Bible in 90 Days
The Restoration of Israel
11 “In that day I will (A)raise up the fallen [a](B)booth of David,
And wall up its (C)breaches;
I will also raise up its ruins
And rebuild it as in the (D)days of old;
12 (E)That they may possess the remnant of (F)Edom
And all the [b]nations who are (G)called by My name,”
Declares the Lord who does this.
13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When the (H)plowman will overtake the reaper
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
When the (I)mountains will drip sweet (J)wine
And all the hills will be dissolved.
14 “Also I will (K)restore the [c]captivity of My people Israel,
And they will (L)rebuild the ruined cities and live in them;
They will also (M)plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 “I will also plant them on their land,
And (N)they will not again be rooted out from their land
Which I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.
Edom Will Be Humbled
1 The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord [d]God concerning (O)Edom—
(P)We have heard a report from the Lord,
And an (Q)envoy has been sent among the nations saying,
“(R)Arise and let us go against her for battle”—
2 “Behold, I will make you (S)small among the nations;
You are greatly despised.
3 “The (T)arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
You who live in the clefts of [e]the (U)rock,
In the loftiness of your dwelling place,
Who say in your heart,
‘(V)Who will bring me down to earth?’
4 “Though you (W)build high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the (X)stars,
From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
5 “If (Y)thieves came to you,
If [f]robbers by night—
O how you will be ruined!—
Would they not steal only [g]until they had enough?
If grape gatherers came to you,
(Z)Would they not leave some gleanings?
6 “O how Esau will be (AA)ransacked,
And his hidden treasures searched out!
7 “All the (AB)men [h]allied with you
Will send you forth to the border,
And the men at peace with you
Will deceive you and overpower you.
They who eat your (AC)bread
Will set an ambush for you.
(There is (AD)no understanding [i]in him.)
8 “Will I not on that day,” declares the Lord,
“(AE)Destroy wise men from Edom
And understanding from the mountain of Esau?
9 “Then your (AF)mighty men will be dismayed, O (AG)Teman,
So that everyone may be (AH)cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.
10 “Because of (AI)violence to your brother Jacob,
[j]You will be covered with shame,
(AJ)And you will be cut off forever.
11 “On the day that you (AK)stood aloof,
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
And foreigners entered his gate
And (AL)cast lots for Jerusalem—
(AM)You too were as one of them.
12 “(AN)Do not [k]gloat over your brother’s day,
The day of his misfortune.
And (AO)do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Yes, (AP)do not [l]boast
In the day of their distress.
13 “Do not enter the gate of My people
In the (AQ)day of their disaster.
Yes, you, do not [m]gloat over their calamity
In the day of their disaster.
And do not (AR)loot their wealth
In the day of their disaster.
14 “Do not (AS)stand at the fork of the road
To cut down their fugitives;
And do not imprison their survivors
In the day of their distress.
The Day of the Lord and the Future
15 “For the (AT)day of the Lord draws near on all the nations.
(AU)As you have done, it will be done to you.
Your (AV)dealings will return on your own head.
16 “Because just as you (AW)drank on (AX)My holy mountain,
All the nations (AY)will drink continually.
They will drink and [n]swallow
And become as if they had never existed.
17 “But on Mount (AZ)Zion there will be those who escape,
And it will be holy.
And the house of Jacob will (BA)possess their possessions.
18 “Then the house of Jacob will be a (BB)fire
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau will be as stubble.
And they will set [o]them on fire and consume [p]them,
So that there will be (BC)no survivor of the house of Esau,”
For the Lord has spoken.
19 Then those of the [q]Negev will (BD)possess the mountain of Esau,
And those of the [r]Shephelah the (BE)Philistine plain;
Also, (BF)possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,
And Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20 And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel,
Who are among the Canaanites as far as (BG)Zarephath,
And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Will possess the (BH)cities of the Negev.
21 The (BI)deliverers will ascend Mount Zion
To judge the mountain of Esau,
And the (BJ)kingdom will be the Lord’s.
