Nahum 3 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Ruin Imminent and Inevitable

3 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—
they stumble over the bodies!
4 And all for the countless harlotries of the harlot,
graceful and of deadly charms,
who betrays nations with her harlotries,
and peoples with her charms.

5 Behold, I am against you,
says the Lord of hosts,
and will lift up your skirts over your face;
and I will let nations look on your nakedness
and kingdoms on your shame.
6 I will throw filth at you
and treat you with contempt,
and make you a gazingstock.
7 And all who look on you will shrink from you and say,
Wasted is Nin′eveh; who will bemoan her?
whence shall I seek comforters for her?[a]

8 Are you better than Thebes[b]
that sat by the Nile,
with water around her,
her rampart a sea,
and water her wall?
9 Ethiopia was her strength,
Egypt too, and that without limit;
Put and the Libyans were her[c] helpers.

10 Yet she was carried away,
she went into captivity;
her little ones were dashed in pieces
at the head of every street;
for her honored men lots were cast,
and all her great men were bound in chains.
11 You also will be drunken,
you will be dazed;
you will seek
a refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortresses are like fig trees
with first-ripe figs—
if shaken they fall
into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold, your troops
are women in your midst.
The gates of your land
are wide open to your foes;
fire has devoured your bars.

14 Draw water for the siege,
strengthen your forts;
go into the clay,
tread the mortar,
take hold of the brick mold!
15 There will the fire devour you,
the sword will cut you off.
It will devour you like the locust.

Multiply yourselves like the locust,
multiply like the grasshopper!
16 You increased your merchants
more than the stars of the heavens.
The locust spreads its wings and flies away.
17 Your princes are like grasshoppers,
your scribes[d] like clouds of locusts
settling on the fences
in a day of cold—
when the sun rises, they fly away;
no one knows where they are.

18 Your shepherds are asleep,
O king of Assyria;
your nobles slumber.
Your people are scattered on the mountains
with none to gather them.
19 There is no assuaging your hurt,
your wound is grievous.
All who hear the news of you
clap their hands over you.
For upon whom has not come
your unceasing evil?

Footnotes

  1. Nahum 3:7 Gk: Heb you
  2. Nahum 3:8 Heb No-amon
  3. Nahum 3:9 Gk: Heb your
  4. Nahum 3:17 Or marshals

You Might Also Like:

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 ...
Read More

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...
Read More

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 ...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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—...
Read More

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—...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More