◀ All Reading Plans / Historical / Nahum 1-3 Habakkuk 1-3 (New English Translation)
Print Page Options
Previous Prev Day
June 22, 2025 Use the calendar to view readings from this plan.
Next DayNext

Historical

Read the books of the Bible as they were written historically, according to the estimated date of their writing.
Duration: 365 days
New English Translation (NET)
Version
Nahum 1-3

Introduction

1 This is an oracle[a] about Nineveh; the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:[b]

God Takes Vengeance against His Enemies

2 The Lord is a zealous[c] and avenging[d] God;
the Lord is avenging and very angry.[e]
The Lord takes vengeance[f] against his foes;
he sustains his rage[g] against his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger[h] but great in power;[i]
the Lord will certainly not[j] allow the wicked[k] to go unpunished.

The Divine Warrior Destroys His Enemies but Protects His People

He marches out[l] in the whirlwind and the raging storm;
dark storm clouds billow like dust under his feet.[m]
4 He shouts a battle cry[n] against the sea[o] and makes it dry up;[p]
he makes all the rivers[q] run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither;[r]
the blossom of Lebanon withers.
5 The mountains tremble before him,[s]
the hills convulse;[t]
the earth is laid waste[u] before him,
the world and all its inhabitants[v] are laid waste.[w]
6 No one can withstand[x] his indignation![y]
No one can resist[z] his fierce anger![aa]
His wrath is poured out like volcanic fire,
boulders are broken up[ab] as he approaches.[ac]
7 The Lord is good[ad]—
indeed,[ae] he is a fortress[af] in time of distress,[ag]
and he protects[ah] those who seek refuge[ai] in him.
8 But with an overwhelming flood[aj]
he will make a complete end of Nineveh;[ak]
he will drive[al] his enemies into darkness.

Denunciation and Destruction of Nineveh

9 Whatever[am] you plot[an] against the Lord, he will completely destroy![ao]
Distress[ap] will not arise[aq] a second time.
10 Surely they will be totally consumed[ar]
like[as] entangled thorn bushes,[at]
like the drink of drunkards,[au]
like very[av] dry stubble.
11 From you, O Nineveh,[aw] one has marched forth who plots evil against the Lord,
a wicked military strategist.[ax]

Oracle of Deliverance to Judah

12 This is what the Lord says:[ay]

“Even though[az] they are powerful[ba]—
and what is more,[bb] even though their army is numerous[bc]—
nevertheless,[bd] they will be destroyed[be] and trickle away![bf]
Although I afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more.[bg]
13 And now,[bh] I will break Assyria’s[bi] yoke bar[bj] from your neck;[bk]
I will tear apart the shackles[bl] that are on you.”[bm]

Oracle of Judgment against the King of Nineveh

14 The Lord has issued a decree against you:[bn]
“Your dynasty will come to an end.[bo]
I will destroy the idols and images in the temples of your gods.
I will desecrate[bp] your grave, because you are accursed!”[bq]

Proclamation of the Deliverance of Judah

15 (2:1)[br] Look! A herald is running[bs] on the mountains!
A messenger is proclaiming deliverance:[bt]
“Celebrate your sacred festivals, O Judah!
Fulfill your sacred vows to praise God![bu]
For never again[bv] will the wicked[bw] Assyrians[bx] invade[by] you;
they[bz] have been completely destroyed.”[ca]

Proclamation of the Destruction of Nineveh

2 (2:2) An enemy who will scatter[cb] you, Nineveh,[cc] has advanced[cd] against you![ce]
Guard[cf] the rampart![cg]
Watch the road!
Prepare yourselves for battle![ch]
Muster your mighty strength![ci]
2 For the Lord is about to restore[cj] the majesty[ck] of Jacob,
as well as[cl] the majesty of Israel,
though[cm] their enemies have plundered them[cn]
and have destroyed their fields.[co]

