LEB NAH Chapter 3

The Doom of the Wicked City is Certain

• 3 Woe to the city that has shed much blood ![fn]
  • She is a deceiver ,[fn]
• She is filled with plunder,
  • She has hoarded her spoils of war .[fn]
• 2 The crack of the whip!
  • The rumbling of the chariot wheel!
• The galloping of the horse!
  • The racing of the chariot!
• 3 Chariots charge!
  • Swords flash!
    • Spears glitter!
• Many corpses are piled high ![fn]
  • There is no end to the slain!
    • They stumble over their dead!

Harlot Nineveh Will Get What She Deserves

• 4 “Because of the many idolatries of the prostitute,
  • the beautiful charm of a mistress of witchcraft,
• she who enslaves nations by her harlotries,
  • and peoples by her sorceries,
• 5 “Look! I am against you!” declares[fn]Yahweh.
  • “I will strip up your skirts over your face;
    • I will let nations look at your nakedness and your shame.
• 6 “I will throw filth upon you,
  • I will treat you with contempt,
    • I will make you a spectacle.
• 7 “And it will be that everyone who sees you will flee from you,
  • And they[fn] will say, ‘Nineveh is destroyed!’
• Who will mourn for her?
  • From whence shall I seek comforters for you?”

Nineveh Will Suffer the Same Fate She Inflicted on Thebes

• 8 Are you better than Thebes?[fn]
  • She who sits at the Nile, surrounded by her waters,
• her rampart was the sea and water was her wall.
• 9 Cush was her strength, Egypt without end;
  • Put and Libya were among your allies .[fn]
• 10 Yet she went into captivity as an exile;
  • her children were dashed to pieces at the head of the streets;
• they cast lots for all of her nobles;
  • all of her dignitaries were bound with chains.
• 11 You also will behave like a drunkard;
  • You also will hide yourself;
    • You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

Nineveh’s Defenses Will Fail

• 12 All of your fortifications are like fig trees with ripe firstfruits—
  • if they are shaken, they will fall into the mouth of the eater.
• 13 Look! Your troops are like women in your midst.
  • The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies;
    • fire will consume the bars of your gates.
• 14 Draw water for a siege!
  • Strengthen your fortifications!
• Go to the mud pit!
  • Trample the clay!
    • Grasp the brick mold!
• 15 There fire will consume you;
  • the sword will cut you off.
    • It will consume you like the locust.

Nineveh’s Defenders Will Flee

• Multiply yourself like the locust!
  • Multiply yourself like the grasshopper!
• 16 You have increased your merchants more than the stars of heaven;
  • like the locust they will shed their skin and fly away.
• 17 Your officials are like locusts;
  • your commanders are like a swarm of locusts.
• They encamp on the walls on a cold day;
  • when the sun rises, they fly away—
    • no one knows where they have gone.

Nineveh Will Come to an End

• 18 Your shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria!
  • Your nobles slumber.
• Your people are scattered on the mountains;
  • no one can gather them.
• 19 There is no healing for your wound;
  • your injury is fatal.
• All who hear the report of you will clap their hands for joy concerning you,
  • For who has not suffered at the hands of your endless cruelty ?[fn]