Nahum
1:1 The
burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
1:2
God is jealous, and the LORD revenges; the LORD revenges,
and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserves
wrath for his enemies.
1:3
The 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.
1:4
He rebukes the sea, and makes it dry, and dries up all the
rivers: Bashan languishes, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languishes.
1:5 The mountains
quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea,
the world, and all that dwell therein.
1:6
Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide
in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks
are thrown down by him.
1:7
The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and
he knows them that trust in him.
1:8
But with a surpassing flood he will make an utter end of
the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
1:9
What do all of you imagine against the LORD? he will make
an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
1:10
For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they
are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.
1:11 There
is one come out of you, that imagines evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor.
1:12 Thus
says the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be
cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict
you no more.
1:13 For
now will I break his yoke from off you, and will burst your bonds in two.
1:14 And
the LORD has given a commandment concerning you, that no more of your name be
sown: out of the house of your gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten
image: I will make your grave; for you are vile.
1:15
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that brings good
tidings, that publishes peace! O Judah, keep your solemn feasts, perform your
vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through you; he is utterly cut off.
2:1 He that
dashes in pieces has come up before your face: keep the stronghold, watch the
way, make your loins strong, fortify your power mightily.
2:2
For the LORD has turned away the excellency of Jacob, as
the excellency of Israel: for the destroyers have emptied them out, and ruined
their vine branches.
2:3
The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men
are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation,
and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
2:4
The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall clash
with one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they
shall run like the lightnings.
2:5
He shall recount his nobles: they shall stumble in their
walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.
2:6 The
gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
2:7 And Huzzab
shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her
as with the voice of doves, beating upon their breasts.
2:8
But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall
flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.
2:9
Take all of you the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold:
for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
2:10 She
is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melts, and the knees strike together,
and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
2:11 Where
is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding-place of the young lions, where
the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's offspring, and none made them
afraid?
2:12 The
lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses,
and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
2:13
Behold, I am against you, says the LORD of hosts, and I
will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions:
and I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers
shall no more be heard.
3:1
Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery;
the prey departs not;
3:2
The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the
wheels, and of the prancing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
3:3
The horseman lifts up both the bright sword and the glittering
spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcasses; and
there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
3:4
Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favoured
harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that sells nations through her whoredoms,
and families through her witchcrafts.
3:5
Behold, I am against you, says the LORD of hosts; and I
will discover your skirts upon your face, and I will show the nations your nakedness,
and the kingdoms your shame.
3:6
And I will cast abominable filth upon you, and make you
vile, and will set you as a gazing-stock.
3:7
And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon
you shall flee from you, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will lament for her?
whence shall I seek comforters for you?
3:8
Are you better than populous No, that was situated among
the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and
her wall was from the sea?
3:9
Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite;
Put and Lubim were your helpers.
3:10
Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young
children 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 in chains.
3:11 You
also shall be drunken: you shall be hid, you also shall seek strength because
of the enemy.
3:12 All
your strong holds shall be like fig trees with the first-fruits figs: if they
be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
3:13
Behold, your people in the midst of you are women: the gates
of your land shall be set wide open unto yours enemies: the fire shall devour
your bars.
3:14 Draw
you waters for the siege, fortify your strong holds: go into clay, and tread the
mortar, make strong the brick-kiln.
3:15
There shall the fire devour you; the sword shall cut you
off, it shall eat you up like the cankerworm: make yourself many as the cankerworm,
make yourself many as the locusts.
3:16
You have multiplied your merchants above the stars of heaven:
the cankerworm spoils, and flees away.
3:17
Your crowned are as the locusts, and your captains as the
great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun
arises they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
3:18
Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: your nobles shall
dwell in the dust: your people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathers
them.
3:19 There
is no healing of your bruise; your wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit
of you shall clap the hands over you: for upon whom has not your wickedness passed
continually?