The LORD's Avenging Wrath

1¹ This message concerning Nineveh came as a vision to Nahum, who lived in Elkosh.

² The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his enemies! ³ The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet. ⁴ At his command the oceans dry up, and the rivers disappear. The lush pastures of Bashan and Carmel fade, and the green forests of Lebanon wither. ⁵ In his presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles, and its people are destroyed. ⁶ Who can stand before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence. ⁷ The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. ⁸ But he will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue his foes into the darkness of night.

⁹ Why are you scheming against the Lord ? He will destroy you with one blow; he won't need to strike twice! ¹⁰ His enemies, tangled like thornbushes and staggering like drunks, will be burned up like dry stubble in a field. ¹¹ Who is this wicked counselor of yours who plots evil against the Lord ? ¹² This is what the Lord says: "Though the Assyrians have many allies, they will be destroyed and disappear. O my people, I have punished you before, but I will not punish you again. ¹³ Now I will break the yoke of bondage from your neck and tear off the chains of Assyrian oppression." ¹⁴ And this is what the Lord says concerning the Assyrians in Nineveh: "You will have no more children to carry on your name. I will destroy all the idols in the temples of your gods. I am preparing a grave for you because you are despicable!"

The Tidings of Nineveh's Fall

¹⁵ Look! A messenger is coming over the mountains with good news! He is bringing a message of peace. Celebrate your festivals, O people of Judah, and fulfill all your vows, for your wicked enemies will never invade your land again. They will be completely destroyed!

2¹ Your enemy is coming to crush you, Nineveh. Man the ramparts! Watch the roads! Prepare your defenses! Call out your forces! ² Even though the destroyer has destroyed Judah, the Lord will restore its honor. Israel's vine has been stripped of branches, but he will restore its splendor. ³ Shields flash red in the sunlight! See the scarlet uniforms of the valiant troops! Watch as their glittering chariots move into position, with a forest of spears waving above them. ⁴ The chariots race recklessly along the streets and rush wildly through the squares. They flash like firelight and move as swiftly as lightning. ⁵ The king shouts to his officers; they stumble in their haste, rushing to the walls to set up their defenses. ⁶ The river gates have been torn open! The palace is about to collapse! ⁷ Nineveh's exile has been decreed, and all the servant girls mourn its capture. They moan like doves and beat their breasts in sorrow. ⁸ Nineveh is like a leaking water reservoir! The people are slipping away. "Stop, stop!" someone shouts, but no one even looks back. ⁹ Loot the silver! Plunder the gold! There's no end to Nineveh's treasures- its vast, uncounted wealth. ¹⁰ Soon the city is plundered, empty, and ruined. Hearts melt and knees shake. The people stand aghast, their faces pale and trembling.

¹¹ Where now is that great Nineveh, that den filled with young lions? It was a place where people-like lions and their cubs- walked freely and without fear. ¹² The lion tore up meat for his cubs and strangled prey for his mate. He filled his den with prey, his caverns with his plunder.

The Utter Ruin of Nineveh

¹³ "I am your enemy!" says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. "Your chariots will soon go up in smoke. Your young men will be killed in battle. Never again will you plunder conquered nations. The voices of your proud messengers will be heard no more."

3¹ What sorrow awaits Nineveh, the city of murder and lies! She is crammed with wealth and is never without victims. ² Hear the crack of whips, the rumble of wheels! Horses' hooves pound, and chariots clatter wildly. ³ See the flashing swords and glittering spears as the charioteers charge past! There are countless casualties, heaps of bodies- so many bodies that people stumble over them. ⁴ All this because Nineveh, the beautiful and faithless city, mistress of deadly charms, enticed the nations with her beauty. She taught them all her magic, enchanting people everywhere. ⁵ "I am your enemy!" says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. "And now I will lift your skirts and show all the earth your nakedness and shame. ⁶ I will cover you with filth and show the world how vile you really are. ⁷ All who see you will shrink back and say, 'Nineveh lies in ruins. Where are the mourners?' Does anyone regret your destruction?"

⁸ Are you any better than the city of Thebes, situated on the Nile River, surrounded by water? She was protected by the river on all sides, walled in by water. ⁹ Ethiopia and the land of Egypt gave unlimited assistance. The nations of Put and Libya were among her allies. ¹⁰ Yet Thebes fell, and her people were led away as captives. Her babies were dashed to death against the stones of the streets. Soldiers threw dice to get Egyptian officers as servants. All their leaders were bound in chains. ¹¹ And you, Nineveh, will also stagger like a drunkard. You will hide for fear of the attacking enemy. ¹² All your fortresses will fall. They will be devoured like the ripe figs that fall into the mouths of those who shake the trees. ¹³ Your troops will be as weak and helpless as women. The gates of your land will be opened wide to the enemy and set on fire and burned. ¹⁴ Get ready for the siege! Store up water! Strengthen the defenses! Go into the pits to trample clay, and pack it into molds, making bricks to repair the walls. ¹⁵ But the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down. The enemy will consume you like locusts, devouring everything they see. There will be no escape, even if you multiply like swarming locusts. ¹⁶ Your merchants have multiplied until they outnumber the stars. But like a swarm of locusts, they strip the land and fly away. ¹⁷ Your guards and officials are also like swarming locusts that crowd together in the hedges on a cold day. But like locusts that fly away when the sun comes up, all of them will fly away and disappear. ¹⁸ Your shepherds are asleep, O Assyrian king; your princes lie dead in the dust. Your people are scattered across the mountains with no one to gather them together. ¹⁹ There is no healing for your wound; your injury is fatal. All who hear of your destruction will clap their hands for joy. Where can anyone be found who has not suffered from your continual cruelty?

