1The burdena against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. Person Profile: Nahum
God’s Wrath on His Enemies
2God is jealous, and the LORD avenges;
The LORD avenges and is furious.
The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies;
3The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked.
The LORD has His way
In the whirlwind and in the storm,
And the clouds are the dust of His feet. Focus: Slow to Anger, Great in Power
4He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,
And dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither,
And the flower of Lebanon wilts.
5The mountains quake before Him,
The hills melt,
And the earth heavesb at His presence,
Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.
6Who can stand before His indignation?
And who can endure the fierceness of His anger?
His fury is poured out like fire,
And the rocks are thrown down by Him.
7The LORD is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust in Him.
8But with an overflowing flood
He will make an utter end of its place,
And darkness will pursue His enemies.
9What do you conspire against the LORD?
He will make an utter end of it.
Affliction will not rise up a second time.
10For while tangled like thorns,
And while drunken like drunkards,
They shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.
11From you comes forth one
Who plots evil against the LORD,
A wicked counselor.
12Thus says the LORD:
“Though they are safe, and likewise many,
Yet in this manner they will be cut down
When he passes through.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more;
13For now I will break off his yoke from you,
And burst your bonds apart.”
14The LORD has given a command concerning you:
“Your name shall be perpetuated no longer.
Out of the house of your gods
I will cut off the carved image and the molded image.
I will dig your grave,
For you are vile.”
15Behold, on the mountains
The feet of him who brings good tidings,
Who proclaims peace!
O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,
Perform your vows.
For the wicked one shall no more pass through you;
He is utterly cut off.
The Destruction of Nineveh
1He who scattersa has come up before your face.
Man the fort!
Watch the road!
Strengthen your flanks!
Fortify your power mightily.
2For the LORD will restore the excellence of Jacob
Like the excellence of Israel,
For the emptiers have emptied them out
And ruined their vine branches.
3The shields of his mighty men are made red,
The valiant men are in scarlet.
The chariots come with flaming torches
In the day of his preparation,
And the spears are brandished.b Insight: Battles in the Bible
4The chariots rage in the streets,
They jostle one another in the broad roads;
They seem like torches,
They run like lightning.
5He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their walk;
They make haste to her walls,
And the defense is prepared.
6The gates of the rivers are opened,
And the palace is dissolved. Insight: The Fall of Nineveh
7It is decreed:c
She shall be led away captive,
She shall be brought up;
And her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves,
Beating their breasts.
8Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,
Now they flee away.
“Halt! Halt!” they cry;
But no one turns back.
9Take spoil of silver!
Take spoil of gold!
There is no end of treasure,
Or wealth of every desirable prize.
10She is empty, desolate, and waste!
The heart melts, and the knees shake;
Much pain is in every side,
And all their faces are drained of color.d
11Where is the dwelling of the lions,
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub,
And no one made them afraid?
12The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs,
Killed for his lionesses,
Filled his caves with prey,
And his dens with flesh.
13“Behold, I am against you,” says the LORD of hosts, “I will burn youre chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.”
The Woe of Nineveh
1Woe to the bloody city!
It is all full of lies and robbery.
Its victim never departs. Insight: The Bloody City
2The noise of a whip
And the noise of rattling wheels,
Of galloping horses,
Of clattering chariots!
3Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear.
There is a multitude of slain,
A great number of bodies,
Countless corpses—
They stumble over the corpses—
4Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot,
The mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations through her harlotries,
And families through her sorceries. Insight: Mistress of Sorceries
5“Behold, I am against you,” says the LORD of hosts;
“I will lift your skirts over your face,
I will show the nations your nakedness,
And the kingdoms your shame.
6I will cast abominable filth upon you,
Make you vile,
And make you a spectacle.
7It shall come to pass that all who look upon you
Will flee from you, and say,
‘Nineveh is laid waste!
Who will bemoan her?’
Where shall I seek comforters for you?”
8Are you better than No Amona
That was situated by the River,b
That had the waters around her,
Whose rampart was the sea,
Whose wall was the sea?
9Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength,
And it was boundless;
Put and Lubim were yourc helpers.
10Yet she was carried away,
She went into captivity;
Her young children also were dashed to pieces
At the head of every street;
They cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound in chains.
11You also will be drunk;
You will be hidden;
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
12All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs:
If they are shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater.
13Surely, your people in your midst are women!
The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies;
Fire shall devour the bars of your gates.
14Draw your water for the siege!
Fortify your strongholds!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Make strong the brick kiln!
15There the fire will devour you,
The sword will cut you off;
It will eat you up like a locust.
Make yourself many—like the locust!
Make yourself many—like the swarming locusts!
16You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven.
The locust plunders and flies away.
17Your commanders are like swarming locusts,
And your generals like great grasshoppers,
Which camp in the hedges on a cold day;
When the sun rises they flee away,
And the place where they are is not known.
18Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria;
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are scattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.
19Your injury has no healing,
Your wound is severe.
All who hear news of you
Will clap their hands over you,
For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?