Prophetic Vision of the Fall of Nineveh

3 The shields of his warriors are dyed red;[cp]
the mighty soldiers are dressed in scarlet garments.[cq]
The chariots[cr] are in[cs] flashing metal fittings[ct]
on the day of battle;[cu]
the soldiers brandish[cv] their spears.[cw]
4 The chariots[cx] race madly[cy] through the streets,
they rush back and forth[cz] in the broad plazas;
they look[da] like lightning bolts,[db]
they dash here and there[dc] like flashes of lightning.[dd]
5 The commander[de] orders[df] his officers;
they stumble[dg] as they advance;[dh]
they rush to the city wall,[di]
and they set up[dj] the covered siege tower.[dk]
6 The sluice gates[dl] are opened;
the royal palace is deluged[dm] and dissolves.[dn]
7 Nineveh[do] is taken into exile[dp] and is led away;[dq]
her slave girls moan[dr] like doves[ds] while they beat[dt] their breasts.[du]
8 Nineveh was[dv] like a pool[dw] of water throughout her days,[dx]
but now[dy] her people[dz] are running away;[ea]
she cries out:[eb] “Stop! Stop!”—
but no one turns back.[ec]
9 Her conquerors cry out:[ed]
“Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!”
There is no end to the treasure;
riches of every kind of precious thing.
10 Destruction, devastation, and desolation![ee]
Hearts faint, knees tremble;
every stomach churns,[ef] all their faces have turned[eg] pale![eh]

Taunt against the Once-Mighty Lion

11 Where now is the den of the lions[ei]
and the feeding place[ej] of the young lions,
where the lion, lioness,[ek] and lion cub once prowled[el]
and no one disturbed them?[em]
12 The lion tore apart as much prey as his cubs needed
and strangled prey for his lionesses;
he filled his lairs with prey
and his dens with torn flesh.

Battle Cry of the Divine Warrior

13 “I am against you!” declares[en] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies:[eo]
“I will burn your chariots[ep] with fire;[eq]
the sword will devour your young lions.[er]
You will no longer prey upon the land;[es]
the voices of your messengers[et] will no longer be heard.”

Reason for Judgment: Sins of Nineveh

3 Woe to the city guilty of bloodshed![eu]
She is full of lies;[ev]
she is filled with plunder;[ew]
she has hoarded her spoil![ex]

Portrayal of the Destruction of Nineveh

2 The chariot drivers will crack their whips;[ey]
the chariot wheels will shake the ground.[ez]
The chariot horses[fa] will gallop;[fb]
the war chariots[fc] will bolt forward![fd]
3 The charioteers[fe] will charge ahead;[ff]
their swords[fg] will flash[fh]
and their spears[fi] will glimmer![fj]
There will be many people slain;[fk]
there will be piles of the dead
and countless casualties[fl]—
so many that people[fm] will stumble over the corpses.

Taunt against the Harlot City

4 Because[fn] you have acted like a wanton prostitute[fo]—
a seductive mistress who practices sorcery,[fp]
who[fq] enslaves[fr] nations by her harlotry,[fs]
and entices peoples by her sorcery[ft]—
5 “I am against you,” declares the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[fu]
“I will strip off your clothes![fv]
I will show your nakedness to the nations
and your shame to the kingdoms.
6 I will pelt you with filth;[fw]
I will treat you with contempt;
I will make you a public spectacle.
7 Everyone who sees you will turn away from you in disgust;
they will say, ‘Nineveh has been devastated!
Who will lament for her?’
There will be no one to comfort you!”[fx]

Nineveh Will Suffer the Same Fate as Thebes

8 You are no more secure[fy] than Thebes[fz]—
she was located on the banks of the Nile;
the waters surrounded her—
her[ga] rampart[gb] was the sea,
the water[gc] was her wall.
9 Cush[gd] and Egypt had limitless strength;[ge]
Put and the Libyans[gf] were among[gg] her[gh] allies.[gi]
10 Yet she went into captivity as an exile;[gj]
even her infants were smashed to pieces[gk] at the head of every street.
They cast lots[gl] for her nobility;[gm]
all her dignitaries were bound with chains.
11 You too will act like drunkards;[gn]
you will go into hiding;[go]
you too will seek refuge from the enemy.

The Assyrian Defenses Will Fail

12 All your fortifications will be like fig trees[gp] with first-ripe fruit:[gq]
If they are shaken,[gr] their figs[gs] will fall[gt] into the mouth of the eater.[gu]
13 Your warriors will be like women in your midst;
the gates of your land will be wide open[gv] to your enemies;
fire will consume[gw] the bars of your gates.[gx]
14 Draw yourselves water for a siege![gy]
Strengthen your fortifications!
Trample the mud[gz] and tread the clay!
Make mud bricks to strengthen your walls![ha]
15 There the fire will consume[hb] you;
the sword will cut you down;
it will devour[hc] you like the young locust would.

