Old/New Testament
1 This is the ·message [oracle; burden] for the city of Nineveh [C the capital of the Assyrian empire]. This is the book of the vision of Nahum, ·who was from the town of Elkosh [L the Elkoshite; C of uncertain location].
The Lord Is Angry with Nineveh
2 The Lord is a ·jealous [zealous] God [Ex. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 4:24; 5:9; Josh. 24:19] who ·punishes [avenges];
the Lord ·punishes [avenges] and is filled with ·anger [wrath].
The Lord ·punishes [takes vengeance on] ·those who are against him [his adversaries/enemies],
and he ·stays angry with [or vents his wrath against] his enemies.
3 The Lord ·does not become angry quickly [L is slow to anger; Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2],
and his power is great.
The Lord will not let the guilty go unpunished.
·Where the Lord goes, there are [L His way/path is in] whirlwinds and storms,
and the clouds are the dust beneath his feet [C God’s awesome power is seen in nature; the clouds are his chariot; Ps. 68:4; 104:3; Dan. 7:13; Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Rev. 1:7].
4 He ·speaks to [rebukes] the sea and makes it dry [Ps. 106:9; Matt. 8:26; Luke 8:24];
he dries up all the rivers.
The areas of Bashan and Carmel dry up,
and the ·flowers [blossoms] of Lebanon dry up [C areas known for their lush vegetation and fertile land].
5 The mountains ·shake [tremble] in front of him,
and the hills melt.
The earth ·trembles [heaves] ·when he comes [before him],
the world and all who live in it.
6 ·No one [L Who…?] can ·stay alive [withstand/stand before] ·when he is angry [his indignation/anger];
no one can ·survive [endure] his ·strong [fierce; burning] anger.
His ·anger [wrath] is poured out like fire;
the rocks ·are smashed by [crumble before] him.
7 The Lord is good,
·giving protection [a stronghold; refuge] in ·times [L the day] of trouble.
He ·knows [cares for] those who trust in him.
8 But like a ·rushing [overwhelming] flood,
he will ·completely destroy [make an end of] ·Nineveh [her place; C Nineveh was destroyed in 612 bc, after Nahum wrote];
he will ·chase [pursue] his enemies ·until he kills them [into darkness].
9 The Lord will completely destroy
·anyone making plans [or whatever you plot/conspire] against him.
Trouble will not come a second time.
10 Those people will be ·like tangled [or entangled among] thorns
or like people drunk from their wine;
they will be ·burned up quickly [consumed] like ·dry weeds [stubble].
11 Someone has come from ·Nineveh [L you]
who ·makes evil plans [plots evil] against the Lord
and gives wicked ·advice [counsel; strategy].
12 This is what the Lord says:
“Although Assyria ·is strong [or has allies] and has many people,
it will be ·defeated [destroyed] and ·brought to an end [pass away].
Although I have ·made you suffer, Judah [L afflicted you],
I will ·make you suffer [afflict you] no more.
13 Now I will ·free you from their control [L break his yoke from you]
and tear away your ·chains [shackles].”
14 The Lord has given you this command, Nineveh:
“You will not have ·descendants [L seed] to carry on your name.
I will ·destroy [L cut off] the ·idols [carved images] and metal images
that are in the ·temple [L house] of your gods.
I will ·make [prepare] a grave for you,
because you are ·wicked [vile; despicable].”
15 Look, there on the ·hills [mountains],
·someone is [L the feet of one] bringing good news [Is. 52:7]!
He is announcing peace!
Celebrate your ·feasts [festivals], people of Judah,
and ·give your promised sacrifices to God [L fulfill your vows].
The wicked will not come to attack you again;
they have been completely ·destroyed [L cut off].
Nineveh Will Be Defeated
2 The ·destroyer [attacker; scatterer] is coming ·to attack [against] ·you, Nineveh [L you; C the Babylonians and Medes destroyed Nineveh].
Guard the ·defenses [fortress; ramparts].
Watch the road.
·Get ready [T Gird your loins].
Gather all your strength!
2 ·Destroyers [Plunderers] have ·destroyed [plundered] God’s people
and ruined their vines,
but the Lord will ·bring back [restore] Jacob’s ·greatness [splendor; majesty]
like Israel’s ·greatness [splendor; majesty].
3 The shields of his soldiers are red [C either dyed red or splattered with blood];
the army is dressed in ·red [scarlet].
The metal on the chariots ·flashes like fire [shines; glistens]
·when [L on the day] they are ready to attack;
·their horses are excited [or their cypress spears are brandished].
4 The chariots ·race [storm; charge insanely] through the streets
and rush back and forth through the city squares.
They look like torches;
they run like lightning.