Jonah’s Disobedience
1 The word of the Lord came to (BK)Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 “Arise, go to (BL)Nineveh the great city and (BM)cry against it, for their (BN)wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to (BO)Tarshish (BP)from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to (BQ)Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
4 The (BR)Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to [s]break up. 5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to (BS)his god, and they (BT)threw the [t]cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it [u]for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. 6 So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, (BU)call on your god. Perhaps your (BV)god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”
7 Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us (BW)cast lots so we may [v]learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the (BX)lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “(BY)Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your (BZ)occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 He said to them, “I am a (CA)Hebrew, and I (CB)fear the Lord (CC)God of heaven who (CD)made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “[w]How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was (CE)fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm [x]for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm [y]for you, for I know that (CF)on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” 13 However, the men [z]rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. 14 Then they called on the (CG)Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for (CH)You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.”
15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea (CI)stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made (CJ)vows.
17 [aa]And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the (CK)stomach of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah’s Prayer
2 [ab]Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God (CL)from the stomach of the fish, 2 and he said,
“I (CM)called out of my distress to the Lord,
And He answered me.
I cried for help from the [ac]depth of (CN)Sheol;
You heard my voice.
3 “For You had (CO)cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current [ad]engulfed me.
All Your (CP)breakers and billows passed over me.
4 “So I said, ‘I have been (CQ)expelled from [ae]Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again (CR)toward Your holy temple.’
5 “(CS)Water encompassed me to the [af]point of death.
The great (CT)deep [ag]engulfed me,
Weeds were wrapped around my head.
6 “I (CU)descended to the roots of the mountains.
The earth with its (CV)bars was around me forever,
But You have (CW)brought up my life from [ah]the pit, O Lord my God.
7 “While [ai]I was (CX)fainting away,
I (CY)remembered the Lord,
And my (CZ)prayer came to You,
Into (DA)Your holy temple.
8 “Those who (DB)regard [aj]vain idols
Forsake their faithfulness,
9 But I will (DC)sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving.
That which I have vowed I will (DD)pay.
(DE)Salvation is from the Lord.”
10 Then the Lord commanded the (DF)fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.
Nineveh Repents
3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to (DG)Nineveh the great city and (DH)proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was [ak]an (DI)exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he (DJ)cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a (DK)fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, (DL)covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the [al]ashes. 7 He issued a (DM)proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8 But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let [am]men (DN)call on God earnestly that each may (DO)turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in [an]his hands. 9 (DP)Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw their deeds, that they (DQ)turned from their wicked way, then (DR)God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would [ao]bring upon them. And He did not do it.
Jonah’s Displeasure Rebuked
4 But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became (DS)angry. 2 He (DT)prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this [ap]what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore [aq]in order to forestall this I (DU)fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a (DV)gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please (DW)take my [ar]life from me, for death is (DX)better to me than life.” 4 The Lord said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?”
5 Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of [as]it. There he made a shelter for himself and (DY)sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So the Lord God appointed a [at]plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was [au]extremely happy about the [av]plant. 7 But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it (DZ)withered. 8 When the sun came up God appointed a scorching (EA)east wind, and the (EB)sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “(EC)Death is better to me than life.”
9 Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” 10 Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which [aw]came up overnight and perished [ax]overnight. 11 Should I not (ED)have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not (EE)know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many (EF)animals?”
Destruction in Israel and Judah
1 The (EG)word of the Lord which came to (EH)Micah of Moresheth in the days of (EI)Jotham, (EJ)Ahaz and (EK)Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, O peoples, all of [ay]you;
(EL)Listen, O earth and [az]all it contains,
And let the Lord [ba]God be a (EM)witness against you,
The Lord from His holy temple.
3 For behold, the Lord is (EN)coming forth from His place.
He will come down and (EO)tread on the high places of the [bb]earth.
4 (EP)The mountains will melt under Him
And the valleys will be split,
Like wax before the fire,
Like water poured down a steep place.
5 All this is for the rebellion of Jacob
And for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the (EQ)rebellion of Jacob?
Is it not (ER)Samaria?
What is the (ES)high [bc]place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 For I will make Samaria a (ET)heap of ruins [bd]in the open country,
(EU)Planting places for a vineyard.
