The Doom Of The Wicked City Is Certain
1 Woe to that bloodthirsty city, which is all full of lies and robbery, and will not leave off from ravishing.
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 There a man may hear scourging, rushing, the noise of the wheels, the crying of the horses, and the rolling of the 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 (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 There the horsemen get up with naked swords, and glistering spears. There lieth a multitude slain, and a great heap of dead bodies. There is no end of dead corpses: yea, men fall upon their 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 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 And that for the great and manifold whoredom of the fair and beautiful harlot: which is a mistress of witchcraft, yea and selleth the people through her whoredom, and the nations through her witchcraft.
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 Behold, I will upon thee, sayeth the LORD of Hosts, and will pull thy clothes over thy head: that I may show thy nakedness among the Heathen, and thy shame among the kingdoms.
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 cast dirt upon thee, to make thee be abhorred, and a gazing stock.
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 Yea, all they that look upon thee shall start back, and say, "Nineveh is destroyed!" Who will have pity upon thee? Where shall I seek one to comfort thee?
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 Art thou better than the great city of Alexandria: that lay in the waters, and had the waters round about it? Which was strongly fenced and walled with 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 (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 and Egypt were her strength, and that exceedingly great above measure. Put and Libya 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 yet was she driven away, and brought into captivity: her young children were smitten down at the head of every street, the lots were cast for the most ancient men in her, and all her mighty men were bound 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 Even so shalt thou also be drunken, and hide thyself, and seek some help against thine enemy.
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 thy strong cities shall be like fig trees with ripe figs: which when a man shaketh, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
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 Behold, thy people within thee are but women: the ports of thy land shall be open unto thine enemies, and the fire shall devour thy 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 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 Draw water now against thou be besieged, make up thy strongholds, go into the clay, temper the mortar, make strong brick:
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 yet the fire shall consume thee, the sword shall destroy thee. Yea, as the locust doth, so shall it eat thee up. It shall fall heavily upon thee as the locusts, yea right heavily shall it fall upon thee, even as the grasshoppers.
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 Thy merchants have been numbered with the stars of heaven: but now shall they spread abroad as the locusts, and flee their way.
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 Thy lords are as the grasshoppers, and thy captains as the multitude of grasshoppers: which when they be cold, remain in the hedges: but when the Sun is up, they flee away, and no man can tell where they are become.
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 Thy shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria, thy worthies are laid down: thy people is scattered abroad upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them together again.
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 Thy wound cannot be hid, thy plague is so sore. All they that hear this of thee, shall clap their hands over thee. For what is he, to whom thou hast not always been doing hurt?
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?"