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The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh
The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies.
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The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.
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The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it.
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Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him.
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The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,
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From you, Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the Lord and devises wicked plans.
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This is what the Lord says: “Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be destroyed and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, Judah, I will afflict you no more.
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Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.
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The Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines.
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Nineveh summons her picked troops, yet they stumble on their way. They dash to the city wall; the protective shield is put in place.
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It is decreed that Nineveh be exiled and carried away. Her female slaves moan like doves and beat on their breasts.
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Nineveh is like a pool whose water is draining away. “Stop! Stop!” they cry, but no one turns back.
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Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures!
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She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale.
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Where now is the lions’ den, the place where they fed their young, where the lion and lioness went, and the cubs, with nothing to fear?
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Woe to Nineveh
Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!
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Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses—
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all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.
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All who see you will flee from you and say, ‘Nineveh is in ruins—who will mourn for her?’ Where can I find anyone to comfort you?”
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Nothing can heal you; your wound is fatal. All who hear the news about you clap their hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?