Study Desk

The ^[a](a)oracle of ^(b)Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

A ^(c)jealous and avenging God is the Lord ; The Lord is ^(d)avenging and ^[b]wrathful. The Lord takes ^(e)vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.

The Lord is ^(f)slow to anger and great in power, And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In ^(g)whirlwind and storm is His way, And ^(h)clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

He ⁽ⁱ⁾rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers. ^(j)Bashan and Carmel wither; The blossoms of Lebanon wither.

Mountains ^(k)quake because of Him And the hills ^(l)dissolve; Indeed the earth is ^(m)upheaved by His presence, The ⁽ⁿ⁾world and all the inhabitants in it.

^(o)Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the ^(p)burning of His anger? His ^(q)wrath is poured out like fire And the ^(r)rocks are broken up by Him.

The Lord is ^(s)good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And ^(t)He knows those who take refuge in Him.

But with an ^(u)overflowing flood He will make a complete end of ^[c]its site, And will pursue His enemies into ^(v)darkness.

Whatever you ^(w)devise against the Lord , He will make a ^(x)complete end of it. Distress will not rise up twice.

Like tangled ^(y)thorns, And like those who are ^(z)drunken with their drink, They are ^(aa)consumed As stubble completely withered.

From you has gone forth One who ^(ab)plotted evil against the Lord , A ^[d](ac)wicked counselor.

Thus says the Lord , "Though they are at full strength and likewise many, Even so, they will be ^(ad)cut off and pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you ^(ae)no longer.

"So now, I will ^(af)break his yoke bar from upon you, And I will tear off your shackles."

The Lord has issued a command concerning ^[e]you: "^[f]Your name will ^(ag)no longer be perpetuated. I will cut off ^[g](ah)idol and ^[h]image From the house of your gods. I will prepare your ^(ai)grave, For you are contemptible."

^[i]Behold, ^(aj)on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace! ^(ak)Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; Pay your vows. For ^(al)never again will the ^[j]wicked one pass through you; He is ^(am)cut off completely.

^[a]The one who ^(a)scatters has come up against ^[b]you. Man the fortress, watch the road; ^[c]Strengthen your back, ^[d]summon all your strength.

For the Lord will restore the ^(b)splendor of Jacob ^(c)Like the splendor of Israel, Even though devastators have devastated them And ^(d)destroyed their vine branches.

The shields of ^[e]his mighty men are colored red, The warriors are dressed in ^(e)scarlet, The chariots are enveloped in ^[f]flashing steel ^[g]When he is prepared to march, And the cypress ^(f)spears are brandished.

The ^(g)chariots race madly in the streets, They rush wildly in the ^[h]squares, Their appearance is like torches, They dash to and fro like lightning flashes.

He remembers his ^(h)nobles; They ⁽ⁱ⁾stumble in their march, They hurry to her wall, And the ^[i]mantelet is set up.

The gates of the rivers are opened And the palace is dissolved.

It is fixed: She is stripped, she is carried away, And her handmaids are ^(j)moaning like the sound of doves, ^(k)Beating on their ^[j]breasts.

Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days, Now they are fleeing; "Stop, stop," But ^(l)no one turns back.

Plunder the silver! Plunder the ^(m)gold! For there is no limit to the treasure— Wealth from every kind of desirable object.

She is ⁽ⁿ⁾emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste! ^(o)Hearts are melting and knees knocking! Also anguish is in ^[k]the whole body And all their ^(p)faces are grown pale!

Where is the den of the lions And the feeding place of the ^(q)young lions, Where the lion, lioness and lion's cub prowled, With nothing to disturb them?

The lion tore enough for his cubs, ^[l]Killed enough for his lionesses, And filled his lairs with prey And his dens with torn flesh.

"Behold, ^(r)I am against you," declares the Lord of hosts. "I will ^(s)burn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will ^(t)cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard."

^(a)Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage; Her prey never departs.

The ^(b)noise of the whip, The noise of the rattling of the wheel, Galloping horses And ^[a]bounding chariots!

Horsemen charging, Swords flashing, ^(c)spears gleaming, ^(d)Many slain, a mass of corpses, And ^[b](e)countless dead bodies— They stumble over ^[c]the dead bodies!

All because of the ^(f)many harlotries of the harlot, The charming one, the ^(g)mistress of sorceries, Who ^(h)sells nations by her harlotries And families by her sorceries.

"Behold, ⁽ⁱ⁾I am against you," declares the Lord of hosts; "And I will ^[d](j)lift up your skirts over your face, And ^(k)show to the nations your nakedness And to the kingdoms your disgrace.

"I will ^(l)throw ^[e]filth on you And ^(m)make you vile, And set you up as a ⁽ⁿ⁾spectacle.

"And it will come about that all who see you Will ^[f]shrink from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated! ^(o)Who will grieve for her?' Where will I seek comforters for you?"

Are you better than ^[g](p)No-amon, Which was situated by the ^(q)waters of the Nile, With water surrounding her, Whose rampart was ^[h]the sea, Whose wall consisted of ^[i]the sea?

^(r)Ethiopia was her might, And Egypt too, without limits. ^(s)Put and ^(t)Lubim were among ^[j]her helpers.

Yet she ^(u)became an exile, She went into captivity; Also her ^(v)small children were dashed to pieces ^(w)At the head of every street; They ^(x)cast lots for her honorable men, And all her great men were bound with fetters.

You too will become ^(y)drunk, You will be ^(z)hidden. You too will search for a refuge from the enemy.

All your fortifications are ^(aa)fig trees with ^[k](ab)ripe fruit— When shaken, they fall into the eater's mouth.

Behold, your people are ^(ac)women in your midst! The gates of your land are ^(ad)opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars.

^(ae)Draw for yourself water for the siege! ^(af)Strengthen your fortifications! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold!

There ^(ag)fire will consume you, The sword will cut you down; It will ^(ah)consume you as the locust does. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust, Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.

You have increased your ^(ai)traders more than the stars of heaven— The creeping locust ^[l]strips and flies away.

Your ^[m](aj)guardsmen are like the swarming locust. Your ^(ak)marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers Settling in the stone walls on a cold day. The sun rises and they flee, And the place where they are is not known.

Your shepherds are ^(al)sleeping, O ^(am)king of Assyria; Your ^(an)nobles are lying down. Your people are ^(ao)scattered on the mountains And there is no one to regather them.

There is ^(ap)no relief for your breakdown, Your ^(aq)wound is incurable. All who hear ^[n]about you Will ^(ar)clap their hands over you, For on whom has not your evil passed continually?