out one who plots evil against Yahweh,
one who plans wickedness.
Yahweh Will Deliver Judah and Destroy Nineveh
12 Yahweh says this:
“Even though they are powerful and likewise many,
even so they will be cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,[i]
I will afflict you[j] no longer.
13 And now, I will break his yoke from upon you;
I will snap your bonds.”
14 Yahweh has commanded concerning you:
“Your name will no longer be sown.
I will cut off the idols and images[k] from the temple[l] of your gods;
I will send you to the grave[m] because you are worthless.”
15 [n] Look! On the mountains!
The feet of the one who brings good tidings,
the one who proclaims peace!
“Celebrate a festival, O Judah,
Fulfill your vows!
For he will not invade you again;
the wicked one is cut off completely!”
Footnotes
- Nahum 1:2 Literally “a lord of wrath”
- Nahum 1:3 Literally “His path”
- Nahum 1:4 MT reads “languishes,” but the versions reflect “withers,” which also restores the acrostic
- Nahum 1:5 Or “melt”
- Nahum 1:6 Literally “the heat of his anger”
- Nahum 1:6 Or “by”
- Nahum 1:9 Or “Why …?”
- Nahum 1:9 Literally “he will make a complete destruction”
- Nahum 1:12 That is, Judah
- Nahum 1:12 That is, Judah
- Nahum 1:14 Literally “the idols and the molten idols”
- Nahum 1:14 Literally “house”
- Nahum 1:14 Literally “I will make your grave”
- Nahum 1:15 Nahum 1:15–2:13 in the English Bible is 2:1–14 in the Hebrew Bible
Nahum 1
New Living Translation
1 This message concerning Nineveh came as a vision to Nahum, who lived in Elkosh.
The Lord’s Anger against Nineveh
2 The 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!
3 The 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.
4 At 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.
5 In his presence the mountains quake,
and the hills melt away;
the earth trembles,
and its people are destroyed.
6 Who 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.
7 The Lord is good,
a strong refuge when trouble comes.
He is close to those who trust in him.
8 But he will sweep away his enemies[a]
in an overwhelming flood.
He will pursue his foes
into the darkness of night.
9 Why are you scheming against the Lord?
He will destroy you with one blow;
he won’t need to strike twice!
10 His enemies, tangled like thornbushes
and staggering like drunks,
will be burned up like dry stubble in a field.
11 Who is this wicked counselor of yours
who plots evil against the Lord?
12 This 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.
13 Now I will break the yoke of bondage from your neck
and tear off the chains of Assyrian oppression.”
14 And 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 [b]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!
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
