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Nahum 1-3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.(A)

The Consuming Wrath of God

2 A jealous and avenging God is the Lord;
    the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
    and prolongs it against his enemies.(B)
3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power,
    and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.

His way is in whirlwind and storm,
    and the clouds are the dust of his feet.(C)
4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,
    and he dries up all the rivers;
Bashan and Carmel wither,
    and the bloom of Lebanon fades.
5 The mountains quake before him,
    and the hills melt;
the earth heaves before him,
    the world and all who live in it.(D)

6 Who can stand before his indignation?
    Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
    and by him the rocks are broken in pieces.(E)
7 The Lord is good,
    a stronghold in a day of trouble;
he protects those who take refuge in him,
8     even in a rushing flood.
He will make a full end of his adversaries[a]
    and will pursue his enemies into darkness.(F)
9 Why do you plot against the Lord?
    He will make an end;
    no adversary will rise up twice.(G)
10 Like thorns they are entangled;
    like drunkards they are drunk;
    they are consumed like dry straw.(H)
11 From you one has gone out
    who plots evil against the Lord,
    one who counsels wickedness.(I)

Good News for Judah

12 Thus says the Lord:
Though they are at full strength and many,[b]
    they will be cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
    I will afflict you no more.(J)
13 And now I will break off his yoke from you
    and snap the bonds that bind you.(K)

14 The Lord has commanded concerning you:
    Your name shall be perpetuated no longer;
from the house of your gods I will cut off
    the carved image and the cast image.
I will prepare your grave, for you are worthless.(L)

15 [c]Look! On the mountains the feet of one
    who brings good tidings,
    who proclaims peace!
Celebrate your festivals, O Judah;
    fulfill your vows,
for never again shall the wicked invade you;
    they are utterly cut off.(M)

The Destruction of the Wicked City

2 A scatterer has come up against you.
    Guard the ramparts;
    watch the road;
gird your loins;
    collect all your strength.(N)

2 (For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob,
    as well as the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
    and ruined their branches.)(O)

3 The shields of his warriors are red;
    his soldiers are clothed in crimson.
The metal on the chariots flashes
    on the day when he musters them;
    the chargers[d] prance.(P)
4 The chariots race madly through the streets;
    they rush to and fro through the squares;
their appearance is like torches;
    they dart like lightning.(Q)
5 He calls his officers;
    they stumble as they come forward;
they hasten to the wall,
    and the screen[e] is set up.
6 The river gates are opened;
    the palace trembles.
7 It is decreed[f] that the city[g] be exiled,
    its slave women led away,
moaning like doves
    and beating their breasts.(R)
8 Nineveh is like a pool
    whose waters[h] run away.
“Halt! Halt!”—
    but no one turns back.(S)
9 “Plunder the silver;
    plunder the gold!
There is no end of treasure!
    An abundance of every precious thing!”

10 Devastation, desolation, and destruction!
    Hearts faint and knees tremble;
all loins quake;
    all faces grow pale!(T)
11 What became of the lions’ den,
    the cave of the young lions,
where the lion goes,
    and the lion’s cubs, with no one to disturb them?(U)
12 The lion has torn enough for his whelps
    and strangled prey for his lionesses;
he has filled his caves with prey
    and his dens with torn flesh.(V)

13 See, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your[i] chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.(W)

Ruin Imminent and Inevitable

3 Woe, city of bloodshed,
    utterly deceitful, full of plunder—
    no end to the prey!(X)
2 The crack of whip and rumble of wheel,
    galloping horse and bounding chariot!(Y)
3 Horsemen charging,
    flashing sword and glittering spear,
piles of dead,
    heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
    they stumble over the bodies!(Z)
4 Because of the countless debaucheries of the prostitute,
    gracefully alluring, mistress of sorcery,
who enslaves[j] nations through her debaucheries
    and peoples through her sorcery,(AA)
5 I am against you,
    says the Lord of hosts,
    and will lift up your skirts over your face,
and I will let nations look on your nakedness
    and kingdoms on your shame.(AB)
6 I will throw filth at you
    and treat you with contempt
    and make you a spectacle.(AC)
7 Then all who see you will shrink from you and say,
“Nineveh is devastated; who will bemoan her?”
    Where shall I seek comforters for you?(AD)

8 Are you better than Thebes[k]
    that sat by the Nile,
with water around her,
    her rampart a sea,
    water her wall?(AE)
9 Cush was her strength,
    Egypt, too, and that without limit;
    Put and the Libyans were her[l] helpers.(AF)

10 Yet she became an exile;
    she went into captivity;
even her infants were dashed in pieces
    at the head of every street;
lots were cast for her nobles;
    all her dignitaries were bound in fetters.(AG)
11 You also will be drunken;
    you will go into hiding;[m]
you will seek
    a refuge from the enemy.(AH)
12 All your fortresses are like fig trees
    with first-ripe figs—
if shaken they fall
    into the mouth of the eater.(AI)
13 Look at your troops:
    they are women in your midst.
The gates of your land
    are wide open to your foes;
    fire has devoured the bars of your gates.(AJ)

14 Draw water for the siege;
    strengthen your forts;
trample the clay;
    tread the mortar;
    take hold of the brick mold!
15 There the fire will devour you;
    the sword will cut you off.
    It will devour you like the locust.

Multiply yourselves like the locust;
    multiply like the grasshopper!(AK)
16 You increased your merchants
    more than the stars of the heavens.
    The locust sheds its skin and flies away.
17 Your guards are like grasshoppers,
    your scribes like swarms[n] of locusts
settling on the fences
    on a cold day—
when the sun rises, they fly away;
    no one knows where they have gone.

