The Doom Of The Wicked City Is Certain

1 (A)Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage;Her prey never departs.

1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;

1 Woe to the city of blood,(A)totally deceitful,full of plunder,never without prey.(B)

1 Woe to this city, contaminated with shed blood, all full of lies and robberies it is never without victims!

1 Woe (judgment is coming) to the city of blood [guilty of murder and mayhem], completely full of lies and pillage;Her prey never departs [alive].(A)

2 The (B)noise of the whip,The noise of the rattling of the wheel,Galloping horsesAnd (a)bounding chariots!

2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.

2 The crack of the whipand rumble of the wheel,galloping horseand jolting chariot!(C)

2 The crack of whips and the clamor of wheels! The galloping horses and the bounding chariots!

2 The noise of the [cracking of the] whip,The noise of the rattling of the wheel,Galloping horsesAnd rumbling and bounding chariots [in the assault of Nineveh]!

3 Horsemen charging,Swords flashing, (C)spears gleaming,(D)Many slain, a mass of corpses,And (b)(E)countless dead bodies—They stumble over (c)the dead bodies!

3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:

3 Charging horseman,flashing sword,shining spear;heaps of slain,mounds of corpses,dead bodies without end(D)they stumble over their dead.

3 The cavalry attacks the flashing sword and the glittering spear! Many are the slain so many casualties! No end to bodies, and the soldiers trip over the corpses.

3 Horsemen charging,Swords flashing, spears gleaming,Many slain, a mass of corpses,No end of corpses—The horsemen stumble over the corpses!

Harlot Nineveh Will Get What She Deserves

4 All because of the (F)many harlotries of the harlot,The charming one, the (G)mistress of sorceries,Who (H)sells nations by her harlotriesAnd families by her sorceries.

4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

4 Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute,the attractive mistress of sorcery,who betrays nations by her prostitutionand clans by her witchcraft,(E)

4 Innumerable are the harlotries of this well-favored whore, this mistress of witchcraft, who enslaves nations through her fornication and families through her sorcery.

4 All because of the many acts of prostitution of [Nineveh] the prostitute,The charming and well-favored one, the mistress of sorceries,Who betrays nations by her acts of prostitution (idolatry)And families by her sorceries.

5 “Behold, (I)I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts;“And I will (d)(J)lift up your skirts over your face,And (K)show to the nations your nakednessAnd to the kingdoms your disgrace.

5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

5 I am against you.(F)This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.I will lift your skirts over your faceand display your nakedness to nations,your shame to kingdoms.(G)

5 "Look, I am against you," declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "so I will pull up your dress over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations, and your disgrace to the kingdoms.

5 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts,“And I will lift up your skirts over your face,And I will let the nations look at your nakedness [O Nineveh]And the kingdoms at your disgrace.

6 “I will (L)throw (e)filth on youAnd (M)make you vile,And set you up as a (N)spectacle.

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

6 I will throw filth on youand treat you with contempt;I will make a spectacle of you.

6 I will hurl abominable filth upon you, making you look foolish, and making an example of you.

6 “I will throw filth on youAnd make you vile and treat you with contempt,And set you up as a spectacle.

7 “And it will come about that all who see youWill (f)shrink from you and say,‘Nineveh is devastated!(O)Who will grieve for her?’Where will I seek comforters for you?”

7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

7 Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying,“Nineveh is devastated;who will show sympathy to her?”Where can I find anyone to comfort you?

7 It will be that everyone who looks at you will run away, saying, "Nineveh has been violently overthrown! Who will mourn for her? Where will I find anyone to comfort you?'"

7 “And it will come about that all who see youWill shrink back and run from you and say,‘Nineveh is completely ruined!Who will grieve for her?’Where will I seek comforters for you?”

Nineveh Will Suffer The Same Fate She Inflicted On Thebes

8 Are you better than (g)(P)No-amon,Which was situated by the (Q)waters of the Nile,With water surrounding her,Whose rampart was (h)the sea,Whose wall consisted of (i)the sea?

8 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?

8 Are you better than Thebes(a)(H)that sat along the Nilewith water surrounding her,whose rampart was the sea,the river(b)(c) her wall?

8 "Are you any better than Thebes, which sits by the upper Nile, surrounded by water? The sea was her defense, the waters her wall of protection.

8 Are you better than (a)Thebes,Which was situated by the waters of the Nile,With water surrounding her,Whose defense was the sea (the Nile),Whose wall consisted of the sea?

9 (R)Ethiopia was her might,And Egypt too, without limits.(S)Put and (T)Lubim were among (j)her helpers.

9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.

9 Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength;Put and Libya were among her(d) allies.

9 Sudan was her source of strength, along with Egypt there were no limits. Put and the Libyans were her allies.

9 Ethiopia was her strength,And Egypt too, without limits.(b)Put and Lubim were among her helpers.

10 Yet she (U)became an exile,She went into captivity;Also her (V)small children were dashed to pieces(W)At the head of every street;They (X)cast lots for her honorable men,And all her great men were bound with fetters.

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.

10 Yet she became an exile;she went into captivity.Her children were also dashed to pieces(I)at the head of every street.They cast lots for her dignitaries,(J)and all her nobles were bound in chains.

