Nahum 3
1Woe to the city full of blood! 1 It is all full of lies and stolen property; victims are always in her. 1
2But now there is the noise of whips and the sound of rattling wheels, 1 prancing horses, and bounding chariots. 1
3There are attacking horsemen, 1 flashing swords, glittering spears, 1 heaps of corpses, great piles of bodies. 1 There is no end to the bodies; their attackers stumble over them. 1
4This is happening because of the lustful actions of the beautiful prostitute, the expert in witchcraft, 1 who sells nations through her prostitution, and peoples through her acts of witchcraft. 1
5“See, I am against you—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—I will raise up your skirt over your face 1 and show your private parts to the nations, your shame to the kingdoms. 1
6I will throw disgusting filth on you and make you vile; I will make you someone that everyone will look at. 1
7It will come about that everyone who looks at you will flee from you and say, 1 'Nineveh is destroyed; who will weep for her?' 1 Where can I find anyone to comfort you?” 1
8Nineveh, are you better than Thebes, that was built on the Nile River, that had water around her, 1 whose defense was the ocean, whose wall was the sea itself? 1
9Cush and Egypt were her strength, and there was no end to it; 1 Put and Libya were allies to her. 1
10Yet Thebes was carried away; she went into captivity; 1 her young children were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; 1 her enemies threw lots for her honorable men, 1 and all her great men were bound in chains. 1
11You also will become drunk; you will try to hide, 1 and you will also look for a refuge from your enemy. 1
12All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the earliest ripe figs: 1 if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater. 1
13See, the people among you are women; 1 the gates of your land have been opened wide to your enemies; 1 fire has devoured their bars. 1
14Go draw water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses; 1 go into the clay and tread the mortar; 1 pick up the molds for the bricks. 1
15Fire will devour you there, and the sword will destroy you. It will devour you as young locusts devour everything. 1 Make yourselves as many as the young locusts, as many as the full-grown locusts. 1
16You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars in the heavens; but they are like young locusts: they plunder the land and then fly away. 1
17Your princes are as many as the full-grown locusts, and your generals are like swarms of them 1 that camp in the walls on a cold day. 1 But when the sun rises they fly away to no one knows where. 1
18King of Assyria, your shepherds are asleep; your rulers are lying down resting. 1 Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them. 1
19No healing is possible for your wounds. Your wounds are severe. 1 Everyone who hears the news about you will clap their hands in joy over you. 1 Who has escaped your constant wickedness?