Nahum 3 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Woe to Nineveh

3 Woe to the city of blood,
full of lies,
full of plunder,
never without victims!
2 The crack of whips,
the clatter of wheels,
galloping horses
and jolting chariots!
3 Charging cavalry,
flashing swords
and glittering spears!
Many casualties,
piles of dead,
bodies without number,
people stumbling over the corpses –
4 all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute,
alluring, the mistress of sorceries,
who enslaved nations by her prostitution
and peoples by her witchcraft.

5 ‘I am against you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.
‘I will lift your skirts over your face.
I will show the nations your nakedness
and the kingdoms your shame.
6 I will pelt you with filth,
I will treat you with contempt
and make you a spectacle.
7 All who see you will flee from you and say,
‘‘Nineveh is in ruins – who will mourn for her?”
Where can I find anyone to comfort you?’

8 Are you better than Thebes,
situated on the Nile,
with water around her?
The river was her defence,
the waters her wall.
9 Cush[a] and Egypt were her boundless strength;
Put and Libya were among her allies.
10 Yet she was taken captive
and went into exile.
Her infants were dashed to pieces
at every street corner.
Lots were cast for her nobles,
and all her great men were put in chains.
11 You too will become drunk;
you will go into hiding
and seek refuge from the enemy.

12 All your fortresses are like fig-trees
with their first ripe fruit;
when they are shaken,
the figs fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Look at your troops –
they are all weaklings.
The gates of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire has consumed the bars of your gates.

14 Draw water for the siege,
strengthen your defences!
Work the clay,
tread the mortar,
repair the brickwork!
15 There the fire will consume you;
the sword will cut you down –
and it will devour you like a swarm of locusts.
Multiply like grasshoppers,
multiply like locusts!
16 You have increased the number of your merchants
till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky,
but like locusts they strip the land
and then fly away.
17 Your guards are like locusts,
your officials like swarms of locusts
that settle in the walls on a cold day –
but when the sun appears they fly away,
and no one knows where.

18 King of Assyria, your shepherds[b] slumber;
your nobles lie down to rest.
Your people are scattered on the mountains
with no one to gather them.
19 Nothing can heal you;
your wound is fatal.
All who hear the news about you
clap their hands at your fall,
for who has not felt
your endless cruelty?

Footnotes

  1. Nahum 3:9 That is, the upper Nile region
  2. Nahum 3:18 That is, rulers

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Nahum 3 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

3 Wo [to] the city of blood, She is all with lies -- burglary -- full, Prey doth not depart. 2 The sound of a whip, And the sound of the rattling of a wheel, And of a prancing horse, and of a bounding chariot, Of a horseman mounting. 3 And the flame of a sword, and the lightning of a spear, And the ...
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Nahum 3 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

3 Woe to the city of bloods, all of leasing, full of rending; raven shall not go away from thee. (Woe to the city of bloodshed, or to the murderous city, all of lies, full of tearing apart; all the spoils, or the prey, shall never be taken away from thee.) 2 Voice of scourge, and voice of rush of wh...
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Nahum 3 - World English Bible (WEB)

3 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. The prey doesn’t depart. 2 The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots, 3 the horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great ...
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Nahum 3 - The Voice (VOICE)

3 Hopelessness and despair, that’s the destiny of the city that shed so much blood,That perfected its use of lies, that overflows with stolen treasures,Leaving behind endless victims.2 The sharp cracking of the whip in the air; clattering of wheels on the streets;Galloping horse hooves; clanging, ba...
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Nahum 3 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

City of Corpses3 Oy, bloody city!Full of deceit, full of plunder.The prey never departs.2 Crack of whip,rattling of wheels,horse galloping,chariot jolting,3 horseman climbing up,blade of sword and flash of spear,many slain, a mass of corpses—no end to the corpses—they stumble over their corpses! The...
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Nahum 3 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Ruin Imminent and Inevitable3 Woe to the bloody city,all full of lies and booty— no end to the plunder!2 The crack of whip, and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear,hosts of slain, heaps of corpses,dead bodies without end— the...
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Nahum 3 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Ruin Imminent and Inevitable3 Woe to the bloody city,all full of lies and booty— no end to the plunder!2 The crack of whip, and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear,hosts of slain, heaps of corpses,dead bodies without end— the...
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Nahum 3 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Ruin Imminent and Inevitable3 Ah! City of bloodshed, utterly deceitful, full of booty— no end to the plunder!2 The crack of whip and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear,piles of dead, heaps of corpses,dead bodies without end—...
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Nahum 3 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Ruin Imminent and Inevitable3 Ah! City of bloodshed, utterly deceitful, full of booty— no end to the plunder!2 The crack of whip and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear,piles of dead, heaps of corpses,dead bodies without end—...
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Nahum 3 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Ruin Imminent and Inevitable3 Woe, city of bloodshed, utterly deceitful, full of plunder— no end to the prey!(A)2 The crack of whip and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!(B)3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear,piles of dead, heaps of corpses,dead bodies withou...
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Nahum 3 - New Living Translation (NLT)

The Lord’s Judgment against Nineveh3 What sorrow awaits Nineveh, the city of murder and lies!She is crammed with wealth and is never without victims.2 Hear the crack of whips, the rumble of wheels!Horses’ hooves pound, and chariots clatter wildly.3 See the flashing swords and glittering spears as th...
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Nahum 3 - New Life Version (NLV)

It Is Bad for Nineveh3 It is bad for the city of blood, full of lies and stolen riches! There is no end of her prizes of war! 2 The noise of the whip, the noise of the wheel, running horses and rolling war-wagons! 3 Horsemen rushing to battle, swords and spears shining, many dead, too many dead bo...
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Nahum 3 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Woe of Nineveh3 Woe to the (A)bloody city!It is all full of lies and robbery.Its [a]victim never departs.2 The noise of a whipAnd the noise of rattling wheels,Of galloping horses,Of [b]clattering chariots!3 Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear.There is a multitude of slain,A gr...
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Nahum 3 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Woe to Nineveh3 Woe to the city of blood, full of lies,full of plunder, never without victims!2 The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels,galloping horses and jolting chariots!3 Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears!Many casualties, piles of dead,bodies without number, people stumb...
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Nahum 3 - New International Version (NIV)

Woe to Nineveh3 Woe to the city of blood,(A) full of lies,(B)full of plunder, never without victims!2 The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels,galloping horses and jolting chariots!3 Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears!Many casualties, piles of dead,bodies without number, people...
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Nahum 3 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

The Lord Will Judge Nineveh3 How terrible it will be for Nineveh! It is a city of murderers!It is full of liars! It is filled with stolen goods! The killing never stops!2 Whips crack! Wheels clack!Horses charge! Chariots rumble!3 Horsemen attack! Swords flash! Spears gleam!Many people die. Dead bodi...
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Nahum 3 - New Century Version (NCV)

It Will Be Terrible for Nineveh3 How terrible it will be for the city that has killed so many. It is full of liesand goods stolen from other countries. It is always killing somebody.2 Hear the sound of whips and the noise of the wheels.Hear horses galloping and chariots bouncing along!3 Horses are c...
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