Nahum 2
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Attack against Nineveh
2 One who scatters is coming up against you.(A)
Man the fortifications!
Watch the road!
Brace[a] yourself!
Summon all your strength!(B)
2 For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob,(C)
yes,[b] the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them(D)
and ruined their vine branches.(E)
3 The shields of his[c] warriors are dyed red;
the valiant men are dressed in scarlet.(F)
The fittings of the chariot flash like fire(G)
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 squares.
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.(H)
7 Beauty[d] is stripped;[e]
she is carried away;
her ladies-in-waiting moan
like the sound of doves(I)
and beat their breasts.(J)
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! ’(K)
There is no end to the treasure,
an abundance of every precious thing.(L)
10 Desolation, decimation, devastation!
Hearts melt,(M)
knees tremble,(N)
insides churn,(O)
every face grows pale!(P)
11 Where is the lions’ lair,(Q)
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?(R)
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.(S)
13 Beware, I am against you.(T)
This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.
I will make your chariots go up in smoke,[g]
and the sword will devour your young lions.(U)
I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the sound of your messengers
will never be heard again.(V)
Nahum 2
Lexham English Bible
The Divine Warrior Will Attack Nineveh
2 One who shatters[a] has come up against you!
Guard the fortification!
Watch the road![b]
Gird your loins!
Muster[c] all your strength!
2 For Yahweh will restore the majesty of Jacob
like the majesty of Israel;
for ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their branches.
The Enemy Army Conquers the City of Nineveh
3 The shields of his warriors are dyed red;
The powerful men are dressed in scarlet.
The metal of the chariots[d] shines like fire on the day of battle,[e]
and their spears quiver.
4 The chariots[f] race madly through the streets;
they rush back and forth in the public squares.
Their appearance like lightning bolts,
they dart about like flashes of lightning.
5 He calls his officers;
they stumble as they march;
they rush to her wall;
they set the covering[g] in place.
6 The gates of the river are opened;
the palace trembles.
7 Her goddess is taken out and taken into exile;[h]
her maidservants moan like doves;
they beat on their breasts.
8 Nineveh is like a pool of water without its water.[i]
As they flee,[j] she cries, “Stop! Stop!”
But there is no one who turns back.
9 Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!
There is no end to the spoils,[k]
an abundance of everything one could want![l]
10 Emptiness and plundering and devastation!
Their hearts faint and their knees tremble,[m]
All their loins shake[n] and all their faces turn[o] pale.
The Divine Warrior Will Hunt down the Mighty Lions
11 Where now is the den of the lions
and the cave of the fierce lions?
There the lioness, the cub, and the lion once prowled,[p]
and no one disturbed them.[q]
12 The lion tore apart enough prey for his cubs,
he strangled prey for his lioness;
he filled his lair[r] with prey
and his den with mangled carcass.
13 “Look! I am against you!” declares[s] Yahweh of hosts.
“I will burn her chariots with fire;[t]
the sword will devour fierce lions.
I will cut off your prey from the earth;
the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard.”
Footnotes
- Nahum 2:1 Literally “a shatterer”
- Nahum 2:1 Or “way”
- Nahum 2:1 Or “Collect”
- Nahum 2:3 Hebrew “chariot”
- Nahum 2:3 Literally “on the day of his preparation”
- Nahum 2:4 Hebrew “chariot”
- Nahum 2:5 The Hebrew word describes a small portable roof to protect siege warriors from arrows and debris hurled at them from the fortified city wall
- Nahum 2:7 Literally “It is decreed that she be exiled and led away.” MT reads the very enigmatic “And he is placed, she is sent into exile, she is taken up.” The BHS editors suggest the conjectural emendation “And her goddess = the idol of the patron deity of Nineveh is taken and taken into exile.” This is adopted in the translation on the basis of internal evidence
- Nahum 2:8 MT reads “from her days.” Greek LXX and Syriac Peshitta reflect “from her waters”
- Nahum 2:8 Literally “And they flee away”
- Nahum 2:9 Literally “the supply”
- Nahum 2:9 Literally “every kind of desirable object”
- Nahum 2:10 Or “totter”
- Nahum 2:10 Literally “And shaking of all loins”
- Nahum 2:10 Literally “gather”
- Nahum 2:11 Literally “went”
- Nahum 2:11 Literally “there is no one making them afraid”
- Nahum 2:12 Literally “his holes”
- Nahum 2:13 Literally “a declaration of”
- Nahum 2:13 Literally “with smoke”
Nahum 2
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
The Destruction of the Wicked City
2 A shatterer[a] has come up against you.
Guard the ramparts;
watch the road;
gird your loins;
collect all your strength.
2 (For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob,
as well as the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their branches.)
3 The shields of his warriors are red;
his soldiers are clothed in crimson.
The metal on the chariots flashes
on the day when he musters them;
the chargers[b] prance.
4 The chariots race madly through the streets,
they rush to and fro through the squares;
their appearance is like torches,
they dart like lightning.
5 He calls his officers;
they stumble as they come forward;
they hasten to the wall,
and the mantelet[c] is set up.
6 The river gates are opened,
the palace trembles.
7 It is decreed[d] that the city[e] be exiled,
its slave-women led away,
moaning like doves
and beating their breasts.
8 Nineveh is like a pool
whose waters[f] run away.
‘Halt! Halt!’—
but no one turns back.
9 ‘Plunder the silver,
plunder the gold!
There is no end of treasure!
An abundance of every precious thing!’
10 Devastation, desolation, and destruction!
Hearts faint and knees tremble,
all loins quake,
all faces grow pale!
11 What became of the lions’ den,
the cave[g] of the young lions,
where the lion goes,
and the lion’s cubs, with no one to disturb them?
12 The lion has torn enough for his whelps
and strangled prey for his lionesses;
he has filled his caves with prey
and his dens with torn flesh.
13 See, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your[h] 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 messengers shall be heard no more.
Footnotes
- Nahum 2:1 Cn: Heb scatterer
- Nahum 2:3 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb cypresses
- Nahum 2:5 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- Nahum 2:7 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- Nahum 2:7 Heb it
- Nahum 2:8 Cn Compare Gk: Heb a pool, from the days that she has become, and they
- Nahum 2:11 Cn: Heb pasture
- Nahum 2:13 Heb her
Copyright © 2024 by Holman Bible Publishers.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.