I will (EV)pour her stones down into the valley
And will (EW)lay bare her foundations.
7 All of her (EX)idols will be smashed,
All of her earnings will be burned with fire
And all of her images I will make desolate,
For she collected them from a (EY)harlot’s earnings,
And to the earnings of a harlot they will return.
8 Because of this I must lament and wail,
I must go (EZ)barefoot and naked;
I must make a lament like the (FA)jackals
And a mourning like the ostriches.
9 For her [be](FB)wound is incurable,
For (FC)it has come to Judah;
It has reached the (FD)gate of my people,
Even to Jerusalem.
10 (FE)Tell it not in Gath,
Weep not at all.
At [bf]Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in the dust.
11 [bg]Go on your way, inhabitant of [bh]Shaphir, in (FF)shameful nakedness.
The inhabitant of [bi](FG)Zaanan does not [bj]escape.
The lamentation of [bk]Beth-ezel: “He will take from you its [bl]support.”
12 For the inhabitant of [bm]Maroth
Becomes weak (FH)waiting for good,
Because a calamity has come down from the Lord
To the (FI)gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses,
O inhabitant of (FJ)Lachish—
She was the beginning of sin
To the daughter of Zion—
Because in you were found
The (FK)rebellious acts of Israel.
14 Therefore you will give parting (FL)gifts
On behalf of Moresheth-gath;
The houses of (FM)Achzib will become a (FN)deception
To the kings of Israel.
15 Moreover, I will bring on you
The one who takes possession,
O inhabitant of [bn](FO)Mareshah.
The glory of Israel will enter (FP)Adullam.
16 Make yourself (FQ)bald and cut off your hair,
Because of the children of your delight;
Extend your baldness like the eagle,
For they will (FR)go from you into exile.
Woe to Oppressors
2 Woe to those who (FS)scheme iniquity,
Who work out evil on their beds!
[bo](FT)When morning comes, they do it,
For it is in the (FU)power of their hands.
2 They (FV)covet fields and then (FW)seize them,
And houses, and take them away.
They [bp](FX)rob a man and his house,
A man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore thus says the Lord,
“Behold, I am (FY)planning against this (FZ)family a calamity
From which you (GA)cannot remove your necks;
And you will not walk (GB)haughtily,
For it will be an (GC)evil time.
4 “On that day they will (GD)take up against you a [bq]taunt
And [br](GE)utter a bitter lamentation and say,
‘We are completely (GF)destroyed!
He exchanges the portion of my people;
How He removes it from me!
To the apostate He (GG)apportions our fields.’
5 “Therefore you will have no one [bs](GH)stretching a measuring line
For you by lot in the assembly of the Lord.
6 ‘(GI)Do not [bt]speak out,’ so they [bu]speak out.
But if [bv]they do (GJ)not [bw]speak out concerning these things,
(GK)Reproaches will not be turned back.
7 “Is it being said, O house of Jacob:
‘Is the Spirit of the Lord (GL)impatient?
Are these His doings?’
Do not My words (GM)do good
To the one (GN)walking uprightly?
8 “[bx]Recently My people have arisen as an (GO)enemy—
You (GP)strip the [by]robe off the garment
From (GQ)unsuspecting passers-by,
From those returned from war.
9 “The women of My people you (GR)evict,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her children you take My (GS)splendor forever.
10 “Arise and go,
For this is no place (GT)of rest
Because of the (GU)uncleanness that brings on destruction,
A painful destruction.
11 “If a man walking after wind and (GV)falsehood
Had told lies and said,
‘I will [bz]speak out to you concerning (GW)wine and liquor,’
He would be [ca]spokesman to (GX)this people.
12 “I will surely (GY)assemble all of you, Jacob,
I will surely gather the (GZ)remnant of Israel.
I will put them together like sheep in the fold;
Like a flock in the midst of its pasture
They will be noisy with men.
13 “The breaker goes up before them;
They break out, pass through the gate and go out by it.
So their king goes on before them,
And the Lord at their head.”
Rulers Denounced
3 And I said,
“(HA)Hear now, heads of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to (HB)know justice?
