Nineveh’s Complete Ruin

(A)Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage;
Her prey never departs.
The (B)noise of the whip,
The noise of the rattling of the wheel,
Galloping horses
And [a]bounding chariots!
Horsemen charging,
Swords flashing, (C)spears gleaming,
(D)Many slain, a mass of corpses,
And [b](E)countless dead bodies—
They stumble over [c]the dead bodies!
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.
“Behold, (I)I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts;
“And I will [d](J)lift up your skirts over your face,
And (K)show to the nations your nakedness
And to the kingdoms your disgrace.
“I will (L)throw [e]filth on you
And (M)make you vile,
And set you up as a (N)spectacle.
“And it will come about that all who see you
Will [f]shrink from you and say,
‘Nineveh is devastated!
(O)Who will grieve for her?’
Where will I seek comforters for you?”

Are you better than [g](P)No-amon,
Which was situated by the (Q)waters of the Nile,
With water surrounding her,
Whose rampart was [h]the sea,
Whose wall consisted of [i]the sea?
(R)Ethiopia was her might,
And Egypt too, without limits.
(S)Put and (T)Lubim were among [j]her helpers.
10 Yet she (U)became an exile,
She went into captivity;
Also her (V)small children 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 refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortifications are (AA)fig trees with [k](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!
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 [l]strips and flies away.
17 Your [m](AJ)guardsmen are like the swarming locust.
Your (AK)marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers
Settling 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)nobles are 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 [n]about you
Will (AR)clap their hands over you,
For on whom has not your evil passed continually?

Footnotes

  1. Nahum 3:2 Lit skipping
  2. Nahum 3:3 Lit there is no end to
  3. Nahum 3:3 Lit their
  4. Nahum 3:5 Lit uncover your
  5. Nahum 3:6 Lit detestable things
  6. Nahum 3:7 Lit flee
  7. Nahum 3:8 I.e. the city of Amon: Thebes
  8. Nahum 3:8 I.e. the Nile
  9. Nahum 3:8 I.e. the Nile
  10. Nahum 3:9 Lit your
  11. Nahum 3:12 Lit first fruits
  12. Nahum 3:16 I.e. strips vegetation; or molts
  13. Nahum 3:17 Or officials
  14. Nahum 3:19 Lit your report

Woe to Nineveh

Woe to the city of blood,(A)
    full of lies,(B)
full of plunder,
    never without victims!
The crack of whips,
    the clatter of wheels,
galloping horses
    and jolting chariots!
Charging cavalry,
    flashing swords
    and glittering spears!
Many casualties,
    piles of dead,
bodies without number,
    people stumbling over the corpses(C)
all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute,
    alluring, the mistress of sorceries,(D)
who enslaved nations by her prostitution(E)
    and peoples by her witchcraft.

“I am against(F) you,” declares the Lord Almighty.
    “I will lift your skirts(G) over your face.
I will show the nations your nakedness(H)
    and the kingdoms your shame.
I will pelt you with filth,(I)
    I will treat you with contempt(J)
    and make you a spectacle.(K)
All who see you will flee(L) from you and say,
    ‘Nineveh(M) is in ruins(N)—who will mourn for her?’(O)
    Where can I find anyone to comfort(P) you?”

Are you better than(Q) Thebes,(R)
    situated on the Nile,(S)
    with water around her?
The river was her defense,
    the waters her wall.
Cush[a](T) and Egypt were her boundless strength;
    Put(U) and Libya(V) were among her allies.
10 Yet she was taken captive(W)
    and went into exile.
Her infants were dashed(X) to pieces
    at every street corner.
Lots(Y) were cast for her nobles,
    and all her great men were put in chains.(Z)
11 You too will become drunk;(AA)
    you will go into hiding(AB)
    and seek refuge from the enemy.

12 All your fortresses are like fig trees
    with their first ripe fruit;(AC)
when they are shaken,
    the figs(AD) fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Look at your troops—
    they are all weaklings.(AE)
The gates(AF) of your land
    are wide open to your enemies;
    fire has consumed the bars of your gates.(AG)

14 Draw water for the siege,(AH)
    strengthen your defenses!(AI)
Work the clay,
    tread the mortar,
    repair the brickwork!
15 There the fire(AJ) will consume you;
    the sword(AK) will cut you down—
    they will devour you like a swarm of locusts.
Multiply like grasshoppers,
    multiply like locusts!(AL)
16 You have increased the number of your merchants
    till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky,
but like locusts(AM) they strip the land
    and then fly away.
17 Your guards are like locusts,(AN)
    your officials like swarms of locusts
    that settle in the walls on a cold day—
but when the sun appears they fly away,
    and no one knows where.

