Nahum 2
Modern English Version
The Fall of Nineveh
2 He who scatters has come to you.
Guard the fortifications!
Watch the road!
Prepare yourself,
and strengthen yourself!
2 For the Lord is restoring the prominence of Jacob,
even the prominence of Israel,
for others have certainly
laid waste their vines.
3 The shields of his mighty men are soaked red,
even the mighty men are clad in red.
In the day he prepares the chariots,
they are like a fire of iron.
The cypress spears are ready.
4 The chariots run wildly through the streets,
they rush to and fro in the open areas;
their appearance is like torches,
they dash to and fro like lightning.
5 He remembers his officers
as they stumble about on the road;
they hurry on to the wall
as the siege tower is set up.
6 The holding gates are opened wide,
and the palace washes away.
7 It is decreed:
She is uncovered and led away captive;
her handmaidens shall lead her as with the voice of doves,
beating their chests.
8 Nineveh is like a pool
whose waters run away.
“Halt! Halt!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9 “Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
There is no limit to the treasure,
or to the wealth of every precious thing.”
10 She is desolate, empty, and waste!
Hearts melt away, and knees shake;
pain is in all the loins, and all their faces grow pale.
11 Where is the den of the lions,
and the feeding place of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness prowl,
and the lion’s cub goes, with no one to disturb them?
12 The lion tore enough food for his cubs,
and strangled prey for his lionesses;
he has filled his caves with prey,
and his dens with flesh.
13 I am against you,
says the Lord of Hosts,
and I will burn your chariots in smoke,
and the sword will devour your lions.
I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the voice of your messengers
will be heard no more.
Nahum 2
Expanded Bible
Nineveh Will Be Defeated
2 The ·destroyer [attacker; scatterer] is coming ·to attack [against] ·you, Nineveh [L you; C the Babylonians and Medes destroyed Nineveh].
Guard the ·defenses [fortress; ramparts].
Watch the road.
·Get ready [T Gird your loins].
Gather all your strength!
2 ·Destroyers [Plunderers] have ·destroyed [plundered] God’s people
and ruined their vines,
but the Lord will ·bring back [restore] Jacob’s ·greatness [splendor; majesty]
like Israel’s ·greatness [splendor; majesty].
3 The shields of his soldiers are red [C either dyed red or splattered with blood];
the army is dressed in ·red [scarlet].
The metal on the chariots ·flashes like fire [shines; glistens]
·when [L on the day] they are ready to attack;
·their horses are excited [or their cypress spears are brandished].
4 The chariots ·race [storm; charge insanely] through the streets
and rush back and forth through the city squares.
They look like torches;
they run like lightning.
5 He [C probably the king of Assyria] ·calls [or remembers] his officers,
but they stumble on the way.
They hurry to the city wall,
and the ·shield [or siege tower] is put into place.
6 The river gates are thrown open,
and the palace ·is destroyed [collapses; dissolves; melts].
7 It has been ·announced [decreed] that ·the people of Nineveh [L she]
will be ·captured [exiled; or stripped; exposed] and carried away.
The slave girls moan like doves
and beat their breasts [C a sign of grief].
8 Nineveh is like a pool,
and now its water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” the people yell,
but no one turns back.
9 ·Take [Plunder] the silver!
·Take [Plunder] the gold!
There is no end to the treasure—
piles of wealth of every ·kind [precious/desirable thing].
10 ·Nineveh is robbed [L Empty!], ·ruined [desolate!], and destroyed.
·The people lose their courage [L Their hearts melt], and their knees knock.
·Stomachs ache [Bodies/Loins in anguish], and everyone’s face grows pale.
11 Where is the lions’ den [C the lion was a symbol of Assyria]
and the place where they feed their young?
Where did the lion, lioness, and cubs go
without being afraid?
12 The lion killed enough for his cubs,
·enough [L and strangled prey] for his ·mate [L lionesses].
He filled his cave with ·the animals he caught [prey];
he filled his den with ·meat he had killed [L torn (flesh)].
13 “I am against ·you, Nineveh [L you],”
says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,
and the sword will ·kill [devour] your young lions.
I will ·stop you from hunting down others on [L cut off your prey from] the earth,
and your messengers’ voices
will no longer be heard.”
Nahúm 2
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
2 ¡Miren! Vean sobre los montes
las pisadas de un heraldo,
de uno que anuncia la paz.
Celebra tus fiestas, Judá,
cumple tus promesas.
Nunca más te hollará el malvado
pues ha sido totalmente destruido.
2 Un destructor avanza contra ti.
¡Monta la guardia en la fortaleza!
¡Vigila todos los accesos!
¡Prepárate a luchar!
¡Haz acopio de toda tu fuerza!
3 El Señor va a restaurar
la viña de Jacob y la viña de Israel
que los saqueadores habían arrasado
destruyendo sus sarmientos.
La caída de Nínive
4 El escudo de sus guerreros es rojo,
los soldados visten de púrpura;
están listos para el combate,
empuñan las lanzas.
El acero de los carros flamea como fuego;
5 recorren vertiginosos los caminos,
se precipitan por las plazas;
parecen antorchas encendidas,
que se agitan como relámpagos.
6 [El rey] pasa revista a sus capitanes
que se atropellan en su marcha
al correr hacia la muralla
para asegurar el parapeto.
7 Las esclusas de los canales son forzadas,
el palacio se desploma.
8 La reina, descubierta, es deportada;
sus esclavas se golpean el pecho
y gimen igual que palomas.
9 Nínive es como un estanque
cuyas aguas se escapan.
¡Deténganse, deténganse!
Mas nadie se da la vuelta.
10 ¡Saqueen la plata, saqueen el oro!
El tesoro es magnífico,
los objetos preciosos incontables.
11 Destrucción, vacío y devastación,
corazones desfallecidos,
rodillas temblorosas,
entrañas estremecidas,
rostros demudados.
12 ¿Dónde está la guarida de los leones?
En ella los cachorros se alimentaban;
al salir el león, quedaba la leona
para que nadie atemorizara a los cachorros.
13 Desgarraba el león
la presa para sus cachorros,
la despedazaba para sus leonas
y llenaba de caza sus guaridas,
de carne fresca sus cuevas.
14 ¡Aquí estoy contra ti!,
—dice el Señor del universo—.
Convertiré tus carros en humo,
y la espada devorará tus cachorros;
acabaré con tus rapiñas sobre la tierra
y no se oirá más la voz de tus mensajeros.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
La Palabra, (versión hispanoamericana) © 2010 Texto y Edición, Sociedad Bíblica de España