Nahum 2
The Message
Israel’s Been to Hell and Back
2 The juggernaut’s coming!
Post guards, lay in supplies.
Get yourselves together,
get ready for the big battle.
* * *
2 God has restored the Pride of Jacob,
the Pride of Israel.
Israel’s lived through hard times.
He’s been to hell and back.
3-12 Weapons flash in the sun,
the soldiers splendid in battle dress,
Chariots burnished and glistening,
ready to charge,
A spiked forest of brandished spears,
lethal on the horizon.
The chariots pour into the streets.
They fill the public squares,
Flaming like torches in the sun,
like lightning darting and flashing.
The Assyrian king rallies his men,
but they stagger and stumble.
They run to the ramparts
to stem the tide, but it’s too late.
Soldiers pour through the gates.
The palace is demolished.
Soon it’s all over:
Nineveh stripped, Nineveh doomed,
Maids and slaves moaning like doves,
beating their breasts.
Nineveh is a tub
from which they’ve pulled the plug.
Cries go up, “Do something! Do something!”
but it’s too late. Nineveh’s soon empty—nothing.
Other cries come: “Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
A bonanza of plunder!
Take everything you want!”
Doom! Damnation! Desolation!
Hearts sink,
knees fold,
stomachs retch,
faces blanch.
So, what happened to the famous
and fierce Assyrian lion
And all those cute Assyrian cubs?
To the lion and lioness
Cozy with their cubs,
fierce and fearless?
To the lion who always returned from the hunt
with fresh kills for lioness and cubs,
The lion lair heaped with bloody meat,
blood and bones for the royal lion feast?
* * *
13 “Assyria, I’m your enemy,”
says God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
“I’ll torch your chariots. They’ll go up in smoke.
‘Lion Country’ will be strewn with carcasses.
The war business is over—you’re out of work:
You’ll have no more wars to report,
No more victories to announce.
You’re out of war work forever.”
Nakkumu 2
Endagaano Enkadde nʼEndagaano Empya
Okugwa kwa Nineeve
2 (A)Nineeve, olumbiddwa omulabe;
kuuma ekigo,
Kuuma ekkubo,
weesibire ddala onywere mu kiwato,
kuŋŋaanya amaanyi go gonna.
2 (B)Kubanga Mukama alizzaawo ekitiibwa kya Yakobo,
kibe ng’ekitiibwa kya Isirayiri,
newaakubadde ng’abazikiriza baabasaanyawo,
ne boonoona emizabbibu gyabwe.
3 (C)Engabo z’eggye erikutabadde zonna myufu
n’engoye ze bambadde nazo bwe zityo.
Amagaali g’ebyuuma gamasamasa
ku lunaku lwe gategekebwa,
era n’amafumu gagalulwa mu ngeri ey’entiisa!
4 (D)Amagaali g’abalwanyi gatayira mu nguudo,
gadda eno n’eri,
galabika ng’emimuli egyaka,
gamyansa ng’eggulu.
5 (E)Omuduumizi bw’ayita abalwanyi be
bajja bagwirana.
Badduka mbiro ku bbugwe w’ekibuga
we beetegekera okwerwanako.
6 (F)Enzigi ez’omugga zigguddwawo,
amazzi ne gasaanyaawo olubiri.
7 (G)Etteeka lyayisibwa ku kibuga
nti kiriwaŋŋangusibwa,
abaddu abakazi bakungubaga ng’amayiba,
nga bwe beekuba mu bifuba.
8 Ab’omu Nineeve bafaanana ng’ekidiba
eky’amazzi agakalira.
Wadde nga babakoowoola nti, “Muyimirire, muyimirire!”
bo beeyongerayo bweyongezi.
9 Ffeeza yaakyo temugirekaawo,
ne zaabu nayo mugitwalire ddala,
omunyago teguggwaayo,
eby’obugagga byakyo ebitabalika ebirungi ddala.
10 (H)Ekibuga kisigadde kyangaala!
Abantu bonna emitima gibeewanise, emibiri gibakankana,
amaviivi gabakubagana, basiiwuuse ne mu maaso.
11 (I)Eri ludda wa empuku y’empologoma,
ekifo we ziriisiza empologoma zaazo ento,
empologoma ensajja, n’enkazi,
n’ento we zaatambuliranga nga tewali kizikanga?
12 (J)Empologoma ensajja yayigganga ennyama y’abaana ebamala,
n’enkazi n’ezittira eyaazo,
n’ejjuza empuku n’omuyiggo,
ne mu bisulo ne mujjula ennyama.
