Nahum 2
New American Standard Bible
The Overthrow of Nineveh
2 [a]The one who (A)scatters has come up against [b]you.
Keep watch over the fortress, watch the road;
[c]Bind up your waist, [d]summon all your strength.
2 For the Lord will restore the (B)splendor of Jacob
(C)Like the splendor of Israel,
Even though destroyers have laid waste to them
And (D)ruined their vines.
3 The shields of [e]his warriors are dyed red,
The warriors are dressed in (E)scarlet,
The chariots are fitted with [f]flashing steel
[g]When he is prepared to march,
And the juniper (F)spears are brandished.
4 The (G)chariots drive wildly in the streets,
They rush around in the [h]public squares;
Their appearance is like torches,
They drive back and forth like lightning flashes.
5 He remembers his (H)officers;
They (I)stumble in their advance,
They hurry to her wall,
And the [i]mantelet is set up.
6 The gates of the rivers are opened
And the palace sways back and forth.
7 It is set:
She is stripped, she is led away,
And her slave women are (J)sobbing like the sound of doves,
(K)Beating their [j]breasts.
8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,
Yet they are fleeing;
“Stop, stop,”
But (L)no one turns back.
9 Plunder the silver,
Plunder the (M)gold!
For there is no end to the treasure—
Wealth from every kind of desirable object.
10 She is (N)emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste!
(O)Hearts are melting and knees wobbling!
Also trembling is in [k]the entire body,
And all their (P)faces have become pale!
11 Where is the den of the lions
And the feeding place of the (Q)young lions,
Where the lion, lioness, and lion’s cub went
With nothing to disturb them?
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs,
[l]Killed enough prey for his lionesses,
And filled his lairs with prey
And his dens with torn flesh.
13 “Behold, (R)I am against you,” declares the Lord of armies. “I will (S)burn up her chariots in smoke, and a sword will devour your young lions; I will (T)eliminate your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”
Footnotes
- Nahum 2:1 Ch 2:2 in Heb
- Nahum 2:1 Lit your face
- Nahum 2:1 Lit Strengthen your loins
- Nahum 2:1 Lit strengthen power greatly
- Nahum 2:3 I.e., those attacking Nineveh
- Nahum 2:3 Lit fire of steel
- Nahum 2:3 Lit On the day of his preparation
- Nahum 2:4 Lit broad places
- Nahum 2:5 I.e., a shield used for stopping projectiles
- Nahum 2:7 Lit hearts
- Nahum 2:10 Lit all the loins
- Nahum 2:12 Lit Strangled
Nahum 2
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Attack against Nineveh
2 One who scatters is coming up against you.
Man the fortifications!
Watch the road!
Brace[a] yourself!
Summon all your strength!(A)
2 For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob,
yes,[b] the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their vine branches.(B)
3 The shields of his[c] warriors are dyed red;
the valiant men are dressed in scarlet.(C)
The fittings of the chariot flash like fire
on the day of its battle preparations,
and the spears are brandished.
4 The chariots dash madly through the streets;
they rush around in the plazas.
They look like torches;
they dart back and forth like lightning.
5 He gives orders to his officers;
they stumble as they advance.
They race to its wall;
the protective shield is set in place.
6 The river gates are opened,
and the palace erodes away.(D)
7 Beauty[d] is stripped,[e]
she is carried away;
her ladies-in-waiting moan
like the sound of doves,(E)
and beat their breasts.
8 Nineveh has been like a pool of water
from her first days,[f]
but they are fleeing.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9 “Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!”
There is no end to the treasure,
an abundance of every precious thing.(F)
10 Desolation, decimation, devastation!
Hearts melt,(G)
knees tremble,
loins shake,
every face grows pale!(H)
11 Where is the lions’ lair,(I)
or the feeding ground of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness prowled,
and the lion’s cub,
with nothing to frighten them away?(J)
12 The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed
and strangled prey for its lionesses.
It filled up its dens with the kill,
and its lairs with mauled prey.(K)
13 Beware, I am against you.(L)
This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
I will make your chariots go up in smoke[g]
and the sword will devour your young lions.
I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the sound of your messengers
will never be heard again.
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