\NormalFont\ShortTitle{Nahum}

{\MT Nahum


\par }\ChapOne{1}{\PP \VerseOne{1}The declaration about Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum, the Elkoshite.


\par }{\Q \VS{2}Yahweh is a jealous God and avenges; Yahweh avenges and is full of wrath;

\par }{\Q Yahweh takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he continues his anger for his enemies.


\par }{\Q \VS{3}Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power; he will not allow the wicked to go unpunished.

\par }{\Q Yahweh makes his way in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.


\par }{\Q \VS{4}He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers.

\par }{\Q Bashan is weak, and Carmel also; the flowers of Lebanon are weak.


\par }{\Q \VS{5}The mountains shake in his presence, and the hills melt;

\par }{\Q the earth collapses in his presence, indeed, the world and all people who live in it.


\par }{\Q \VS{6}Who can stand before his wrath? Who can resist the fierceness of his anger?

\par }{\Q His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken apart by him.


\par }{\Q \VS{7}Yahweh is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he is faithful to those who take refuge in him.


\par }{\Q \VS{8}But he will make a full end to his enemies with an overwhelming flood; he will pursue them into darkness.


\par }{\Q \VS{9}What are you people plotting against Yahweh?

\par }{\Q He will make a full end to it; trouble will not rise up a second time.


\par }{\Q \VS{10}For they will become tangled up like thornbushes; they will be saturated in their own drink;

\par }{\Q they will be completely devoured by fire like dry stubble.


\par }{\Q \VS{11}Someone arose among you, Nineveh, who planned evil against Yahweh, someone who promoted wickedness.


\par }{\Q \VS{12}This is what Yahweh says,

\par }{\Q “Even if they are at their full strength and full numbers, they will nevertheless be sheared;

\par }{\Q their people will be no more. But you, Judah: Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.


\par }{\Q \VS{13}Now will I break that people's yoke from off you; I will break your chains.”


\par }{\Q \VS{14}Yahweh has given a command about you, Nineveh:

\par }{\Q “There will be no more descendants bearing your name.

\par }{\Q I will cut off the carved figures and the cast metal figures from the houses of your gods.

\par }{\Q I will dig your graves, for you are contemptible.”


\par }{\Q \VS{15}Look, on the mountains there are the feet of someone who is bringing good news, who is announcing peace!

\par }{\Q Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and keep your vows,

\par }{\Q for the wicked one will invade you no more; he is completely cut off.



\par }\Chap{2}{\MM \par }
{\Q \VerseOne{1}The one who will dash you to pieces is coming up against you.

\par }{\Q Man the city walls, guard the roads,

\par }{\Q make yourselves strong, assemble your armies.


\par }{\Q \VS{2}For Yahweh is restoring the majesty of Jacob, like the majesty of Israel,

\par }{\Q although the plunderers devastated them and destroyed their vine branches.


\par }{\Q \VS{3}The shields of his mighty men are red, and the soldiers are clothed in scarlet;

\par }{\Q the chariots flash with their metal on the day that they are made ready, and the cypress spears are waved in the air.


\par }{\Q \VS{4}The chariots speed through the streets; they rush back and forth in the wide streets.

\par }{\Q They look like torches, and they run like lightning.


\par }{\Q \VS{5}The one who will dash you to pieces calls his officers; they stumble over each other in their march;

\par }{\Q they hurry to attack the city wall. The large shield is made ready to protect these attackers.


\par }{\Q \VS{6}The gates at the rivers are forced open, and the palace falls to ruins.


\par }{\Q \VS{7}Huzzab is stripped of her clothes and is taken away;

\par }{\Q her female servants moan like doves, beating on their breasts.


\par }{\Q \VS{8}Nineveh is like a leaking pool of water, with its people fleeing away like rushing water.

\par }{\Q Others shout, “Stop, stop,” but no one looks back.


\par }{\Q \VS{9}Take the silver plunder, take the gold plunder, for there is no end to it,

\par }{\Q to the splendor of all Nineveh's beautiful things.