The Assyrian Defenders Will Flee

Multiply yourself[hd] like the young locust;
multiply yourself like the flying locust!
16 Increase[he] your merchants more than the stars of heaven!
They are like[hf] the young locust that sheds its skin[hg] and flies away.
17 Your courtiers[hh] are like locusts,
your officials[hi] are like a swarm of locusts!
They encamp in the walls on a cold day,
yet when the sun rises, they[hj] fly away,[hk]
and no one knows where they[hl] are.[hm]

Concluding Dirge

18 Your shepherds[hn] are sleeping, O king of Assyria.
Your officers[ho] are slumbering![hp]
Your people are scattered like sheep[hq] on the mountains,
and there is no one to regather them.
19 Your destruction is like an incurable wound;[hr]
your demise is like a fatal injury.[hs]
All who hear what has happened to you[ht] will clap their hands for joy,[hu]
for no one ever escaped your endless cruelty![hv]

Habakkuk 1-3

Habakkuk Complains to the Lord

1 This is the oracle[a] that the prophet Habakkuk saw:

2 How long, Lord, must I cry for help?
But you do not listen!
I call out to you, “Violence!”
But you do not deliver!
3 Why do you force me to witness injustice?[b]
Why do you put up with wrongdoing?[c]
Destruction and violence confront[d] me;
conflict is present and one must endure strife.[e]
4 For this reason the law lacks power,[f]
and justice is never carried out.[g]
Indeed,[h] the wicked intimidate[i] the innocent.[j]
For this reason justice is perverted.[k]

The Lord’s Surprising Answer

5 “Look at the nations and pay attention![l]
You will be shocked and amazed![m]
For I will do something in your lifetime[n]
that you will not believe even though you are forewarned.[o]
6 Look, I am about to empower[p] the Babylonians,
that ruthless[q] and greedy[r] nation.
They sweep across the surface[s] of the earth,
seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.
7 They are frightening and terrifying;
they decide for themselves what is right.[t]
8 Their horses are faster than leopards
and more alert[u] than wolves in the desert.[v]
Their horses[w] gallop,[x]
their horses come a great distance;
like vultures[y] they swoop down quickly to devour their prey.[z]
9 All of them intend[aa] to do violence;
every face is determined.[ab]
They take prisoners as easily as one scoops up sand.[ac]
10 They mock kings
and laugh at rulers.
They laugh at every fortified city;
they build siege ramps[ad] and capture them.
11 They sweep by like the wind and pass on.[ae]
But the one who considers himself a god will be held guilty.”[af]

Habakkuk Voices Some Concerns

12 Lord, you have been active from ancient times;[ag]
my sovereign God,[ah] you are immortal.[ai]
Lord, you have made them[aj] your instrument of judgment.[ak]
Protector,[al] you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment.[am]
13 You are too just[an] to tolerate[ao] evil;
you are unable to condone[ap] wrongdoing.
So why do you put up with such treacherous people?[aq]
Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour[ar] those more righteous than they are?[as]
14 You made people like fish in the sea,
like animals in the sea[at] that have no ruler.
15 The Babylonian tyrant[au] pulls them all up with a fishhook;
he hauls them in with his throw net.[av]
When he catches[aw] them in his dragnet,
he is very happy.[ax]
16 Because of his success[ay] he offers sacrifices to his throw net
and burns incense to his dragnet;[az]
for because of them he has plenty of food,[ba]
and more than enough to eat.[bb]
17 Will he then[bc] continue to fill and empty his throw net?[bd]
Will he always[be] destroy[bf] nations and spare none?[bg]
2 I will stand at my watch post;

I will remain stationed on the city wall.[bh]
I will keep watching so I can see what he says to me
and can know[bi] how I should answer
when he counters my argument.[bj]

The Lord Assures Habakkuk

2 The Lord responded:[bk]

“Write down this message.[bl]
Record it legibly on tablets
so the one who announces[bm] it may read it easily.[bn]
3 For the message is a witness to what is decreed;[bo]
it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out.[bp]
Even if the message[bq] is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently;[br]
for it will certainly come to pass—it will not arrive late.
4 Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion,[bs]
but the person of integrity[bt] will live[bu] because of his faithfulness.[bv]
5 Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man![bw]
His appetite[bx] is as big as Sheol’s;[by]
like death, he is never satisfied.
He gathers[bz] all the nations;
he seizes[ca] all peoples.

