New International Version

New King James Version

Woe to Nineveh

Woe to the city of blood,
full of lies,
full of plunder,
never without victims!

1

The Woe of Nineveh

Woe to the bloody city!
It is all full of lies and robbery.
Its [a]victim never departs.

2

The crack of whips,
the clatter of wheels,
galloping horses
and jolting chariots!

2

The noise of a whip
And the noise of rattling wheels,
Of galloping horses,
Of [b]clattering chariots!

3

Charging cavalry,
flashing swords
and glittering spears!
Many casualties,
piles of dead,
bodies without number,
people stumbling over the corpses —

3

Horsemen 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 —

4

all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute,
alluring, the mistress of sorceries,
who enslaved nations by her prostitution
and peoples by her witchcraft.

4

Because of the multitude of [c]harlotries of the [d]seductive harlot,
The mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations through her harlotries,
And families through her sorceries.

5

“I am against you,” declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will lift your skirts over your face.
I will show the nations your nakedness
and the kingdoms your shame.

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.

6

I will pelt you with filth,
I will treat you with contempt
and make you a spectacle.

6

I will cast abominable filth upon you,
Make you vile,[e]
And make you a spectacle.

7

All who see you will flee from you and say,
‘Nineveh is in ruins — who will mourn for her?’
Where can I find anyone to comfort you?”

7

It 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?”

8

Are you better than Thebes,
situated on the Nile,
with water around her?
The river was her defense,
the waters her wall.

8

Are you better than No[f] Amon
That was situated by the [g]River,
That had the waters around her,
Whose rampart was the sea,
Whose wall was the sea?

9

Cusha and Egypt were her boundless strength;
Put and Libya were among her allies.

9

Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength,
And it was boundless;
Put and Lubim were [h]your helpers.

10

Yet she was taken captive
and went into exile.
Her infants were dashed to pieces
at every street corner.
Lots were cast for her nobles,
and all her great men were put in chains.

10

Yet 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.

11

You too will become drunk;
you will go into hiding
and seek refuge from the enemy.

11

You also will be drunk;
You will be hidden;
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

12

All your fortresses are like fig trees
with their first ripe fruit;
when they are shaken,
the figs fall into the mouth of the eater.

12

All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs:
If they are shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater.

13

Look at your troops —
they are all weaklings.
The gates of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire has consumed the bars of your gates.

13

Surely, 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.

14

Draw water for the siege,
strengthen your defenses!
Work the clay,
tread the mortar,
repair the brickwork!

14

Draw your water for the siege!
Fortify your strongholds!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Make strong the brick kiln!

15

There the fire will consume you;
the sword will cut you down —
they will devour you like a swarm of locusts.
Multiply like grasshoppers,
multiply like locusts!

15

There 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!

16

You have increased the number of your merchants
till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky,
but like locusts they strip the land
and then fly away.

16

You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven.
The locust plunders and flies away.

17

Your guards are like locusts,
your officials like swarms of locusts
that settle in the walls on a cold day —
but when the sun appears they fly away,
and no one knows where.

17

Your 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.

18

King of Assyria, your shepherdsb slumber;
your nobles lie down to rest.
Your people are scattered on the mountains
with no one to gather them.

18

Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria;
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are scattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.

19

Nothing can heal you;
your wound is fatal.
All who hear the news about you
clap their hands at your fall,
for who has not felt
your endless cruelty?

19

Your 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?

Parallel

New International Version

New King James Version

Nahum 3

Nahum 3