Nahum 3
English Standard Version
Woe to Nineveh
3 Woe to (A)the bloody city,
all full of lies and plunder—
(B)no end to the prey!
2 The crack of the whip, and (C)rumble of the wheel,
(D)galloping horse and (E)bounding chariot!
3 Horsemen charging,
flashing sword and (F)glittering spear,
(G)hosts of slain,
heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
they stumble over the bodies!
4 And all for the countless whorings of the (H)prostitute,
(I)graceful and of deadly charms,
who betrays nations with her whorings,
and peoples with her charms.
5 (J)Behold, I am against you,
declares the Lord of hosts,
and (K)will lift up your skirts over your face;
and I will make nations look at (L)your nakedness
and kingdoms at your shame.
6 I will throw filth at you
and (M)treat you with contempt
and make you (N)a spectacle.
7 And all who look at you (O)will shrink from you and say,
“Wasted is (P)Nineveh; (Q)who will grieve for her?”
(R)Where shall I seek comforters for you?
8 (S)Are you better than (T)Thebes[a]
that sat (U)by the Nile,
with water around her,
her rampart a sea,
and water her wall?
9 (V)Cush was her strength;
Egypt too, and that without limit;
(W)Put and the (X)Libyans were her[b] helpers.
10 (Y)Yet she became an exile;
she went into captivity;
(Z)her infants were dashed in pieces
at the head of every street;
for her honored men (AA)lots were cast,
(AB)and all her great men were bound in chains.
11 (AC)You also will be drunken;
you will go into hiding;
(AD)you will seek a refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortresses are (AE)like fig trees
with first-ripe figs—
if shaken they fall
into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold, your troops
(AF)are women in your midst.
The gates of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire has devoured your bars.
14 (AG)Draw water for the siege;
(AH)strengthen your forts;
go into the clay;
tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick mold!
15 There will the fire devour you;
the sword will cut you off.
It will (AI)devour you (AJ)like the locust.
Multiply yourselves (AK)like the locust;
multiply (AL)like the grasshopper!
16 You increased (AM)your merchants
more than the stars of the heavens.
(AN)The locust spreads its wings and flies away.
17 Your (AO)princes are (AP)like grasshoppers,
(AQ)your scribes[c] like clouds of locusts
settling on the fences
in a day of cold—
when the sun rises, they fly away;
no one knows where they are.
18 Your shepherds (AR)are asleep,
O king of Assyria;
(AS)your nobles slumber.
Your people (AT)are scattered on the mountains
with none to gather them.
19 There is no easing your hurt;
(AU)your wound is grievous.
All who hear the news about you
(AV)clap their hands over you.
For (AW)upon whom has not come
your unceasing evil?
Footnotes
- Nahum 3:8 Hebrew No-amon
- Nahum 3:9 Hebrew your
- Nahum 3:17 Or marshals
Nahum 3
New King James Version
The Woe of Nineveh
3 Woe to the (A)bloody city!
It is all full of lies and robbery.
Its [a]victim never departs.
2 The noise of a whip
And the noise of rattling wheels,
Of galloping horses,
Of [b]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 [c]harlotries of the [d]seductive harlot,
(B)The mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations through her harlotries,
And families through her sorceries.
5 “Behold, I am (C)against you,” says the Lord of hosts;
(D)“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 (E)vile,[e]
And make you (F)a spectacle.
7 It shall come to pass that all who look upon you
(G)Will flee from you, and say,
(H)‘Nineveh is laid waste!
(I)Who will bemoan her?’
Where shall I seek comforters for you?”
8 (J)Are you better than (K)No[f] Amon
That was situated by the [g]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;
(L)Put and Lubim were [h]your helpers.
10 Yet she was carried away,
She went into captivity;
(M)Her young children also were dashed to pieces
(N)At the head of every street;
They (O)cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound in chains.
11 You also will be (P)drunk;
You will be hidden;
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
12 All your strongholds are (Q)fig trees with ripened figs:
If they are shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Surely, (R)your people in your midst are women!
The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies;
Fire shall devour the (S)bars of your gates.
14 Draw your water for the siege!
(T)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 (U)locust.
Make yourself many—like the locust!
Make yourself many—like the swarming locusts!
16 You have multiplied your (V)merchants more than the stars of heaven.
The locust plunders and flies away.
17 (W)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 (X)Your shepherds slumber, O (Y)king of Assyria;
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are (Z)scattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.
19 Your injury has no healing,
(AA)Your wound is severe.
(AB)All who hear news of you
Will clap their hands over you,
For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
