The Book of Nahum, Chapter 1

1   The burden of Ninive. The book of the vision of Nahum the
    Elcesite.
2   The Lord is a jealous God, and a revenger: the Lord is a
    revenger, and hath wrath: the Lord taketh vengeance on his
    adversaries, and he is angry with his enemies.
3   The Lord is patient, and great in power, and will not
    cleanse and acquit the guilty. The Lord's ways are in a
    tempest, and a whirlwind, and clouds are the dust of his
    feet.
4   He rebuketh the sea, and drieth it up: and bringeth all
    the rivers to be a desert. Basan languisheth and Carmel:
    and the dower of Libanus fadeth away.
5   The mountains tremble at him, and the hills are made
    desolate: and the earth hath quaked at his presence, and
    the world, and all that dwell therein.
6   Who can stand before the face of his indignation? and who
    shall resist in the fierceness of his anger? his
    indignation is poured out like fire: and the rocks are
    melted by him.
7   The Lord is good and giveth strength in the day of
    trouble: and knoweth them that hope in him.
8   But with a flood that passeth by, he will make an utter
    end of the place thereof: and darkness shall pursue his
    enemies.
9   What do ye devise against the Lord? he will make an utter
    end: there shall not rise a double affliction.
10  For as thorns embrace one another: so while they are
    feasting and drinking together, they shall be consumed as
    stubble that is fully dry.
11  Out of thee shall come forth one that imagineth evil
    against the Lord, contriving treachery in his mind.
12  Thus saith the Lord: Though they were perfect: and many of
    them so, yet thus shall they be cut off, and he shall
    pass: I have afflicted thee, and I will afflict thee no
    more.
13  And now I will break in pieces his rod with which he
    struck thy back, and I will burst thy bonds asunder.
14  And the Lord will give a commandment concerning thee, that
    no more of thy name shall be sown: I will destroy the
    graven and molten thing out of the house of thy God, I
    will make it thy grave, for thou art disgraced.
15  Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth
    good tidings, and that preacheth peace: O Juda, keep thy
    festivals, and pay thy vows: for Belial shall no more pass
    through thee again, he is utterly cut off.


                 The Book of Nahum, Chapter 2

1   He is come up that shall destroy before thy face, that
    shall keep the siege: watch the way, fortify thy loins,
    strengthen thy power exceedingly.
2   For the Lord hath rendered the pride of Jacob, as the
    pride of Israel: because the spoilers have laid them
    waste, and have marred their vine branches.
3   The shield of his mighty men is like fire, the men of the
    army are clad in scarlet, the reins of the chariot are
    flaming in the day of his preparation, and the drivers are
    stupefied.
4   They are in confusion in the ways, the chariots jostle one
    against another in the streets: their looks are like
    torches, like lightning running to and fro.
5   He will muster up his valiant men, they shall stumble in
    their march: they shall quickly get upon the walls
    thereof: and a covering shall be prepared.
6   The gates of the rivers are opened, and the temple is
    thrown down to the ground.
7   And the soldier is led away captive: and her bondwomen
    were led away mourning as doves, murmuring in their
    hearts.
8   And as for Ninive, her waters are like a great pool, but
    the men flee away. They cry: Stand, stand, but there is
    none that will return back.
9   Take ye the spoil of the silver, take the spoil of the
    gold: for there is no end of the riches of all the
    precious furniture.
10  She is destroyed, and rent, and torn: the heart melteth,
    and the knees fail, and all the loins lose their strength:
    and the faces of them all are as the blackness of a
    kettle.
11  Where is now the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding
    place of the young lions, to which the lion went, to enter
    in thither, the young lion, and there was none to make
    them afraid?
12  The lion caught enough for his whelps, and killed for his
    lionesses: and he filled his holes with prey, and his den
    with rapine.
13  Behold I come against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and
    I will burn thy chariots even to smoke, and the sword
    shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey
    out of the land, and the voice of thy messengers shall be
    heard no more.


                 The Book of Nahum, Chapter 3

1   Woe to thee, O city of blood, all full of lies and
    violence: rapine shall not depart from thee.
2   The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of
    the wheels, and of the neighing horse, and of the running
    chariot, and of the horsemen coming up,
3   And of the shining sword, and of the glittering spear, and
    of a multitude slain, and of a grievous destruction: and
    there is no end of carcasses, and they shall fall down on
    their dead bodies.
4   Because of the multitude of the fornications of the harlot
    that was beautiful and agreeable, and that made use of
    witchcraft, that sold nations through her fornications,
    and families through her witchcrafts.
5   Behold I come against thee, saith the Lord of hosts: and
    I will discover thy shame to thy face, and will shew thy
    nakedness to the nations, and thy shame to kingdoms.
6   And I will cast abominations upon thee, and will disgrace
    thee, and will make an example of thee.
7   And it shall come to pass that every one that shall see
    thee, shall flee from thee, and shall say: Ninive is laid
    waste: who shall bemoan thee? whence shall I seek a
    comforter for thee?
8   Art thou better than the populous Alexandria, that
    dwelleth among the rivers? waters are round about it: the
    sea is its riches, the waters are its walls.
9   Ethiopia and Egypt were the strength thereof, and there is
    no end: Africa and the Libyans were thy helpers.
10  Yet she also was removed and carried into captivity: her
    young children were dashed in pieces at the top of every
    street, and they cast lots upon her nobles, and all her
    great men were bound in fetters.
11  Therefore thou also shalt be made drunk, and shalt be
    despised: and thou shalt seek help from the enemy.
12  All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with their
    green figs: if they be shaken, they shall fall into the
    mouth of the eater.
13  Behold thy people in the midst of thee are women: the
    gates of thy land shall be set wide open to thy enemies,
    the fire shall devour thy bars.
14  Draw thee water for the siege, build up thy bulwarks: go
    into the clay, and tread, work it and make brick.
15  There shall the fire devour thee: thou shalt perish by the
    sword, it shall devour thee like the bruchus: assemble
    together like the bruchus, make thyself many like the
    locust.
16  Thou hast multiplied thy merchandises above the stars of
    heaven: the bruchus hath spread himself and flown away.
17  Thy guards are like the locusts: and thy little ones like
    the locusts of locusts which swarm on the hedges in the
    day of cold: the sun arose, and they flew away, and their
    place was not known where they were.
18  Thy shepherds have slumbered, O king of Assyria, thy
    princes shall be buried: thy people are hid in the
    mountains, and there is none to gather them together.
19  Thy destruction is not hidden, thy wound is grievous: all
    that have heard the fame of thee, have clapped their hands
    over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed
    continually?