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Nahum 2:3-3:19
New International Version
Nahum 2:3-3:19
New International Version
3 The shields of the soldiers are red;
the warriors are clad in scarlet.(A)
The metal on the chariots flashes
on the day they are made ready;
the spears of juniper are brandished.[a]
4 The chariots(B) 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(C) on their way.
They dash to the city wall;
the protective shield is put in place.
6 The river gates(D) are thrown open
and the palace collapses.
7 It is decreed[b] that Nineveh
be exiled and carried away.
Her female slaves moan(E) like doves
and beat on their breasts.(F)
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,(G) knees give way,
bodies tremble, every face grows pale.(H)
11 Where now is the lions’ den,(I)
the place where they fed their young,
where the lion and lioness went,
and the cubs, with nothing to fear?
12 The lion killed(J) enough for his cubs
and strangled the prey for his mate,
filling his lairs(K) with the kill
and his dens with the prey.(L)
13 “I am against(M) you,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,(N)
and the sword(O) will devour your young lions.
I will leave you no prey on the earth.
The voices of your messengers
will no longer be heard.”(P)
Woe to Nineveh
3 Woe to the city of blood,(Q)
full of lies,(R)
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(S)—
4 all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute,
alluring, the mistress of sorceries,(T)
who enslaved nations by her prostitution(U)
and peoples by her witchcraft.
5 “I am against(V) you,” declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will lift your skirts(W) over your face.
I will show the nations your nakedness(X)
and the kingdoms your shame.
6 I will pelt you with filth,(Y)
I will treat you with contempt(Z)
and make you a spectacle.(AA)
7 All who see you will flee(AB) from you and say,
‘Nineveh(AC) is in ruins(AD)—who will mourn for her?’(AE)
Where can I find anyone to comfort(AF) you?”
8 Are you better than(AG) Thebes,(AH)
situated on the Nile,(AI)
with water around her?
The river was her defense,
the waters her wall.
9 Cush[c](AJ) and Egypt were her boundless strength;
Put(AK) and Libya(AL) were among her allies.
10 Yet she was taken captive(AM)
and went into exile.
Her infants were dashed(AN) to pieces
at every street corner.
Lots(AO) were cast for her nobles,
and all her great men were put in chains.(AP)
11 You too will become drunk;(AQ)
you will go into hiding(AR)
and seek refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortresses are like fig trees
with their first ripe fruit;(AS)
when they are shaken,
the figs(AT) fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Look at your troops—
they are all weaklings.(AU)
The gates(AV) of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire has consumed the bars of your gates.(AW)
14 Draw water for the siege,(AX)
strengthen your defenses!(AY)
Work the clay,
tread the mortar,
repair the brickwork!
15 There the fire(AZ) will consume you;
the sword(BA) will cut you down—
they will devour you like a swarm of locusts.
Multiply like grasshoppers,
multiply like locusts!(BB)
16 You have increased the number of your merchants
till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky,
but like locusts(BC) they strip the land
and then fly away.
17 Your guards are like locusts,(BD)
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[d] slumber;(BE)
your nobles lie down to rest.(BF)
Your people are scattered(BG) on the mountains
with no one to gather them.
19 Nothing can heal you;(BH)
your wound is fatal.
All who hear the news about you
clap their hands(BI) at your fall,
for who has not felt
your endless cruelty?(BJ)
Footnotes
- Nahum 2:3 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac ready; / the horsemen rush to and fro.
- Nahum 2:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Nahum 3:9 That is, the upper Nile region
- Nahum 3:18 That is, rulers
Nahum 2:3-3:19
King James Version
Nahum 2:3-3:19
King James Version
3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
5 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.
9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid?
12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
3 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.
5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.
7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
8 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
12 All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.
14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.
15 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.
16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away.
17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.
19 There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?
New International Version (NIV) 
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