13 (K)“Laba nze Mukama ow’Eggye
nkwolekedde,
era ndyokya amagaali go gonna ne ganyooka,
n’ekitala kirizikiriza empologoma zo ento.
Era tolifuna munyago mulala nate ku nsi,
n’eddoboozi ly’ababaka bo
teririddayo kuwulirwa.”
Nahum 2
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.”
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 2
Young's Literal Translation
2 Come up hath a scatterer to thy face, Keep the bulwark, watch the way, Strengthen the loins, strengthen power mightily.
2 For turned back hath Jehovah to the excellency of Jacob, As [to] the excellency of Israel, For emptied them out have emptiers, And their branches they have marred.
3 The shield of his mighty ones is become red, Men of might [are in] scarlet, With fiery torches [is] the chariot in a day of his preparation, And the firs have been caused to tremble.
4 In out-places shine do the chariots, They go to and fro in broad places, Their appearances [are] like torches, As lightnings they run.
5 He doth remember his honourable ones, They stumble in their goings, They hasten [to] its wall, and prepared is the covering.
6 Gates of the rivers have been opened, And the palace is dissolved.
7 And it is established -- she hath removed, She hath been brought up, And her handmaids are leading as the voice of doves, Tabering on their hearts.
8 And Nineveh [is] as a pool of waters, From of old it [is] -- and they are fleeing! `Stand ye, stand;' and none is turning!
9 Seize ye silver, seize ye gold, And there is no end to the prepared things, [To] the abundance of all desirable vessels.
10 She is empty, yea, emptiness and waste, And the heart hath melted, And the knees have smitten together, And great pain [is] in all loins, And the faces of all of them have gathered paleness.
11 Where [is] the habitation of lionesses? And a feeding-place it [is] for young lions Where walked hath a lion, an old lion, A lion's whelp, and there is none troubling.
12 The lion is tearing parts [for] his whelps, And is strangling for his lionesses, And he doth fill [with] prey his holes, And his habitations [with] rapine.
13 Lo, I [am] against thee, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And I have burned in smoke its chariot, And thy young lions consume doth a sword, And I have cut off from the land thy prey, And not heard any more is the voice of thy messengers!
Nahum 2
Living Bible
2 Nineveh, you are finished![a] You are already surrounded by enemy armies! Sound the alarm! Man the ramparts! Muster your defenses, full force, and keep a sharp watch for the enemy attack to begin! 2 For the land of the people of God lies empty and broken after your attacks, but the Lord will restore their honor and power again!
3 Shields flash red in the sunlight! The attack begins! See their scarlet uniforms! See their glittering chariots moving forward side by side, pulled by prancing steeds! 4 Your own chariots race recklessly along the streets and through the squares, darting like lightning, gleaming like torches. 5 The king shouts for his officers; they stumble in their haste, rushing to the walls to set up their defenses. 6 But too late! The river gates are open! The enemy has entered! The palace is in panic!
7 The queen of Nineveh is brought out naked to the streets and led away, a slave, with all her maidens weeping after her; listen to them mourn like doves and beat their breasts! 8 Nineveh is like a leaking water tank! Her soldiers slip away, deserting her; she cannot hold them back. “Stop, stop,” she shouts, but they keep on running.
9 Loot the silver! Loot the gold! There seems to be no end of treasures. Her vast, uncounted wealth is stripped away. 10 Soon the city is an empty shambles; hearts melt in horror; knees quake; her people stand aghast, pale-faced and trembling.
11 Where now is that great Nineveh, lion of the nations, full of fight and boldness, where even the old and feeble, as well as the young and tender, lived unafraid?
12 O Nineveh, once mighty lion! You crushed your enemies to feed your children and your wives, and filled your city and your homes with captured goods and slaves.
13 But now the Lord Almighty has turned against you. He destroys your weapons. Your chariots stand there, silent and unused. Your finest youths lie dead. Never again will you bring back slaves from conquered nations; never again will you rule the earth.
Footnotes
- Nahum 2:1 Nineveh, you are finished! This chapter predicts the events of the year 612 B.C. when the combined armies of the Babylonians and Medes sacked the impregnable Nineveh.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Bayibuli Entukuvu, Endagaano Enkadde nʼEndagaano Empya Copyright © 1984, 1986, 1993, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.® Tuweereddwa olukusa okuva mu Biblica, Inc.® Olukusa lwonna mu nsi yonna lusigalidde mu Biblica, Inc. Luganda Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1984, 1986, 1993, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.