Habakkuk Complains of Injustice

1¹ This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision. ² How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! "Violence is everywhere!" I cry, but you do not come to save. ³ Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. ⁴ The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.

The Chaldeans Will Punish Judah

⁵ The Lord replied, "Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it. ⁶ I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people. They will march across the world and conquer other lands. ⁷ They are notorious for their cruelty and do whatever they like. ⁸ Their horses are swifter than cheetahs and fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their charioteers charge from far away. Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey. ⁹ "On they come, all bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind, sweeping captives ahead of them like sand. ¹⁰ They scoff at kings and princes and scorn all their fortresses. They simply pile ramps of earth against their walls and capture them! ¹¹ They sweep past like the wind and are gone. But they are deeply guilty, for their own strength is their god."

Habakkuk Remonstrates with the LORD

¹² O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal- surely you do not plan to wipe us out? O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins. ¹³ But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they? ¹⁴ Are we only fish to be caught and killed? Are we only sea creatures that have no leader? ¹⁵ Must we be strung up on their hooks and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate? ¹⁶ Then they will worship their nets and burn incense in front of them. "These nets are the gods who have made us rich!" they will claim. ¹⁷ Will you let them get away with this forever? Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?

The LORD's Answer to Habakkuk

2¹ I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint. ² Then the Lord said to me, "Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. ³ This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. ⁴ "Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

⁵ Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples.

Woes on the Unrighteous

⁶ "But soon their captives will taunt them. They will mock them, saying, 'What sorrow awaits you thieves! Now you will get what you deserve! You've become rich by extortion, but how much longer can this go on?' ⁷ Suddenly, your debtors will take action. They will turn on you and take all you have, while you stand trembling and helpless. ⁸ Because you have plundered many nations, now all the survivors will plunder you. You committed murder throughout the countryside and filled the towns with violence. ⁹ "What sorrow awaits you who build big houses with money gained dishonestly! You believe your wealth will buy security, putting your family's nest beyond the reach of danger. ¹⁰ But by the murders you committed, you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives. ¹¹ The very stones in the walls cry out against you, and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint. ¹² "What sorrow awaits you who build cities with money gained through murder and corruption! ¹³ Has not the Lord of Heaven's Armies promised that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes? They work so hard, but all in vain! ¹⁴ For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord .

¹⁵ "What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk! You force your cup on them so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness. ¹⁶ But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced. Come, drink and be exposed! Drink from the cup of the Lord 's judgment, and all your glory will be turned to shame. ¹⁷ You cut down the forests of Lebanon. Now you will be cut down. You destroyed the wild animals, so now their terror will be yours. You committed murder throughout the countryside and filled the towns with violence. ¹⁸ "What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation- a god that can't even talk! ¹⁹ What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols, 'Wake up and save us!' To speechless stone images you say, 'Rise up and teach us!' Can an idol tell you what to do? They may be overlaid with gold and silver, but they are lifeless inside. ²⁰ But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him."

Habakkuk's Prayer

3¹ This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk : ² I have heard all about you, Lord . I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy.

³ I see God moving across the deserts from Edom, the Holy One coming from Mount Paran. His brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise. ⁴ His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden. ⁵ Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind. ⁶ When he stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. He is the Eternal One! ⁷ I see the people of Cushan in distress, and the nation of Midian trembling in terror. ⁸ Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers and parted the sea? Were you displeased with them? No, you were sending your chariots of salvation! ⁹ You brandished your bow and your quiver of arrows. You split open the earth with flowing rivers. ¹⁰ The mountains watched and trembled. Onward swept the raging waters. The mighty deep cried out, lifting its hands in submission. ¹¹ The sun and moon stood still in the sky as your brilliant arrows flew and your glittering spear flashed. ¹² You marched across the land in anger and trampled the nations in your fury. ¹³ You went out to rescue your chosen people, to save your anointed ones. You crushed the heads of the wicked and stripped their bones from head to toe. ¹⁴ With his own weapons, you destroyed the chief of those who rushed out like a whirlwind, thinking Israel would be easy prey. ¹⁵ You trampled the sea with your horses, and the mighty waters piled high.

¹⁶ I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. ¹⁷ Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, ¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord ! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! ¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)