2 “You who hate good and love evil,
Who (HC)tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 Who (HD)eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Break their bones
And (HE)chop them up as for the pot
And as meat in a kettle.”
4 Then they will (HF)cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will (HG)hide His face from them at that time
Because they have (HH)practiced evil deeds.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who (HI)lead my people astray;
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They (HJ)cry, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
6 Therefore it will be (HK)night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The (HL)sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be (HM)ashamed
And the (HN)diviners will be embarrassed.
Indeed, they will all (HO)cover their [cb]mouths
Because there is (HP)no answer from God.
8 On the other hand (HQ)I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of the Lord—
And with justice and courage
To (HR)make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
Even to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, (HS)heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who (HT)abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who (HU)build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
11 Her leaders pronounce (HV)judgment for a bribe,
Her (HW)priests instruct for a price
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord saying,
“(HX)Is not the Lord in our midst?
Calamity will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, on account of you
(HY)Zion will be plowed as a field,
(HZ)Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the (IA)mountain of the [cc]temple will become high places of a forest.
Peaceful Latter Days
4 And it will come about in the (IB)last days
That the (IC)mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established [cd]as the chief of the mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
And the (ID)peoples will stream to it.
2 (IE)Many nations will come and say,
“(IF)Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord
And to the house of the God of Jacob,
That (IG)He may teach us about His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For (IH)from Zion will go forth the law,
Even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 And He will (II)judge between many peoples
And render decisions for mighty, [ce]distant nations.
Then they will hammer their swords (IJ)into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they [cf]train for war.
4 Each of them will (IK)sit under his vine
And under his fig tree,
With (IL)no one to make them afraid,
For the (IM)mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
5 Though all the peoples walk
Each in the (IN)name of his god,
As for us, (IO)we will walk
In the name of the (IP)Lord our God forever and ever.
6 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will assemble the (IQ)lame
And (IR)gather the outcasts,
Even those whom I have afflicted.
7 “I will make the lame a (IS)remnant
And the outcasts a strong nation,
And the (IT)Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
From now on and forever.
8 “As for you, [cg](IU)tower of the flock,
[ch]Hill of the daughter of Zion,
To you it will come—
Even the (IV)former dominion will come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 “Now, why do you (IW)cry out loudly?
Is there no king among you,
Or has your (IX)counselor perished,
That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?
10 “(IY)Writhe and labor to give birth,
Daughter of Zion,
Like a woman in childbirth;
For now you will (IZ)go out of the city,
Dwell in the field,
And go to Babylon.
(JA)There you will be rescued;
(JB)There the Lord will redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.
11 “And now (JC)many nations have been assembled against you
Who say, ‘Let her be polluted,
And let our eyes [ci]gloat over Zion.’
12 “But they do not (JD)know the thoughts of the Lord,
And they do not understand His purpose;
For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Arise and (JE)thresh, daughter of Zion,
For your horn I will make iron
And your hoofs I will make bronze,
That you may (JF)pulverize many peoples,
That you may (JG)devote to the Lord their unjust gain
And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Birth of the King in Bethlehem
5 “[cj]Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
[ck]They have laid siege against us;
With a rod they will (JH)smite the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2 “[cl]But as for (JI)you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From (JJ)you One will go forth for Me to be (JK)ruler in Israel.
[cm]His goings forth are (JL)from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”
3 Therefore He will (JM)give them up until the time
When she (JN)who is in labor has borne a child.
Then the (JO)remainder of His brethren
Will return to the sons of Israel.
4 And He will arise and (JP)shepherd His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.
And they will [cn]remain,
Because [co]at that time He will be great
To the (JQ)ends of the earth.
5 This One (JR)will be our peace.
When the (JS)Assyrian invades our land,
When he tramples on our [cp]citadels,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.
6 They will (JT)shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
The land of (JU)Nimrod at its entrances;
And He will (JV)deliver us from the Assyrian
When he attacks our land
And when he tramples our territory.
7 Then the (JW)remnant of Jacob
Will be among many peoples
Like (JX)dew from the Lord,
Like (JY)showers on vegetation
Which do not wait for man
Or delay for the sons of men.
