Darby Bible Translation

New Living Translation

Judgment against Nineveh

Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies [and] violence; the prey departeth not.

The LORD’s Judgment against Nineveh

What sorrow awaits Nineveh,
the city of murder and lies!
She is crammed with wealth
and is never without victims.

2

The crack of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the prancing horses, and of the bounding chariots!

2

Hear the crack of whips,
the rumble of wheels!
Horses’ hooves pound,
and chariots clatter wildly.

3

The horseman springing up, and the glitter of the sword, and the flash of the spear, and a multitude of slain, and a mass of carcases, and no end of corpses: they stumble over their corpses.

3

See the flashing swords and glittering spears
as the charioteers charge past!
There are countless casualties,
heaps of bodies —
so many bodies that
people stumble over them.

4

-- Because of the multitude of the fornications of the well-favoured harlot, mistress of sorceries, that selleth nations through her fornications, and families through her sorceries,

4

All this because Nineveh,
the beautiful and faithless city,
mistress of deadly charms,
enticed the nations with her beauty.
She taught them all her magic,
enchanting people everywhere.

5

behold, I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts; and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

5

“I am your enemy!”
says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
“And now I will lift your skirts
and show all the earth your nakedness and shame.

6

And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing stock.

6

I will cover you with filth
and show the world how vile you really are.

7

And it shall come to pass, [that] all they that see thee shall flee from thee, and shall say, Nineveh is laid waste! Who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

7

All who see you will shrink back and say,
‘Nineveh lies in ruins.
Where are the mourners?’
Does anyone regret your destruction?”

8

Art thou better than No-Amon, that was situate among the rivers, [that had] the waters round about her, whose rampart was the sea, [and] of the sea was her wall?

8

Are you any better than the city of Thebes,a
situated on the Nile River, surrounded by water?
She was protected by the river on all sides,
walled in by water.

9

Ethiopia was her strength, and Egypt, and it was infinite; Phut and the Libyans were her helpers.

9

Ethiopiab and the land of Egypt
gave unlimited assistance.
The nations of Put and Libya
were among her allies.

10

She too was carried away, she went into captivity: her infants also were dashed in pieces, at the top of all the streets; and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound with chains.

10

Yet Thebes fell,
and her people were led away as captives.
Her babies were dashed to death
against the stones of the streets.
Soldiers threw dicec to get Egyptian officers as servants.
All their leaders were bound in chains.

11

Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid; thou also shalt seek a refuge from the enemy.

11

And you, Nineveh, will also stagger like a drunkard.
You will hide for fear of the attacking enemy.

12

All thy strongholds are [like] fig-trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they even fall into the mouth of the eater.

12

All your fortresses will fall.
They will be devoured like the ripe figs
that fall into the mouths
of those who shake the trees.

13

Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are [as] women: the gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies; the fire devoureth thy bars.

13

Your troops will be as weak
and helpless as women.
The gates of your land will be opened wide to the enemy
and set on fire and burned.

14

Draw thee water for the siege, strengthen thy fortresses; go into the clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brick-kiln.

14

Get ready for the siege!
Store up water!
Strengthen the defenses!
Go into the pits to trample clay,
and pack it into molds,
making bricks to repair the walls.

15

There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the cankerworm. Make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locust.

15

But the fire will devour you;
the sword will cut you down.
The enemy will consume you like locusts,
devouring everything they see.
There will be no escape,
even if you multiply like swarming locusts.

16

Thou hast multiplied thy merchants more than the stars of the heavens; the cankerworm spreadeth himself out and flieth away.

16

Your merchants have multiplied
until they outnumber the stars.
But like a swarm of locusts,
they strip the land and fly away.

17

Thy chosen men are as the locusts, and thy captains as swarms of grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day: when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

17

Your guardsd and officials are also like swarming locusts
that crowd together in the hedges on a cold day.
But like locusts that fly away when the sun comes up,
all of them will fly away and disappear.

18

Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; thy nobles lie still; thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.

18

Your shepherds are asleep, O Assyrian king;
your princes lie dead in the dust.
Your people are scattered across the mountains
with no one to gather them together.

19

There is no healing of thy breach; thy wound is grievous; all that hear the report of thee clap the hands over thee; for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?

19

There is no healing for your wound;
your injury is fatal.
All who hear of your destruction
will clap their hands for joy.
Where can anyone be found
who has not suffered from your continual cruelty?

Parallel

Darby Bible Translation

New Living Translation

Nahum 3

Nahum 3