The Prophet
NAHUM

Nahum 3 ©

A further prophecy touching the destruction of the city of Nineveh and of the Assyrians, after the example of the city of No, which was likewise destroyed for the same sins which Nineveh committed, 8. The prophet adds thereto that her strength and great power would avail them nothing, 12.

1

WOE to 1the bloody city! it is all full of lies and 2robbery; the prey 3departeth not;

2

4The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of 5the pransing horses, and 6of the jumping chariots.

3

The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; 7they stumble upon their corpses:

4

8Because of the multitude of the whoredoms 9of the wellfavoured harlot, 10the mistress of witchcrafts, that 11selleth nations 12through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

5

Behold, 13I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and 14I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

6

And I will cast 15abominable filth upon thee, and 16make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.a

7

And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee 17from thee, and say, Nineveh is 18laid waste: 19who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

8

20Art thou better than 21populous 22No, that was 23situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose 24rampartbwas the sea, and 25her wall was from the 26sea?

9

Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was 27infinite; 28Put and Lubim 29were thy helpers.

10

Yet was 30she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were 31dashed in pieces 32at the top of all the streets: and they cast 33lots for her 34honourable men, and all her great men were bound 35in chains.

11

36Thou also shalt be 37drunken: 38thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength 39because of the enemy.

12

40All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees 41with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth 42of the eater.

13

Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are 43women: the gates of thy land shall be set 44wide open unto thine enemies: 45the fire shall devour 46thy bars.

14

47Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: 48go into clay, and tread the morter, 49make strong the brickkiln.

15

50There shall 51the fire devour thee; the sword shall 52cut thee off, it shall eat thee up 53like the cankerworm: 54make thyself many as the cankerworm, 55make thyself many 56as the locusts.

16

Thou hast multiplied thy 57merchants above the stars of heaven: 58the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.

17

59Thy crowned are 60as the locusts, and thy 61captains 62as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges 63in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they 64flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

18

65Thy shepherds 66slumber, O king of Assyria: 67thy nobles shall 68dwell in the dust: 69thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and 70no man gathereth them.

19

There is 71no healing of thy bruise; thy wound 72is grievous: 73all that hear the bruitc of thee shall clap 74the hands over thee: for 75upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?