Nahum 3
Legacy Standard Bible
Woe to Nineveh
3 (A)Woe to the city of [a]bloodshed, completely full of deception and pillage;
Her prey never departs.
2 The (B)sound of the whip,
And the sound of the rumbling of the wheel,
Galloping horses,
And [b]bounding chariots!
3 Horsemen charging,
And swords flaming, and (C)spears flashing,
(D)Many slain, a mass of corpses,
And (E)there is no end to dead bodies—
They stumble over [c]the dead bodies!
4 All because of the (F)many harlotries of the harlot,
The charming one, the (G)mistress of sorceries,
Who (H)sells nations by her harlotries
And families by her sorceries.
5 “Behold, (I)I am against you,” declares Yahweh of hosts;
“And I will (J)uncover your skirts over your face
And (K)show to the nations your nakedness
And to the kingdoms your disgrace.
6 I will (L)throw detestable filth on you
And (M)display you as a wicked fool
And set you up as a (N)spectacle.
7 And it will be that all who see you
Will flee from you and say,
‘Nineveh is devastated!
(O)Who will console her?’
Where will I seek comforters for you?”
8 Are you better than [d](P)No-amon,
Which sits along the (Q)waters of the Nile,
With water surrounding her,
Whose rampart was [e]the sea,
Whose wall consisted of [f]the sea?
9 [g](R)Ethiopia was her might,
And Egypt too, without end.
(S)Put and (T)Lubim were among [h]her helpers.
10 Yet she (U)became an exile;
She went into captivity;
Also her (V)infants were dashed to pieces
(W)At the head of every street;
They (X)cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound with fetters.
11 You too will become (Y)drunk;
You will be (Z)hidden.
You too will search for a strong defense from the enemy.
12 All your fortifications are (AA)fig trees with [i](AB)ripe fruit—
When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.
13 Behold, your people are (AC)women in your midst!
The gates of your land are (AD)opened wide to your enemies;
Fire consumes your gate bars.
14 (AE)Draw for yourself water for the siege!
(AF)Strengthen your fortifications!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
[j]Take hold of the brick mold!
15 There, (AG)fire will consume you;
The sword will cut you down;
It will (AH)consume you as the locust does.
Multiply yourself like the creeping locust,
Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.
16 You have increased your (AI)traders more than the stars of heaven—
The creeping locust [k]strips and flies away.
17 Your [l](AJ)guardsmen are like the swarming locust.
Your (AK)marshals are like a locust-swarm
Encamping in the stone walls on a cold day.
The sun rises, and they flee,
And the place where they are is not known.
18 Your shepherds are (AL)sleeping, O (AM)king of Assyria;
Your (AN)mighty ones are [m]lying down.
Your people are (AO)scattered on the mountains,
And there is no one to regather them.
19 There is (AP)no relief for your breakdown,
Your (AQ)wound is incurable.
All who hear the report about you
Will (AR)clap their hands over you,
For on whom has not your evil passed continually?
Footnotes
- Nahum 3:1 Or blood, cf. Ezek 22:2; 24:6
- Nahum 3:2 Lit skipping
- Nahum 3:3 Lit their
- Nahum 3:8 The city of Amon: Thebes
- Nahum 3:8 The Nile
- Nahum 3:8 The Nile
- Nahum 3:9 Or Cush, cf. Gen 10:6
- Nahum 3:9 Lit your
- Nahum 3:12 Lit first fruits
- Nahum 3:14 Or strengthen, cf. 3:14a
- Nahum 3:16 Strips vegetation; or molts
- Nahum 3:17 Or officials
- Nahum 3:18 Lit dwelling
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
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