8 The remnant of Jacob
Will be among the nations,
Among many peoples
(JZ)Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
Which, if he passes through,
(KA)Tramples down and (KB)tears,
And there is (KC)none to rescue.
9 Your hand will be (KD)lifted up against your adversaries,
And all your enemies will be cut off.
10 “It will be in that day,” declares the Lord,
“(KE)That I will cut off your (KF)horses from among you
And destroy your chariots.
11 “I will also cut off the (KG)cities of your land
And tear down all your (KH)fortifications.
12 “I will cut off (KI)sorceries from your hand,
And you will have fortune-tellers no more.
13 “(KJ)I will cut off your carved images
And your sacred pillars from among you,
So that you will no longer bow down
To the work of your hands.
14 “I will root out your [cq](KK)Asherim from among you
And destroy your cities.
15 “And I will (KL)execute vengeance in anger and wrath
On the nations which have not obeyed.”
God’s Indictment of His People
6 Hear now what the Lord is saying,
“Arise, plead your case [cr]before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2 “Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the Lord,
And you enduring (KM)foundations of the earth,
Because the (KN)Lord has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will dispute.
3 “(KO)My people, (KP)what have I done to you,
And (KQ)how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4 “Indeed, I (KR)brought you up from the land of Egypt
And (KS)ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you (KT)Moses, Aaron and (KU)Miriam.
5 “My people, remember now
What (KV)Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And from (KW)Shittim to (KX)Gilgal,
So [cs]that you might know the (KY)righteous acts of the Lord.”
What God Requires of Man
6 (KZ)With what shall I come to the Lord
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with (LA)burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 Does the Lord take delight in (LB)thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my (LC)firstborn for my rebellious acts,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has (LD)told you, O man, what is good;
And (LE)what does the Lord require of you
But to (LF)do justice, to (LG)love [ct]kindness,
And to walk [cu](LH)humbly with your God?
9 The voice of the Lord will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
“Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed [cv]its time?
10 “Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of (LI)wickedness
And a [cw](LJ)short measure that is cursed?
11 “Can I justify wicked (LK)scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?
12 “For the rich men of the [cx]city are full of (LL)violence,
Her residents speak (LM)lies,
And their (LN)tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 “So also I will make you (LO)sick, striking you down,
(LP)Desolating you because of your sins.
14 “You will eat, but you will (LQ)not be satisfied,
And your [cy]vileness will be in your midst.
You will try to remove for safekeeping,
But you will (LR)not preserve anything,
And what you do preserve I will give to the sword.
15 “You will sow but you will (LS)not reap.
You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And the grapes, but you will (LT)not drink wine.
16 “The statutes of (LU)Omri
And all the works of the house of (LV)Ahab are observed;
And in their devices you (LW)walk.
Therefore I will give you up for (LX)destruction
And [cz]your inhabitants for (LY)derision,
And you will bear the (LZ)reproach of My people.”
The Prophet Acknowledges
7 Woe is me! For I am
Like the fruit pickers, like the (MA)grape gatherers.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
Or a (MB)first-ripe fig which [da]I crave.
2 The [db]godly person has (MC)perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among men.
All of them lie in wait for (MD)bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a (ME)net.
3 Concerning evil, both hands do it (MF)well.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a (MG)bribe,
And a great man speaks the desire of his soul;
So they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a (MH)briar,
The most upright like a (MI)thorn hedge.
The day when you post your watchmen,
Your (MJ)punishment will come.
Then their (MK)confusion will occur.
5 Do not (ML)trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a friend.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard [dc]your lips.
6 For (MM)son treats father contemptuously,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
(MN)A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
God Is the Source of Salvation and Light
7 But as for me, I will (MO)watch expectantly for the Lord;
I will (MP)wait for the God of my salvation.
My (MQ)God will hear me.
8 (MR)Do not rejoice over me, O (MS)my enemy.
Though I fall I will (MT)rise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a (MU)light for me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He (MV)pleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out to the (MW)light,
And I will see His [dd](MX)righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who (MY)said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look on her;
[de]At that time she will [df]be (MZ)trampled down
Like mire of the streets.