5 He [C probably the king of Assyria] ·calls [or remembers] his officers,
but they stumble on the way.
They hurry to the city wall,
and the ·shield [or siege tower] is put into place.
6 The river gates are thrown open,
and the palace ·is destroyed [collapses; dissolves; melts].
7 It has been ·announced [decreed] that ·the people of Nineveh [L she]
will be ·captured [exiled; or stripped; exposed] and carried away.
The slave girls moan like doves
and beat their breasts [C a sign of grief].
8 Nineveh is like a pool,
and now its water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” the people yell,
but no one turns back.
9 ·Take [Plunder] the silver!
·Take [Plunder] the gold!
There is no end to the treasure—
piles of wealth of every ·kind [precious/desirable thing].
10 ·Nineveh is robbed [L Empty!], ·ruined [desolate!], and destroyed.
·The people lose their courage [L Their hearts melt], and their knees knock.
·Stomachs ache [Bodies/Loins in anguish], and everyone’s face grows pale.
11 Where is the lions’ den [C the lion was a symbol of Assyria]
and the place where they feed their young?
Where did the lion, lioness, and cubs go
without being afraid?
12 The lion killed enough for his cubs,
·enough [L and strangled prey] for his ·mate [L lionesses].
He filled his cave with ·the animals he caught [prey];
he filled his den with ·meat he had killed [L torn (flesh)].
13 “I am against ·you, Nineveh [L you],”
says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,
and the sword will ·kill [devour] your young lions.
I will ·stop you from hunting down others on [L cut off your prey from] the earth,
and your messengers’ voices
will no longer be heard.”
It Will Be Terrible for Nineveh
3 ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] the city ·that has killed so many [L of blood].
It is full of lies
and ·goods stolen from other countries [plunder].
It is ·always killing somebody [L never empty of prey].
2 Hear the sound of whips
and the ·noise [rumble; shaking] of the wheels.
Hear horses galloping
and chariots bouncing along!
3 ·Horses [Cavalry; Horsemen] are charging,
swords are ·shining [flashing],
spears are gleaming!
Many are ·dead [slain];
their bodies are piled up—
too many to count.
People stumble over the dead bodies.
4 ·The city was like a prostitute [For her many acts of prostitution];
she was ·charming [graceful] and a ·lover of magic [L mistress of sorceries].
She made nations slaves with her prostitution
and her ·witchcraft [sorcery; charms].
5 “I am against ·you, Nineveh [L you],” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
“I will pull your dress up over your face
and show the nations your nakedness
and the kingdoms your shame [C the punishment of a prostitute in the ancient Near East].
6 I will throw filthy garbage on you
and ·make a fool of you [treat you with contempt].
I will make ·people stare at you [you a spectacle].
7 Everyone who sees you will ·run away [or turn away in disgust] and say,
‘Nineveh is in ruins. Who will ·cry [grieve; lament] for her?’
Nineveh, where will I find anyone to comfort you?”
8 You are no better than ·Thebes [L No Amon; C meaning “city of (the god) Amon”; This capital of Upper Egypt, thought to be impregnable, was destroyed by the Assyrians in 663 bc],
who sits by the Nile River
with water all around her.
The river was her ·defense [rampart];
the waters were like a wall around her.
9 Cush [C ancient Ethiopia or Nubia] and Egypt gave her endless strength;
Put and Libya supported her [C neighboring countries allied with Egypt].
10 But Thebes was captured
and went into ·captivity [exile].
Her ·small children [infants] were ·beaten to death [dashed to pieces]
at every street corner.
Lots were thrown for her ·important men [nobles; C parceled out as slaves],
and all of her ·leaders [great ones] were put in chains.
11 You [C Nineveh] will be drunk, too.
You will hide;
you will ·look for a place safe [seek refuge] from the enemy.
12 All your ·defenses [fortresses] are like fig trees with ripe fruit.
When the tree is shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Look at your soldiers.
They are all women [C meaning helpless or physically weak]!
The gates of your land
are wide open for your enemies;
fire has ·burned [consumed; devoured] the bars of your gates.
14 ·Get enough water before the long war begins [Draw water for the siege].
Make your defenses strong!
Get mud,
mix clay,
·make bricks [strengthen the brickwork]!
15 There the fire will ·burn you up [consume/devour you].
The sword will ·kill you [cut you down];
·like grasshoppers eating crops, the battle will completely destroy you [it will devour you like locusts].
Grow in number like ·hopping [or young] locusts;
grow in number like ·swarming [or flying] locusts!
16 Your ·traders [merchants] are more than the stars in the sky,
but like locusts they ·strip the land [or shed their skin] and then fly away.
