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Nahum 2 - Habakkuk 1
New King James Version
Nahum 2 - Habakkuk 1
New King James Version
The Destruction of Nineveh
2 He[a] who scatters has come up before your face.
Man the fort!
Watch the road!
Strengthen your flanks!
Fortify your power mightily.
2 For the Lord will restore the excellence of Jacob
Like the excellence of Israel,
For the emptiers have emptied them out
And ruined their vine branches.
3 The shields of his mighty men are made red,
The valiant men are in scarlet.
The chariots come with flaming torches
In the day of his preparation,
And [b]the spears are brandished.
4 The chariots rage in the streets,
They jostle one another in the broad roads;
They seem like torches,
They run like lightning.
5 He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their walk;
They make haste to her walls,
And the defense is prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers are opened,
And the palace is dissolved.
7 [c]It is decreed:
She shall be led away captive,
She shall be brought up;
And her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves,
Beating their breasts.
8 Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,
Now they flee away.
[d]“Halt! Halt!” they cry;
But no one turns back.
9 [e]Take spoil of silver!
Take spoil of (A)gold!
There is no end of treasure,
Or wealth of every desirable prize.
10 She is empty, desolate, and waste!
The heart melts, and the knees shake;
Much pain is in every side,
And all their faces [f]are drained of color.
11 Where is the dwelling of the (B)lions,
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub,
And no one made them afraid?
12 The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs,
[g]Killed for his lionesses,
(C)Filled his caves with prey,
And his dens with [h]flesh.
13 “Behold, (D)I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn [i]your 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 (E)messengers shall be heard no more.”
The Woe of Nineveh
3 Woe to the (F)bloody city!
It is all full of lies and robbery.
Its [j]victim never departs.
2 The noise of a whip
And the noise of rattling wheels,
Of galloping horses,
Of [k]clattering chariots!
3 Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear.
There is a multitude of slain,
A great number of bodies,
Countless corpses—
They stumble over the corpses—
4 Because of the multitude of [l]harlotries of the [m]seductive harlot,
(G)The mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations through her harlotries,
And families through her sorceries.
5 “Behold, I am (H)against you,” says the Lord of hosts;
(I)“I will lift your skirts over your face,
I will show the nations your nakedness,
And the kingdoms your shame.
6 I will cast abominable filth upon you,
Make you (J)vile,[n]
And make you (K)a spectacle.
7 It shall come to pass that all who look upon you
(L)Will flee from you, and say,
(M)‘Nineveh is laid waste!
(N)Who will bemoan her?’
Where shall I seek comforters for you?”
8 (O)Are you better than (P)No[o] Amon
That was situated by the [p]River,
That had the waters around her,
Whose rampart was the sea,
Whose wall was the sea?
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength,
And it was boundless;
(Q)Put and Lubim were [q]your helpers.
10 Yet she was carried away,
She went into captivity;
(R)Her young children also were dashed to pieces
(S)At the head of every street;
They (T)cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound in chains.
11 You also will be (U)drunk;
You will be hidden;
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
12 All your strongholds are (V)fig trees with ripened figs:
If they are shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Surely, (W)your people in your midst are women!
The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies;
Fire shall devour the (X)bars of your gates.
14 Draw your water for the siege!
(Y)Fortify your strongholds!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Make strong the brick kiln!
15 There the fire will devour you,
The sword will cut you off;
It will eat you up like a (Z)locust.
Make yourself many—like the locust!
Make yourself many—like the swarming locusts!
16 You have multiplied your (AA)merchants more than the stars of heaven.
The locust plunders and flies away.
17 (AB)Your commanders are like swarming locusts,
And your generals like great grasshoppers,
Which camp in the hedges on a cold day;
When the sun rises they flee away,
And the place where they are is not known.
18 (AC)Your shepherds slumber, O (AD)king of Assyria;
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are (AE)scattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.
19 Your injury has no healing,
(AF)Your wound is severe.
(AG)All who hear news of you
Will clap their hands over you,
For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?
The Prophet Questions God’s Judgments
1 The [r]burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
The Prophet’s Question
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry,
(AH)And You will not hear?
