Nahum 3

Woe to the City of Blood

1Woe to the city of blood,
full of lies,
full of plunder—
its prey never departs! 2The crack of the whip,
the rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse
and bounding chariot! 3Horsemen charging,
flashing sword,
glittering spear,
a multitude of slain,
heaps of corpses,
without end to the bodies—
they stumble over their bodies.

Because of Her Many Betrayals

4Because of the many prostitutions
of the prostitute,
gracious in appearance,
mistress of sorceries,
who sells nations through her prostitutions
and clans through her sorceries: 5“Look, I am against you,”
says the LORD of Hosts.

“I will lift your skirts over your face;
I will show nations your nakedness
and kingdoms your shame. 6I will throw filth upon you;
I will treat you with contempt
and make you a spectacle. 7Then everyone who sees you
will flee from you and say,
‘Nineveh is devastated!
Who will mourn for her?’

Where will I seek
comforters for you?”

Are You Better Than Thebes?

8Are you better than No-Amon,
which sat among the Nile channels,
with water surrounding her,
whose rampart was the sea
and whose wall was water? 9Cush was her strength,
and Egypt without limit;
Put and the Libyans
were among her helpers. 10Yet she also went into exile,
she went into captivity.
Her infants were dashed to pieces
at the head of every street.
They cast lots for her honored ones,
and all her great ones
were bound in chains.

You Also Will Become Drunk

11You also will become drunk;
you will hide yourself.
You also will seek refuge
from the enemy. 12All your fortresses
are like fig trees with first-ripe figs;
when they are shaken,
they fall into the mouth of the eater. 13Look, your troops within you
are like women.
The gates of your land
are opened wide to your enemies;
fire consumes your bars.

Prepare for the Siege

14Draw water for the siege!
Strengthen your forts!
Go into the clay
and tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick mold! 15There the fire will consume you;
the sword will cut you down.
It will consume you like the locust.

Multiply yourself like the locust!
Multiply like the grasshopper! 16You multiplied your merchants
more than the stars of heaven.
The locust strips the land
and flies away.

Your Leaders Have Vanished

17Your guards are like grasshoppers,
and your officials like swarms of locusts
that settle on walls
on a cold day.
When the sun rises, they fly away,
and no one knows
where they are. 18Your shepherds are asleep,
O king of Assyria;
your nobles lie still.
Your people are scattered
on the mountains,
and there is no one
to gather them.

There Is No Healing for Your Wound

19There is no relief
for your fracture;
your wound is grievous.

All who hear the news about you
clap their hands over you,
for upon whom has your evil
not passed continually?