10 But she, too, was exiled she went into captivity! Her young children were dashed to pieces at every crossroad of their streets, and her famous citizens were sold by lottery, while all of her aristocrats were put in chains.

10 Yet she became an exile;She went into captivity.Her young children were dashed to piecesAt the head of every street;They cast lots for her honorable men,And all her great men were bound with chains.

11 You too will become (Y)drunk,You will be (Z)hidden.You too will search for a refuge from the enemy.

11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.

11 You(e) also will become drunk;you will hide yourself.(f)You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

11 You will also become drunk. You will disappear, trying to hide from your enemies.

11 You too [Nineveh] will become drunk [with the cup of God’s wrath];You will be hidden.You too [Nineveh] will search [in vain] for a refuge from the enemy.

Nineveh's Defenses Will Fail

12 All your fortifications are (AA)fig trees with (k)(AB)ripe fruit—When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.

12 All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.

12 All your fortresses are fig treeswith figs that ripened first;when shaken, they fall—right into the mouth of the eater!

12 All your defenses are like fig trees with ripe early fruit when shaken, it falls right into the devourer's mouth.

12 All your fortresses are [nothing but] fig trees with ripe figs—When shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater.

13 Behold, your people are (AC)women in your midst!The gates of your land are (AD)opened wide to your enemies;Fire consumes your gate bars.

13 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.

13 Look, your troops are like women among you;the gates of your landare wide open to your enemies.Fire will devour the bars of your gates.

13 Look at your people they are women! Your borders stand wide open to your enemies, while fire consumes the bars of your gates."

13 Behold, your people are [as weak and helpless as] women in your midst!The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies;Fire consumes the bars across your gates.

Nineveh's Strength Will Not Save Her

14 (AE)Draw for yourself water for the siege!(AF)Strengthen your fortifications!Go into the clay and tread the mortar!Take hold of the brick mold!

14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.

14 Draw water for the siege;strengthen your fortresses.Step into the clay and tread the mortar;take hold of the brick-mold!

14 "Draw water, because a siege is coming! Strengthen your fortresses! Make the clay good and strong! Mix the mortar! Go get your brick molds!

14 Draw water for a [long, continued] siege!Strengthen your fortresses!Go down to the clay pits, trample the mortar!Prepare the brick kiln [to burn bricks for the rampart]!

15 There (AG)fire will consume you,The sword will cut you down;It will (AH)consume you as the locust does.Multiply yourself like the creeping locust,Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.

15 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.

15 The fire will devour you there;the sword will cut you down.It will devour you like the young locust.(K)Multiply yourselves like the young locust,multiply like the swarming locust!

15 In that place fire will consume you, the sword will cut you down, consuming you as locusts do. Multiply yourself like locusts, increase like swarming grasshoppers.

15 But there [in the very midst of these preparations] the fire will devour you;The sword will cut you down;It will devour you as the locust does.Multiply yourself like the creeping locusts;Multiply yourself like the swarming locusts.

Nineveh's Defenders Will Flee

16 You have increased your (AI)traders more than the stars of heaven—The creeping locust (l)strips and flies away.

16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.

16 You have made your merchants(L)more numerous than the stars of the sky.The young locust strips(g) the landand flies away.

16 You added to your inventory of businessmen they number more than the stars of heaven. The creeping locust sheds its skin and flies away.

16 You have increased your traders more than the [visible] stars of heaven—The creeping locust strips and destroys and then flies away.

17 Your (m)(AJ)guardsmen are like the swarming locust.Your (AK)marshals are like hordes of grasshoppersSettling in the stone walls on a cold day.The sun rises and they flee,And the place where they are is not known.

17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

17 Your court officials are like the swarming locust,and your scribes like clouds of locusts,which settle on the walls on a cold day;when the sun rises, they take off,and no one knows where they are.

17 Your imperial guards are like the swarming grasshopper; your marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers, settling in the stone walls on a chilly day. The sun rises, and they flee away; no one knows where they went.

17 Your guardsmen are like the swarming locusts.Your marshals are like the hordes of grasshoppersSettling in the stone walls on a cold day.When the sun rises, they fly away,And no one knows the place where they are.

Nineveh Will Come To An End

18 Your shepherds are (AL)sleeping, O (AM)king of Assyria;Your (AN)nobles are lying down.Your people are (AO)scattered on the mountainsAnd there is no one to regather them.

18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.

18 King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber;your officers sleep.Your people are scattered across the mountainswith no one to gather them together.(M)

18 Hey king of Assyria! Your shepherds are asleep and your nobles are lying down! Your people lie scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them together.

18 Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria;Your nobles are lying down [in death].Your people are scattered on the mountainsAnd there is no one to gather them.

19 There is (AP)no relief for your breakdown,Your (AQ)wound is incurable.All who hear (n)about youWill (AR)clap their hands over you,For on whom has not your evil passed continually?

19 There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?

19 There is no remedy for your injury;your wound is severe.(N)All who hear the news about youwill clap their hands because of you,for who has not experiencedyour constant cruelty?

19 There is no healing for your injury your wound is fatal. Everyone who hears about you will applaud, because who hasn't escaped your endless evil?"

19 There is no relief and healing for your hurt;Your wound is incurable.All who hear the news about youClap their hands over [what has happened to] you.For on whom has your [unceasing] evil not come continually?

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