18 Your shepherds are asleep,
    O king of Assyria;
    your nobles slumber.
Your people are scattered on the mountains
    with no one to gather them.(AL)
19 There is no assuaging your hurt;
    your wound is mortal.
All who hear the news about you
    clap their hands over you.
For who has ever escaped
    your endless cruelty?(AM)

Footnotes

  1. 1.8 Gk: Heb of her place
  2. 1.12 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  3. 1.15 2.1 in Heb
  4. 2.3 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb cypresses
  5. 2.5 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  6. 2.7 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  7. 2.7 Heb it
  8. 2.8 Cn Compare Gk: Heb a pool, from the days that she has become, and they
  9. 2.13 Heb her
  10. 3.4 Heb sells
  11. 3.8 Or No-amon
  12. 3.9 Gk Syr: Heb your
  13. 3.11 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  14. 3.17 Meaning of Heb uncertain
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Nahum 1-3
New International Version

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

The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh

2 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)
3 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.
4 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.
5 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)
6 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.

7 The Lord is good,(X)
    a refuge in times of trouble.(Y)
He cares for(Z) those who trust in him,(AA)
8     but with an overwhelming flood(AB)
he will make an end of Nineveh;
    he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.

9 Whatever they plot(AC) against the Lord
    he will bring[a] to an end;
    trouble will not come a second time.
10 They will be entangled among thorns(AD)
    and drunk(AE) from their wine;
    they will be consumed like dry stubble.[b](AF)
11 From you, Nineveh, has one come forth
    who plots evil against the Lord
    and devises wicked plans.

12 This is what the Lord says:

“Although they have allies and are numerous,
    they will be destroyed(AG) and pass away.
Although I have afflicted you, Judah,
    I will afflict you no more.(AH)
13 Now I will break their yoke(AI) from your neck
    and tear your shackles away.”(AJ)

14 The Lord has given a command concerning you, Nineveh:
    “You will have no descendants to bear your name.(AK)
I will destroy the images(AL) and idols
    that are in the temple of your gods.
I will prepare your grave,(AM)
    for you are vile.”

15 Look, there on the mountains,
    the feet of one who brings good news,(AN)
    who proclaims peace!(AO)
Celebrate your festivals,(AP) Judah,
    and fulfill your vows.
No more will the wicked invade you;(AQ)
    they will be completely destroyed.[c]

Nineveh to Fall

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

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

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

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

11 Where now is the lions’ den,(BC)
    the place where they fed their young,
where the lion and lioness went,
    and the cubs, with nothing to fear?
12 The lion killed(BD) enough for his cubs
    and strangled the prey for his mate,
filling his lairs(BE) with the kill
    and his dens with the prey.(BF)

13 “I am against(BG) you,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,(BH)
    and the sword(BI) will devour your young lions.
    I will leave you no prey on the earth.
The voices of your messengers
    will no longer be heard.”(BJ)

Woe to Nineveh

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

5 “I am against(BP) you,” declares the Lord Almighty.
    “I will lift your skirts(BQ) over your face.
I will show the nations your nakedness(BR)
    and the kingdoms your shame.
6 I will pelt you with filth,(BS)
    I will treat you with contempt(BT)
    and make you a spectacle.(BU)
7 All who see you will flee(BV) from you and say,
    ‘Nineveh(BW) is in ruins(BX)—who will mourn for her?’(BY)
    Where can I find anyone to comfort(BZ) you?”

8 Are you better than(CA) Thebes,(CB)
    situated on the Nile,(CC)
    with water around her?
The river was her defense,
    the waters her wall.
9 Cush[g](CD) and Egypt were her boundless strength;
    Put(CE) and Libya(CF) were among her allies.
10 Yet she was taken captive(CG)
    and went into exile.
Her infants were dashed(CH) to pieces
    at every street corner.
Lots(CI) were cast for her nobles,
    and all her great men were put in chains.(CJ)
11 You too will become drunk;(CK)
    you will go into hiding(CL)
    and seek refuge from the enemy.

12 All your fortresses are like fig trees
    with their first ripe fruit;(CM)
when they are shaken,
    the figs(CN) fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Look at your troops—
    they are all weaklings.(CO)
The gates(CP) of your land
    are wide open to your enemies;
    fire has consumed the bars of your gates.(CQ)

14 Draw water for the siege,(CR)
    strengthen your defenses!(CS)
Work the clay,
    tread the mortar,
    repair the brickwork!
15 There the fire(CT) will consume you;
    the sword(CU) will cut you down—
    they will devour you like a swarm of locusts.
Multiply like grasshoppers,
    multiply like locusts!(CV)
16 You have increased the number of your merchants
    till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky,
but like locusts(CW) they strip the land
    and then fly away.
17 Your guards are like locusts,(CX)
    your officials like swarms of locusts
    that settle in the walls on a cold day—
but when the sun appears they fly away,
    and no one knows where.

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

Footnotes

  1. Nahum 1:9 Or What do you foes plot against the Lord? / He will bring it
  2. Nahum 1:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  3. Nahum 1:15 In Hebrew texts this verse (1:15) is numbered 2:1.
  4. Nahum 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1-13 is numbered 2:2-14.
  5. Nahum 2:3 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac ready; / the horsemen rush to and fro.
  6. Nahum 2:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  7. Nahum 3:9 That is, the upper Nile region
  8. Nahum 3:18 That is, rulers
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