The Proud Babylonians Are as Good as Dead

6 “But all these nations will someday taunt him[cb]
and ridicule him with proverbial sayings:[cc]
‘Woe to the one who accumulates[cd] what does not belong to him
(How long will this go on?)[ce]—
he who gets rich by extortion!’[cf]
7 Your creditors will suddenly attack;[cg]
those who terrify you will spring into action,[ch]
and they will rob you.[ci]
8 Because you robbed many countries,[cj]
all who are left among the nations[ck] will rob you.
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities,[cl] and those who live in them.
9 The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead.[cm]

He does this so he can build his nest way up high
and escape the clutches of disaster.[cn]
10 Your schemes will bring shame to your house.
Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct.[co]
11 For the stones in the walls will cry out,
and the wooden rafters will answer back.[cp]
12 Woe to the one who builds a city by bloodshed—

he who starts[cq] a town by unjust deeds.
13 Be sure of this! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has decreed:
The nations’ efforts will go up in smoke;
their exhausting work will be for nothing.[cr]
14 For recognition of the Lord’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth
just as the waters fill up the sea.[cs]

15 “Woe to you who force your neighbor to drink wine[ct]—

you who make others intoxicated
by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger[cu]
so you can look at their naked bodies.[cv]
16 But you will become drunk[cw] with shame, not majesty.[cx]
Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin![cy]
The cup of wine in the Lord’s right hand[cz] is coming to you,
and disgrace will replace your majestic glory!
17 For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon;[da]
terrifying judgment will come upon you
because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there.[db]
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them.
18 What good[dc] is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it?[dd]
What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles?[de]
Why would its creator place his trust in it[df]
and make[dg] such mute, worthless things?
19 Woe to the one who says to wood, ‘Wake up!’—
he who says[dh] to speechless stone, ‘Awake!’
Can it give reliable guidance?[di]
It is overlaid with gold and silver;
it has no life’s breath inside it.
20 But the Lord is in his majestic palace.[dj]
The whole earth is speechless in his presence!”[dk]

Habakkuk’s Vision of the Divine Warrior

3 This is a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet:[dl]

2 Lord, I have heard the report of what you did;[dm]
I am awed,[dn] Lord, by what you accomplished.[do]
In our time[dp] repeat those deeds;[dq]
in our time reveal them again.[dr]
But when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy![ds]
3 God comes[dt] from Teman,[du]
the Holy One[dv] from Mount Paran.[dw] Selah.[dx]
His splendor has covered the skies,[dy]
the earth is full of his glory.[dz]
4 His brightness will be as lightning;[ea]
a two-pronged lightning bolt flashing from his hand.[eb]
This is the outward display of his power.[ec]
5 Plague will go[ed] before him;
pestilence[ee] will march[ef] right behind him.[eg]
6 He took his battle position[eh] and shook[ei] the earth;
with a mere look he frightened[ej] the nations.
The ancient mountains disintegrated;[ek]
the primeval hills were flattened.
His are ancient roads.[el]
7 I saw the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble;[em]
the tent curtains of the land of Midian were[en] shaking.[eo]
8 Was[ep] the Lord mad at the rivers?
Were you angry with the rivers?
Were you enraged at the sea?[eq]
Such that[er] you would climb into your horse-drawn chariots,[es]
your victorious chariots?[et]
9 Your bow is ready for action;[eu]
you commission your arrows.[ev] Selah.
You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface.[ew]
10 When the mountains see you, they shake.
The torrential downpour sweeps through.[ex]
The great deep[ey] shouts out;
it lifts its hands high.[ez]
11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses;[fa]
the flash of your arrows drives them away,[fb]
the bright light of your lightning-quick spear.[fc]
12 You furiously stomp on the earth;
you angrily trample down the nations.
13 You march out to deliver your people,
to deliver your special servant.[fd]
You strike the leader of the wicked nation,[fe]
laying him open from the lower body to the neck.[ff] Selah.
14 You pierce the heads of his warriors[fg] with a spear.[fh]
They storm forward to scatter us;[fi]
they shout with joy as if they were plundering the poor with no opposition.[fj]
15 But you trample on the sea with your horses,
on the surging, raging waters.[fk]

Habakkuk Declares His Confidence

16 I listened and my stomach churned;[fl]
the sound made my lips quiver.
My frame went limp, as if my bones were decaying,[fm]
and I shook as I tried to walk.[fn]
I long[fo] for the day of distress
to come upon[fp] the people who attack us.
17 When[fq] the fig tree does not bud,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
when the olive trees do not produce[fr]
and the fields yield no crops;[fs]
when the sheep disappear[ft] from the pen
and there are no cattle in the stalls—
18 I will rejoice because of[fu] the Lord;
I will be happy because of the God who delivers me!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my source of strength.[fv]
He gives me the agility of a deer;[fw]
he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain.[fx]

(This prayer is for the song leader. It is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)[fy]

New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Prev Day Prev Day
Top
Next Day Next Day