11 It will be a day for (NA)building your walls.
On that day will your boundary be extended.
12 It will be a day when [dg]they will (NB)come to you
From Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
From Egypt even to the [dh]Euphrates,
Even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
13 And the earth will become (NC)desolate because of her inhabitants,
On account of the (ND)fruit of their deeds.
14 (NE)Shepherd Your people with Your (NF)scepter,
The flock of Your [di]possession
Which dwells by itself in the woodland,
In the midst of [dj]a fruitful field.
Let them feed in (NG)Bashan and Gilead
(NH)As in the days of old.
15 “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt,
I will show [dk](NI)you miracles.”
16 Nations (NJ)will see and be ashamed
Of all their might.
They will (NK)put their hand on their mouth,
Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will (NL)lick the dust like a serpent,
Like (NM)reptiles of the earth.
They will come (NN)trembling out of their [dl]fortresses;
To the Lord our God they will come in (NO)dread
And they will be afraid before You.
18 Who is a God like You, who (NP)pardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the (NQ)remnant of His [dm]possession?
He does not (NR)retain His anger forever,
Because He (NS)delights in [dn]unchanging love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
(NT)He will tread our iniquities under foot.
Yes, You will (NU)cast all [do]their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give [dp](NV)truth to Jacob
And [dq]unchanging love to Abraham,
Which You (NW)swore to our forefathers
From the days of old.
God Is Awesome
1 The [dr](NX)oracle of (NY)Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2 A (NZ)jealous and avenging God is the Lord;
The Lord is (OA)avenging and [ds]wrathful.
The Lord takes (OB)vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies.
3 The Lord is (OC)slow to anger and great in power,
And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
In (OD)whirlwind and storm is His way,
And (OE)clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
4 He (OF)rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
He dries up all the rivers.
(OG)Bashan and Carmel wither;
The blossoms of Lebanon wither.
5 Mountains (OH)quake because of Him
And the hills (OI)dissolve;
Indeed the earth is (OJ)upheaved by His presence,
The (OK)world and all the inhabitants in it.
6 (OL)Who can stand before His indignation?
Who can endure the (OM)burning of His anger?
His (ON)wrath is poured out like fire
And the (OO)rocks are broken up by Him.
7 The Lord is (OP)good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble,
And (OQ)He knows those who take refuge in Him.
8 But with an (OR)overflowing flood
He will make a complete end of [dt]its site,
And will pursue His enemies into (OS)darkness.
9 Whatever you (OT)devise against the Lord,
He will make a (OU)complete end of it.
Distress will not rise up twice.
10 Like tangled (OV)thorns,
And like those who are (OW)drunken with their drink,
They are (OX)consumed
As stubble completely withered.
11 From you has gone forth
One who (OY)plotted evil against the Lord,
A [du](OZ)wicked counselor.
12 Thus says the Lord,
“Though they are at full strength and likewise many,
Even so, they will be (PA)cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you (PB)no longer.
13 “So now, I will (PC)break his yoke bar from upon you,
And I will tear off your shackles.”
14 The Lord has issued a command concerning [dv]you:
“[dw]Your name will (PD)no longer be perpetuated.
I will cut off [dx](PE)idol and [dy]image
From the house of your gods.
I will prepare your (PF)grave,
For you are contemptible.”
15 [dz]Behold, (PG)on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace!
(PH)Celebrate your feasts, O Judah;
Pay your vows.
For (PI)never again will the [ea]wicked one pass through you;
He is (PJ)cut off completely.
The Overthrow of Nineveh
2 [eb]The one who (PK)scatters has come up against [ec]you.
Man the fortress, watch the road;
[ed]Strengthen your back, [ee]summon all your strength.
2 For the Lord will restore the (PL)splendor of Jacob
(PM)Like the splendor of Israel,
Even though devastators have devastated them
And (PN)destroyed their vine branches.
3 The shields of [ef]his mighty men are colored red,
The warriors are dressed in (PO)scarlet,
The chariots are enveloped in [eg]flashing steel
[eh]When he is prepared to march,
And the cypress (PP)spears are brandished.