Even cry out to You, (AI)“Violence!”
And You will (AJ)not save.
3 Why do You show me iniquity,
And cause me to see [s]trouble?
For plundering and violence are before me;
There is strife, and contention arises.
4 Therefore the law is powerless,
And justice never goes forth.
For the (AK)wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
The Lord’s Reply
5 “Look(AL) among the nations and watch—
Be utterly astounded!
For I will work a work in your days
Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
6 For indeed I am (AM)raising up the Chaldeans,
A bitter and hasty (AN)nation
Which marches through the breadth of the earth,
To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and dreadful;
Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
8 Their horses also are (AO)swifter than leopards,
And more fierce than evening wolves.
Their [t]chargers [u]charge ahead;
Their cavalry comes from afar;
They fly as the (AP)eagle that hastens to eat.
9 “They all come for violence;
Their faces are set like the east wind.
They gather captives like sand.
10 They scoff at kings,
And princes are scorned by them.
They deride every stronghold,
For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.
11 Then his [v]mind changes, and he transgresses;
He commits offense,
(AQ)Ascribing this power to his god.”
The Prophet’s Second Question
12 Are You not (AR)from everlasting,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die.
O Lord, (AS)You have appointed them for judgment;
O Rock, You have marked them for (AT)correction.
13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil,
And cannot look on wickedness.
Why do You look on those who deal treacherously,
And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours
A person more righteous than he?
14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea,
Like creeping things that have no ruler over them?
15 They take up all of them with a hook,
They catch them in their net,
And gather them in their dragnet.
Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore (AU)they sacrifice to their net,
And burn incense to their dragnet;
Because by them their share is [w]sumptuous
And their food plentiful.
17 Shall they therefore empty their net,
And continue to slay nations without pity?
Footnotes
- Nahum 2:1 Vg. He who destroys
- Nahum 2:3 Lit. the cypresses are shaken; LXX, Syr. the horses rush about; Vg. the drivers are stupefied
- Nahum 2:7 Heb. Huzzab
- Nahum 2:8 Lit. Stand
- Nahum 2:9 Plunder
- Nahum 2:10 LXX, Tg., Vg. gather blackness; Joel 2:6
- Nahum 2:12 Lit. Strangled
- Nahum 2:12 Torn flesh
- Nahum 2:13 Lit. her
- Nahum 3:1 Lit. prey
- Nahum 3:2 bounding or jolting
- Nahum 3:4 Spiritual unfaithfulness
- Nahum 3:4 Lit. goodly charm, in a bad sense
- Nahum 3:6 despicable
- Nahum 3:8 Ancient Thebes; Tg., Vg. populous Alexandria
- Nahum 3:8 Lit. rivers, the Nile and the surrounding canals
- Nahum 3:9 LXX her
- Habakkuk 1:1 oracle, prophecy
- Habakkuk 1:3 Or toil
- Habakkuk 1:8 Lit. horsemen
- Habakkuk 1:8 Lit. spring about
- Habakkuk 1:11 Lit. spirit or wind
- Habakkuk 1:16 Lit. fat
Nahum 2 - Habakkuk 1
New International Version
Nahum 2 - Habakkuk 1
New International Version
Nineveh to Fall
2 [a]An attacker(A) advances against you, Nineveh.
Guard the fortress,
watch the road,
brace yourselves,
marshal all your strength!
2 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.
3 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]
4 The chariots(E) 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(F) on their way.
They dash to the city wall;
the protective shield is put in place.
6 The river gates(G) are thrown open
and the palace collapses.
7 It is decreed[c] that Nineveh
be exiled and carried away.
Her female slaves moan(H) like doves
and beat on their breasts.(I)
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,(J) knees give way,
bodies tremble, every face grows pale.(K)
11 Where now is the lions’ den,(L)
the place where they fed their young,
where the lion and lioness went,
and the cubs, with nothing to fear?
12 The lion killed(M) enough for his cubs
and strangled the prey for his mate,
filling his lairs(N) with the kill
and his dens with the prey.(O)
13 “I am against(P) you,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,(Q)
and the sword(R) will devour your young lions.
