Judgment on Nineveh

1Woe to the city of bloodshed.

All of it is a lie,

full of plunder—

its prey does not depart—

2the voice of the whip,

the voice of the rattling of the wheel,

with galloping horse

and bounding chariot!

3Horsemen are ascending

with a flame of sword

and flashing of spear,

and the abundance of the slain,

and the mass of the corpse—

there is no end to the bodies—

and they stumble over the bodies.

4From the abundance of prostitutions of the prostitute,

fine of favor, the mistress of sorcery,

the one selling nations by her prostitution,

and families by her sorcery.

5“Behold, I am against you,”

a declaration of YHWH of Hosts,

“And I will uncover your skirts over your face,

and I will let see the nations your nakedness,

and the kingdoms your shame.

6And I will cast upon you abominations

and I will treat you with contempt,

and I will set you as a spectacle!

7And it will come to pass that all seeing you

will flee from you, and will say,

‘Nineveh is devastated.

Who will bemoan for her?’

From where should I seek

comforters for you?”

8Are you better than Thebes,†

the city setting by the River, with the waters around her,

whose rampart was the sea,

and the sea her wall?

9Cush† was her strength, and Egypt, and there was no end;

Libya and Lubim came to be for your help.

10Yet she was as an exile;

she went into captivity;

even her infants were dashed to pieces

at the head of every street,

and over her honored ones they cast lots,

and all her great ones were bound in chains.

11Even you will become drunk;

you will be hidden;

you will even seek refuge from the enemy.

12All your fortresses are fig trees

with the first ripe figs;

if they are shaken,

they fall into the mouth of the one eating.

13Behold, your people

are women in your midst;

the gates of your land are wide open to your enemies;

fire has devoured your bars.

14Draw for yourself water for the siege;

strengthen your fortresses;

Go into the clay and tread on the mortar;

take hold or the brick kiln.

15There the fire will devour you;

the sword will cut you down;

it will eat you up like the locust.

Make yourself many like the young locust,

make yourself many like the swarming locust.

16You have multiplied your merchants

above the stars of the heavens;

the young locust strips it

and flies away.

17Your princes† are like the swarming locust,

and your scribes† like clouds of locusts of locusts,

those camping on the fences on a day of cold;

the sun has risen, and it flees away,

and it is not known the place of it, where they are.

18Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria;

your nobles are at rest;

your people are scattered on the mountains,

and no one is gathering them.

19There is no easing of your injury;

your wound is severe;

all those hearing the report of you

clap the hands over you.

For upon whom has not your evil

passed continually?