1
Woe to the a bloody city!
It is all full of lies and robbery.
Its 1 victim never departs.
2
The noise of a whip
And the noise of rattling wheels,
Of galloping horses,
Of 2 clattering chariots!
3
Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear.
There is a multitude of slain,
A great number of bodies,
Countless corpses -
They stumble over the corpses -
4
Because of the multitude of 3 harlotries of the 4 seductive harlot,
b The mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations through her harlotries,
And families through her sorceries.
5
"Behold, I am c against you," says the LORD of hosts;
d "I will lift your skirts over your face,
I will show the nations your nakedness,
And the kingdoms your shame.
6
I will cast abominable filth upon you,
Make you e vile, 5
And make you f a spectacle.
7
It shall come to pass that all who look upon you
g Will flee from you, and say,
h 'Nineveh is laid waste!
i Who will bemoan her?'
Where shall I seek comforters for you?"
8
j Are you better than k No 6 Amon 7
That was situated by the 8 River, 9
That had the waters around her,
Whose rampart was the sea,
Whose wall was the sea?
9
Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength,
And it was boundless;
l Put and Lubim were 10 your helpers.
10
Yet she was carried away,
She went into captivity;
m Her young children also were dashed to pieces
n At the head of every street;
They o cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound in chains.
11
You also will be p drunk;
You will be hidden;
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
12
All your strongholds are q fig trees with ripened figs:
If they are shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater.
13
Surely, r your people in your midst are women!
The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies;
Fire shall devour the s bars of your gates.
14
Draw your water for the siege!
t Fortify your strongholds!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Make strong the brick kiln!
15
There the fire will devour you,
The sword will cut you off;
It will eat you up like a u locust.
Make yourself many - like the locust!
Make yourself many - like the swarming locusts!
16
You have multiplied your v merchants more than the stars of heaven.
The locust plunders and flies away.
17
w Your commanders are like swarming locusts,
And your generals like great grasshoppers,
Which camp in the hedges on a cold day;
When the sun rises they flee away,
And the place where they are is not known.
18
x Your shepherds slumber, O y king of Assyria;
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are z scattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.
19
Your injury has no healing,
a Your wound is severe.
b All who hear news of you
Will clap their hands over you,
For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?