\par }{\Q \VS{10}Nineveh is empty and ruined. Everyone's heart melts, everyone's knees strike together,

\par }{\Q and anguish is in everyone; their faces are all pale.


\par }{\Q \VS{11}Where now is the lions' den, the place where the young lion cubs were fed,

\par }{\Q the place where the lion and lioness walked, with the cubs, where they were afraid of nothing?


\par }{\Q \VS{12}The lion tore his victims to pieces for his cubs; he strangled victims for his lionesses,

\par }{\Q and filled his cave with victims, his dens with torn carcasses.


\par }{\Q \VS{13}“See, I am against you—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.

\par }{\Q I will burn your chariots in the smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions.

\par }{\Q I will cut off your prey from your land, and the voices of your messengers will be heard no more.”



\par }\Chap{3}{\MM \par }
{\Q \VerseOne{1}Woe to the city full of blood!

\par }{\Q It is all full of lies and stolen property; victims are always in her.


\par }{\Q \VS{2}But now there is the noise of whips and the sound of rattling wheels,

\par }{\Q prancing horses, and bounding chariots.


\par }{\Q \VS{3}There are attacking horsemen,

\par }{\Q flashing swords, glittering spears,

\par }{\Q heaps of corpses, great piles of bodies.

\par }{\Q There is no end to the bodies; their attackers stumble over them.


\par }{\Q \VS{4}This is happening because of the lustful actions of the beautiful prostitute, the expert in witchcraft,

\par }{\Q who sells nations through her prostitution, and peoples through her acts of witchcraft.


\par }{\Q \VS{5}“See, I am against you—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts—I will raise up your skirt over your face

\par }{\Q and show your private parts to the nations, your shame to the kingdoms.


\par }{\Q \VS{6}I will throw disgusting filth on you and make you vile; I will make you someone that everyone will look at.


\par }{\Q \VS{7}It will come about that everyone who looks at you will flee from you and say,

\par }{\Q 'Nineveh is destroyed; who will weep for her?'

\par }{\Q Where can I find anyone to comfort you?”


\par }{\Q \VS{8}Nineveh, are you better than Thebes, that was built on the Nile River, that had water around her,

\par }{\Q whose defense was the ocean, whose wall was the sea itself?


\par }{\Q \VS{9}Cush and Egypt were her strength, and there was no end to it;

\par }{\Q Put and Libya were allies to her.


\par }{\Q \VS{10}Yet Thebes was carried away; she went into captivity;

\par }{\Q her young children were dashed in pieces at the head of every street;

\par }{\Q her enemies threw lots for her honorable men,

\par }{\Q and all her great men were bound in chains.


\par }{\Q \VS{11}You also will become drunk; you will try to hide,

\par }{\Q and you will also look for a refuge from your enemy.


\par }{\Q \VS{12}All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the earliest ripe figs:

\par }{\Q if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.


\par }{\Q \VS{13}See, the people among you are women;

\par }{\Q the gates of your land have been opened wide to your enemies;

\par }{\Q fire has devoured their bars.


\par }{\Q \VS{14}Go draw water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses;

\par }{\Q go into the clay and tread the mortar;

\par }{\Q pick up the molds for the bricks.


\par }{\Q \VS{15}Fire will devour you there, and the sword will destroy you. It will devour you as young locusts devour everything.

\par }{\PP \par }
{\Q Make yourselves as many as the young locusts, as many as the full-grown locusts.


\par }{\Q \VS{16}You 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.


\par }{\Q \VS{17}Your princes are as many as the full-grown locusts, and your generals are like swarms of them

\par }{\Q that camp in the walls on a cold day.

\par }{\Q But when the sun rises they fly away to no one knows where.


\par }{\Q \VS{18}King of Assyria, your shepherds are asleep; your rulers are lying down resting.

\par }{\Q Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.


\par }{\Q \VS{19}No healing is possible for your wounds. Your wounds are severe.

\par }{\Q Everyone who hears the news about you will clap their hands in joy over you.

\par }{\Q Who has escaped your constant wickedness?


\par }