18 King of Assyria, your shepherds[b] slumber;(AO)
    your nobles lie down to rest.(AP)
Your people are scattered(AQ) on the mountains
    with no one to gather them.
19 Nothing can heal you;(AR)
    your wound is fatal.
All who hear the news about you
    clap their hands(AS) at your fall,
for who has not felt
    your endless cruelty?(AT)

Footnotes

  1. Nahum 3:9 That is, the upper Nile region
  2. Nahum 3:18 That is, rulers

Woe to Nineveh

Woe to (A)the bloody city,
    all full of lies and plunder—
    (B)no end to the prey!
The crack of the whip, and (C)rumble of the wheel,
    (D)galloping horse and (E)bounding chariot!
Horsemen charging,
    flashing sword and (F)glittering spear,
(G)hosts of slain,
    heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
    they stumble over the bodies!
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.

(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.
I will throw filth at you
    and (M)treat you with contempt
    and make you (N)a spectacle.
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?

(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?
(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[c] are (AP)like grasshoppers,
    (AQ)your scribes[d] 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

  1. Nahum 3:8 Hebrew No-amon
  2. Nahum 3:9 Hebrew your
  3. Nahum 3:17 Or guards
  4. Nahum 3:17 Or marshals

尼尼微罪有應得

這流人血的城,有禍了!

全城欺詐,

充滿劫掠;

搶奪的事總不止息。

鞭聲颼颼,

輪聲轔轔,

駿馬奔馳,

戰車顛簸跳動。

騎兵騰躍衝鋒;

刀劍爍爍發亮,

槍矛閃閃生光;

被殺的人眾多,

死屍成堆;

屍體無數,

眾人都被屍體絆倒。

都因妓女多有淫行,

施邪術的美麗女巫,

藉著她的淫行誘惑列國,

藉著她的邪術欺騙萬族。

萬軍之耶和華說:

看哪!我必攻擊你;

我要把你的裙子掀到你的臉上,

使萬國看見你赤身露體,

使列邦看見你的羞恥。

我要把污穢可憎之物拋在你身上,

侮辱你,使你成為眾人觀看的對象。

看見你的都必逃避你,說:

“尼尼微荒涼了;

有誰為她悲哀呢?”

我在哪裡可以找到安慰你的人呢?

挪亞們作前車之鑒

你比挪亞們還強嗎?

挪亞們位於尼羅河流域,

周圍有水環繞;

海是她的屏障,

水作她的牆垣。

古實和埃及,是她無窮的力量,

弗人和路比族,是她的(按照《馬索拉文本》,“她的”作“你的”;現參照《七十士譯本》翻譯)助手。

10 然而她卻被遷徙,

被擄去了;

她的嬰孩在各街頭被摔死;

人們為她的尊貴人抽籤。

她所有的達官貴人都被鎖鍊捆著。

11 至於你,你必喝醉,

必被隱藏;

你必因仇敵的緣故,

尋找避難所。

12 你一切堡壘,如同無花果樹上初熟的果子,

若被搖撼,

就必落在想吃的人口中。

13 看哪!在你裡面的人都是婦女,

你境內的門戶,

都向仇敵敞開;

你的門閂被火燒毀。

14 你要打水,以備圍困,

鞏固你的堡壘,

踹泥踏土,

緊握磚模。

15 在那裡火要燒滅你,

刀劍要除滅你,

吞吃你,好像吞吃蚱蜢一樣,

你只管增多如蚱蜢,

加添像蝗蟲,

16 你增加了你的商人,

多過天上的星辰。

蚱蜢退了殼,就飛去了。

17 你的領袖多如蝗蟲,

你的軍長像一群群的螞蚱;

天涼的時候,停留在籬笆上;

太陽一出,就都飛走了;

沒有人知道牠們在甚麼地方。

哀弔亞述王

18 亞述王啊!你的牧人睡覺,

你的貴族安歇,

你的子民分散在各山上,

沒有人招聚他們。

19 你的創傷無法醫治;

你受的打擊非常嚴重。

聽見你這消息的,

都必向你鼓掌;

因為你不斷行惡,

誰沒有受過害呢?