4 The (PQ)chariots race madly in the streets,
They rush wildly in the [ei]squares,
Their appearance is like torches,
They dash to and fro like lightning flashes.
5 He remembers his (PR)nobles;
They (PS)stumble in their march,
They hurry to her wall,
And the [ej]mantelet is set up.
6 The gates of the rivers are opened
And the palace is dissolved.
7 It is fixed:
She is stripped, she is carried away,
And her handmaids are (PT)moaning like the sound of doves,
(PU)Beating on their [ek]breasts.
8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,
Now they are fleeing;
“Stop, stop,”
But (PV)no one turns back.
9 Plunder the silver!
Plunder the (PW)gold!
For there is no limit to the treasure—
Wealth from every kind of desirable object.
10 She is (PX)emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste!
(PY)Hearts are melting and knees knocking!
Also anguish is in [el]the whole body
And all their (PZ)faces are grown pale!
11 Where is the den of the lions
And the feeding place of the (QA)young lions,
Where the lion, lioness and lion’s cub prowled,
With nothing to disturb them?
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs,
[em]Killed enough for his lionesses,
And filled his lairs with prey
And his dens with torn flesh.
13 “Behold, (QB)I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts. “I will (QC)burn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will (QD)cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”
Nineveh’s Complete Ruin
3 (QE)Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage;
Her prey never departs.
2 The (QF)noise of the whip,
The noise of the rattling of the wheel,
Galloping horses
And [en]bounding chariots!
3 Horsemen charging,
Swords flashing, (QG)spears gleaming,
(QH)Many slain, a mass of corpses,
And [eo](QI)countless dead bodies—
They stumble over [ep]the dead bodies!
4 All because of the (QJ)many harlotries of the harlot,
The charming one, the (QK)mistress of sorceries,
Who (QL)sells nations by her harlotries
And families by her sorceries.
5 “Behold, (QM)I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts;
“And I will [eq](QN)lift up your skirts over your face,
And (QO)show to the nations your nakedness
And to the kingdoms your disgrace.
6 “I will (QP)throw [er]filth on you
And (QQ)make you vile,
And set you up as a (QR)spectacle.
7 “And it will come about that all who see you
Will [es]shrink from you and say,
‘Nineveh is devastated!
(QS)Who will grieve for her?’
Where will I seek comforters for you?”
8 Are you better than [et](QT)No-amon,
Which was situated by the (QU)waters of the Nile,
With water surrounding her,
Whose rampart was [eu]the sea,
Whose wall consisted of [ev]the sea?
9 (QV)Ethiopia was her might,
And Egypt too, without limits.
(QW)Put and (QX)Lubim were among [ew]her helpers.
10 Yet she (QY)became an exile,
She went into captivity;
Also her (QZ)small children were dashed to pieces
(RA)At the head of every street;
They (RB)cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound with fetters.
11 You too will become (RC)drunk,
You will be (RD)hidden.
You too will search for a refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortifications are (RE)fig trees with [ex](RF)ripe fruit—
When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.
13 Behold, your people are (RG)women in your midst!
The gates of your land are (RH)opened wide to your enemies;
Fire consumes your gate bars.
14 (RI)Draw for yourself water for the siege!
(RJ)Strengthen your fortifications!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Take hold of the brick mold!
15 There (RK)fire will consume you,
The sword will cut you down;
It will (RL)consume you as the locust does.
Multiply yourself like the creeping locust,
Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.
16 You have increased your (RM)traders more than the stars of heaven—
The creeping locust [ey]strips and flies away.
17 Your [ez](RN)guardsmen are like the swarming locust.
Your (RO)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 (RP)sleeping, O (RQ)king of Assyria;
Your (RR)nobles are lying down.
Your people are (RS)scattered on the mountains
And there is no one to regather them.
19 There is (RT)no relief for your breakdown,
Your (RU)wound is incurable.
All who hear [fa]about you
Will (RV)clap their hands over you,
For on whom has not your evil passed continually?
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.