Nahum 3 - Habakkuk 3

New International Version

⁵ “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.
⁶ I will pelt you with filth,^(I)
    I will treat you with contempt^(J)
    and make you a spectacle.^(K)
7 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?”

⁸ 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.
⁹ 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)

2 I will stand at my watch^(CH)
    and station myself on the ramparts;^(CI)
I will look to see what he will say^(CJ) to me,
    and what answer I am to give to this complaint.^[f](CK)

“Write^(CL) down the revelation
    and make it plain on tablets
    so that a herald^[g] may run with it.
³ For the revelation awaits an appointed time;^(CM)
    it speaks of the end^(CN)
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait^(CO) for it;
    it^[h] will certainly come
    and will not delay.^(CP)

⁴ “See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright—
    but the righteous person^(CQ) will live by his faithfulness^[i](CR)—
⁵ indeed, wine^(CS) betrays him;
    he is arrogant^(CT) and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
    and like death is never satisfied,^(CU)
he gathers to himself all the nations
    and takes captive^(CV) all the peoples.

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
    and makes himself wealthy by extortion!^(CX)
    How long must this go on?’
⁷ Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
    Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
    Then you will become their prey.^(CY)
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
    the peoples who are left will plunder you.^(CZ)
For you have shed human blood;^(DA)
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.^(DB)

⁹ “Woe to him who builds^(DC) his house by unjust gain,^(DD)
    setting his nest^(DE) on high
    to escape the clutches of ruin!
¹⁰ You have plotted the ruin^(DF) of many peoples,
    shaming^(DG) your own house and forfeiting your life.
¹¹ The stones^(DH) of the wall will cry out,
    and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

¹² “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed^(DI)
    and establishes a town by injustice!
¹³ Has not the Lord Almighty determined
    that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,^(DJ)
    that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?^(DK)
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory^(DL) of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.^(DM)

¹⁵ “Woe to him who gives drink^(DN) to his neighbors,
    pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
    so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
¹⁶ You will be filled with shame^(DO) instead of glory.^(DP)
    Now it is your turn! Drink^(DQ) and let your nakedness be exposed^[j]!^(DR)
The cup^(DS) from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
    and disgrace will cover your glory.
¹⁷ The violence^(DT) you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
    and your destruction of animals will terrify you.^(DU)
For you have shed human blood;^(DV)
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

¹⁸ “Of what value^(DW) is an idol^(DX) carved by a craftsman?
    Or an image^(DY) that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
    he makes idols that cannot speak.^(DZ)
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’^(EA)
Can it give guidance?
    It is covered with gold and silver;^(EB)
    there is no breath in it.”^(EC)

²⁰ The Lord is in his holy temple;^(ED)
    let all the earth be silent^(EE) before him.

² Lord, I have heard^(EG) of your fame;
    I stand in awe^(EH) of your deeds, Lord.^(EI)
Repeat^(EJ) them in our day,
    in our time make them known;
    in wrath remember mercy.^(EK)

³ God came from Teman,^(EL)
    the Holy One^(EM) from Mount Paran.^[l](EN)
His glory covered the heavens^(EO)
    and his praise filled the earth.^(EP)
4 His splendor was like the sunrise;^(EQ)
    rays flashed from his hand,
    where his power^(ER) was hidden.
⁵ Plague^(ES) went before him;
    pestilence followed his steps.
⁶ He stood, and shook the earth;
    he looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled^(ET)
    and the age-old hills^(EU) collapsed^(EV)—
    but he marches on forever.^(EW)
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress,
    the dwellings of Midian^(EX) in anguish.^(EY)

⁸ Were you angry with the rivers,^(EZ) Lord?
    Was your wrath against the streams?
Did you rage against the sea^(FA)
    when you rode your horses
    and your chariots to victory?^(FB)
9 You uncovered your bow,
    you called for many arrows.^(FC)
You split the earth with rivers;
¹⁰     the mountains saw you and writhed.^(FD)
Torrents of water swept by;
    the deep roared^(FE)
    and lifted its waves^(FF) on high.

¹¹ Sun and moon stood still^(FG) in the heavens
    at the glint of your flying arrows,^(FH)
    at the lightning^(FI) of your flashing spear.
¹² In wrath you strode through the earth
    and in anger you threshed^(FJ) the nations.
¹³ You came out^(FK) to deliver^(FL) your people,
    to save your anointed^(FM) one.
You crushed^(FN) the leader of the land of wickedness,
    you stripped him from head to foot.
¹⁴ With his own spear you pierced his head
    when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,^(FO)
gloating as though about to devour
    the wretched^(FP) who were in hiding.
¹⁵ You trampled the sea^(FQ) with your horses,
    churning the great waters.^(FR)

¹⁶ I heard and my heart pounded,
    my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
    and my legs trembled.^(FS)
Yet I will wait patiently^(FT) for the day of calamity
    to come on the nation invading us.
¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,^(FU)
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,^(FV)
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,^(FW)
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.^(FX)

¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord is my strength;^(FY)
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.^(FZ)

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.