I will leave you no prey on the earth.
The voices of your messengers
will no longer be heard.”(S)
Woe to Nineveh
3 Woe to the city of blood,(T)
full of lies,(U)
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(V)—
4 all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute,
alluring, the mistress of sorceries,(W)
who enslaved nations by her prostitution(X)
and peoples by her witchcraft.
5 “I am against(Y) you,” declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will lift your skirts(Z) over your face.
I will show the nations your nakedness(AA)
and the kingdoms your shame.
6 I will pelt you with filth,(AB)
I will treat you with contempt(AC)
and make you a spectacle.(AD)
7 All who see you will flee(AE) from you and say,
‘Nineveh(AF) is in ruins(AG)—who will mourn for her?’(AH)
Where can I find anyone to comfort(AI) you?”
8 Are you better than(AJ) Thebes,(AK)
situated on the Nile,(AL)
with water around her?
The river was her defense,
the waters her wall.
9 Cush[d](AM) and Egypt were her boundless strength;
Put(AN) and Libya(AO) were among her allies.
10 Yet she was taken captive(AP)
and went into exile.
Her infants were dashed(AQ) to pieces
at every street corner.
Lots(AR) were cast for her nobles,
and all her great men were put in chains.(AS)
11 You too will become drunk;(AT)
you will go into hiding(AU)
and seek refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortresses are like fig trees
with their first ripe fruit;(AV)
when they are shaken,
the figs(AW) fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Look at your troops—
they are all weaklings.(AX)
The gates(AY) of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire has consumed the bars of your gates.(AZ)
14 Draw water for the siege,(BA)
strengthen your defenses!(BB)
Work the clay,
tread the mortar,
repair the brickwork!
15 There the fire(BC) will consume you;
the sword(BD) will cut you down—
they will devour you like a swarm of locusts.
Multiply like grasshoppers,
multiply like locusts!(BE)
16 You have increased the number of your merchants
till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky,
but like locusts(BF) they strip the land
and then fly away.
17 Your guards are like locusts,(BG)
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[e] slumber;(BH)
your nobles lie down to rest.(BI)
Your people are scattered(BJ) on the mountains
with no one to gather them.
19 Nothing can heal you;(BK)
your wound is fatal.
All who hear the news about you
clap their hands(BL) at your fall,
for who has not felt
your endless cruelty?(BM)
1 The prophecy(BN) that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk’s Complaint
2 How long,(BO) Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?(BP)
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?(BQ)
3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate(BR) wrongdoing?(BS)
Destruction and violence(BT) are before me;
there is strife,(BU) and conflict abounds.
4 Therefore the law(BV) is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice(BW) is perverted.(BX)
The Lord’s Answer
5 “Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.(BY)
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.(BZ)
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[f](CA)
that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth(CB)
to seize dwellings not their own.(CC)
7 They are a feared and dreaded people;(CD)
they are a law to themselves
and promote their own honor.
8 Their horses are swifter(CE) than leopards,
fiercer than wolves(CF) at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
9 they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes[g] advance like a desert wind
and gather prisoners(CG) like sand.
10 They mock kings
and scoff at rulers.(CH)
They laugh at all fortified cities;
by building earthen ramps(CI) they capture them.
11 Then they sweep past like the wind(CJ) and go on—
guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”(CK)
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?(CL)
My God, my Holy One,(CM) you[h] will never die.(CN)
You, Lord, have appointed(CO) them to execute judgment;
you, my Rock,(CP) have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure(CQ) to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.(CR)
Why then do you tolerate(CS) the treacherous?(CT)
Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves?(CU)
14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,
like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked(CV) foe pulls all of them up with hooks,(CW)
he catches them in his net,(CX)
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
and so he rejoices and is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and burns incense(CY) to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
and enjoys the choicest food.
17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
destroying nations without mercy?(CZ)
Footnotes
- Nahum 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1-13 is numbered 2:2-14.
- 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
- Habakkuk 1:6 Or Chaldeans
- Habakkuk 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we
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