17 Your guards are like locusts.
Your officers are like swarms of locusts
that ·hang [settle; encamp] on the walls on a cold day.
When the sun comes up, they fly away,
and no one knows where they have gone.
18 King of Assyria, your ·rulers [L shepherds] are asleep;
your ·important men [nobles; officers] lie down ·to rest [or dead].
Your people have been scattered on the mountains [C like sheep],
and there is no one to ·bring them back [gather them].
19 Nothing can heal your wound;
your ·injury [wound] ·will not heal [is fatal].
Everyone who hears ·about you applauds [will clap their hands over you],
because ·everyone has [L who has not…?] felt your endless cruelty.
The Song of the Saved
14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion [C a mountain near Jerusalem where the temple was located, representing the presence of God]. With him were one hundred forty-four thousand people [7:4] who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads [13:16]. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the noise of ·flooding water [rushing water; L many waters; 1:15] and like the ·sound [peal] of loud thunder [19:6]. The sound I heard was like ·people [L harpists] playing harps. 3 And they sang a new song [C a song celebrating divine deliverance; 5:9; Ps. 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1] before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders [4:4]. No one could learn the new song except the one hundred forty-four thousand [7:4] who had been ·bought [redeemed] from the earth. 4 These are the ones who did not ·do sinful things [defile themselves] with women, because they ·kept themselves pure [L are virgins]. They follow the Lamb every place he goes. ·These one hundred forty-four thousand [L They] were ·bought [redeemed] from ·among the people of the earth [L humanity; mankind] as ·people to be offered [L firstfruits; C the earliest part of the harvest was offered to God] to God and the Lamb. 5 ·They were not guilty of telling lies [L No lie was found in their mouth]; they are ·without fault [blameless].
The Three Angels
6 Then I saw another angel flying ·high in the air [L in mid-heaven; 8:13]. He had the eternal ·Good News [Gospel] to preach to those who ·live [dwell] on earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 He ·preached [L spoke] in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him ·praise [glory], because the ·time has come for God to judge all people [L hour of his judgment has come]. So worship God who made the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the springs of water.”
8 Then the second angel followed the first angel and said, “·Ruined, ruined [L Fallen, fallen] is ·the great city of Babylon [L Babylon the Great; C the capital of the empire that destroyed Jerusalem in 586 bc, a symbol for the evil world system opposing God; 2 Kin. 24—25; Is. 21:9; Dan. 4:30]! She made all the nations drink the wine of the ·anger [or passion; C the Greek word thymos can mean either anger or passion; see v. 10 for a possible play on words] of her ·adultery [or sexual immorality].”
9 Then a third angel followed the first two angels, saying in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his ·idol [image] and ·gets [receives; takes] the beast’s ·mark [brand; stamp] on the forehead or on the hand, 10 that one also will drink the wine of God’s anger [C perhaps a play on words with v. 8; Babylon’s “passion” will bring on God’s “wrath”], which is prepared ·with all its strength [undiluted; L unmixed; C wine was often mixed with water] in the cup of his anger [C God’s judgment is often portrayed in the OT as a “cup” of wine poured out; Jer. 25:15–29]. And that person will be ·put in pain [tortured; tormented] with ·burning sulfur [L fire and sulfur] before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 And the smoke from their ·burning pain [torture; torment] will rise forever and ever. There will be no rest, day or night, for those who worship the beast and his ·idol [image] or who get the ·mark [brand; stamp] of his name.” 12 This means ·God’s holy people [T the saints] must ·be patient [persevere; endure]. They must ·obey [keep] God’s commands and ·keep their faith in [remain faithful to] Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: ·Blessed [or Happy] are the dead who die from now on in the Lord.”
The Spirit says, “Yes, they will rest from their hard work, ·and the reward of all they have done stays with them [L for their deeds will follow them].”
The Earth Is Harvested
14 Then I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and sitting on the white cloud was One who looked like a ·Son of Man [or human being; C a designation Jesus applied to himself; Dan. 7:13–14]. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle [C a curved blade used to harvest grain] in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called out in a loud voice to the One who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and ·harvest [reap] from the earth, because the time to ·harvest [reap] has come, ·and [L because] the ·fruit [L harvest] of the earth is ripe.” 16 So the One who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was ·harvested [reaped].
17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 And then another angel, who has ·power [authority; charge] over the fire, came from the altar. This angel called to the angel with the sharp sickle, saying, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the bunches [clusters] of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” 19 Then the angel swung his sickle over the earth. He gathered the earth’s grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s ·anger [wrath; Is. 63:2–3, 6; Lam. 1:15]. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the winepress as high as horses’ bridles for a distance of about ·one hundred eighty miles [L one thousand six hundred stadia].
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