The Book of the Prophet Nahum
Nahum, Chapter 3
Woe to the bloody city! All of it [is] a lie, all of plunder; the prey is not withdrawn.
The sound of a whip, and the sound of rattling of a wheel, and a galloping horse, and of a bounding chariot.
The horseman lifts up both the gleam of the sword and the lightning of the spear, and many [are] slain, and [there are] a mass of dead bodies, and no end of corpses; they stumble on their dead bodies,
because of the many harlotries of the well favored harlot, the mistress of sorceries who sells nations by her harlotries, and families by her sorceries.
Behold, I [am] against you, declares Jehovah of hosts, and I will uncover your skirts over your face, and I will cause the nations to see your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.
And I will cast filth on you and will disgrace you. And I will set you as a spectacle.
And it shall be that all those who look on you shall flee from you and shall say, Nineveh is laid waste; who shall weep for her? From where shall I seek comforters for you?
Are you better than No Amon that dwelt among the Nile branches, waters surrounding her, whose rampart [was] the sea, the waters her wall?
Ethiopia and Egypt [were] her strength, yea, without end; Put and Lubim were among your helpers.
Yet she [went] into exile; she went into captivity. Also her young ones were dashed to pieces at the head of all the streets, and they cast lots for her honored ones, and all her great ones were bound in chains.
You also shall be drunken; you shall be hidden; you also shall seek a fortress from the enemy.
All your fortresses are fig trees with the firstfruits; if they are shaken, then they shall fall on the mouth of the eater.
Behold, your people [are] women in your midst; the gates of your land shall surely be opened to your enemies; the fire shall devour your bars.
Draw water of the siege for you! Strengthen your fortifications! Go into the clay and tread in the mortar! Make the mold strong!
Fire will devour you there. The sword shall cut you off. It will eat you up like the locust larvae. Make yourself as many as the larvae; multiply yourself like the locusts.
You have increased your merchants above the stars of the heavens; the locust larvae shall strip off and fly away.
Your princes [are] like the locusts, and your officials [are] a swarm of locusts that camp in the hedges in the cold day. The sun rises and they flee, and the place where they [are] is not known.
Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; your nobles are lying down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and no one is gathering.
There is no healing for your fracture; your wound is severe. All who hear of your report shall clap the palm over you, for on whom has your wickedness not continually passed?
