The Doom Of The Wicked City Is Certain
1 A curse is on the town of blood; it is full of deceit and violent acts; and there is no end to the taking of life.
1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
1 Woe to this city, contaminated with shed blood, all full of lies and robberies it is never without victims!
2 The noise of the whip, and the noise of thundering wheels; horses rushing and war-carriages jumping,
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 (B)noise of the whip,The noise of the rattling of the wheel,Galloping horsesAnd (a)bounding chariots!
2 The crack of whips and the clamor of wheels! The galloping horses and the bounding chariots!
3 Horsemen driving forward, and the shining sword and the bright spear: and a great number of wounded, and masses of dead bodies; they are falling over the bodies of the dead:
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 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 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.
Harlot Nineveh Will Get What She Deserves
4 Because of all the false ways of the loose woman, expert in attraction and wise in secret arts, who takes nations in the net of her false ways, and families through her secret arts.
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 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 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.
5 See, I am against you, says the Lord of armies, and I will have your skirts pulled over your face, and let the nations see you unclothed, and the kingdoms your shame.
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 “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 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.
6 I will make you completely disgusting and full of shame, and will put you up to be looked at by all.
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.
7 And it will come about that all who see you will go in flight from you and say, Nineveh is made waste: who will be weeping for her? where am I to get comforters for her?
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 “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 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?'"
Nineveh Will Suffer The Same Fate She Inflicted On Thebes
8 Are you better than No-amon, seated on the Nile streams, with waters all round her; whose wall was the sea and her earthwork the waters?
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 (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 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.
9 Ethiopia was her strength and Egyptians without number; Put and Lubim were her helpers.
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
9 (R)Ethiopia was her might,And Egypt too, without limits.(S)Put and (T)Lubim were among (j)her helpers.
9 Sudan was her source of strength, along with Egypt there were no limits. Put and the Libyans were her allies.
10 But even she has been taken away, she has gone away as a prisoner: even her young children are smashed to bits at the top of all the streets: the fate of her honoured men is put to the decision of chance, and all her great men are put in chains.
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 (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 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.
11 And you will be overcome with wine, you will become feeble; you will be looking for a safe place from those who are fighting against you.
11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
11 You too will become (Y)drunk,You will be (Z)hidden.You too will search for a refuge from 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.
Nineveh's Defenses Will Fail
12 All your walled places will be like fig-trees and your people like the first figs, falling at a shake into the mouth which is open for them.
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 fortifications are (AA)fig trees with (k)(AB)ripe fruit—When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.
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.
13 See, the people who are in you are women; the doorways of your land are wide open to your attackers: the locks of your doors have been burned away in the fire.
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 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 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."
Nineveh's Strength Will Not Save Her
14 Get water for the time when you are shut in, make strong your towns: go into the potter's earth, stamping it down with your feet, make strong the brickworks.
14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.
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 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!
15 There the fire will make you waste; you will be cut off by the sword: make yourself as great in number as the worms, as great in number as the locusts.
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 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 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.
Nineveh's Defenders Will Flee
16 Let your traders be increased more than the stars of heaven:
16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.
16 You have increased your (AI)traders more than the stars of heaven—The creeping locust (l)strips and flies 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.
17 Your crowned ones are like the locusts, and your scribes like the clouds of insects which take cover in the walls on a cold day, but when the sun comes up they go in flight, and are seen no longer in their place.
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 (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 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.
Nineveh Will Come To An End
18 Sorrow! how are the keepers of your flock sleeping, O king of Assyria! your strong men are at rest; your people are wandering on the mountains, and there is no one to get them together.
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 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 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.
19 Your pain may not be made better; you are wounded to death: all those hearing the news about you will be waving their hands in joy over you: for who has not undergone the weight of your evil-doing again and again?
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 (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 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?"