The LORD's Avenging Wrath

11 Burden of Nineveh. The Book of the Vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 A God zealous and avenging 'is' Jehovah, An avenger 'is' Jehovah, and possessing fury. An avenger 'is' Jehovah on His adversaries, And He is watching for His enemies. 3 Jehovah 'is' slow to anger, and great in power, And Jehovah doth not entirely acquit, In a hurricane and in a tempest 'is' His way, And a cloud 'is' the dust of His feet. 4 He is pushing against a sea, and drieth it up, Yea, all the floods He hath made dry, Languishing 'are' Bashan and Carmel, Yea, the flower of Lebanon 'is' languishing. 5 Mountains have shaken because of Him, And the hills have been melted; And lifted up 'is' the earth at His presence, And the world and all dwelling in it. 6 Before His indignation who doth stand? And who riseth up in the heat of His anger? His fury hath been poured out like fire, And the rocks have been broken by Him. 7 Good 'is' Jehovah for a strong place in a day of distress. And He knoweth those trusting in Him. 8 And with a flood passing over, An end He maketh of its place, And His enemies doth darkness pursue.

9 What do we devise against Jehovah? An end He is making, arise not twice doth distress. 10 For while princes 'are' perplexed, And with their drink are drunken, They have been consumed as stubble fully dried. 11 From thee hath come forth a deviser of evil Against Jehovah—a worthless counsellor. 12 Thus said Jehovah: Though complete, and thus many, Yet thus they have been cut off, And he hath passed away. And I afflicted thee, I afflict thee no more. 13 And now I break his rod from off thee, And thy bands I do draw away. 14 And commanded concerning thee hath Jehovah, 'No more of thy name doth spread abroad, From the house of thy gods I cut off graven and molten image, I appoint thy grave, for thou hast been vile.

The Tidings of Nineveh's Fall

15 Lo, on the mountains the feet of one proclaiming tidings, sounding peace! Celebrate, O Judah, thy festivals, complete thy vows, For add no more to pass over into thee doth the worthless, He hath been completely cut off!

21 Come up hath a scatterer to thy face, Keep the bulwark, watch the way, Strengthen the loins, strengthen power mightily. 2 For turned back hath Jehovah to the excellency of Jacob, As 'to' the excellency of Israel, For emptied them out have emptiers, And their branches they have marred. 3 The shield of his mighty ones is become red, Men of might 'are in' scarlet, With fiery torches 'is' the chariot in a day of his preparation, And the firs have been caused to tremble. 4 In out-places shine do the chariots, They go to and fro in broad places, Their appearances 'are' like torches, As lightnings they run. 5 He doth remember his honourable ones, They stumble in their goings, They hasten 'to' its wall, and prepared is the covering. 6 Gates of the rivers have been opened, And the palace is dissolved. 7 And it is established—she hath removed, She hath been brought up, And her handmaids are leading as the voice of doves, Tabering on their hearts. 8 And Nineveh 'is' as a pool of waters, From of old it 'is'—and they are fleeing! 'Stand ye, stand;' and none is turning! 9 Seize ye silver, seize ye gold, And there is no end to the prepared things, 'To' the abundance of all desirable vessels. 10 She is empty, yea, emptiness and waste, And the heart hath melted, And the knees have smitten together, And great pain 'is' in all loins, And the faces of all of them have gathered paleness.

11 Where 'is' the habitation of lionesses? And a feeding-place it 'is' for young lions Where walked hath a lion, an old lion, A lion's whelp, and there is none troubling. 12 The lion is tearing parts 'for' his whelps, And is strangling for his lionesses, And he doth fill 'with' prey his holes, And his habitations 'with' rapine.

The Utter Ruin of Nineveh

13 Lo, I 'am' against thee, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And I have burned in smoke its chariot, And thy young lions consume doth a sword, And I have cut off from the land thy prey, And not heard any more is the voice of thy messengers!

31 Wo 'to' the city of blood, She is all with lies—burglary—full, Prey doth not depart. 2 The sound of a whip, And the sound of the rattling of a wheel, And of a prancing horse, and of a bounding chariot, Of a horseman mounting. 3 And the flame of a sword, and the lightning of a spear, And the abundance of the wounded, And the weight of carcases, Yea, there is no end to the bodies, They stumble over their bodies. 4 Because of the abundance of the fornications of an harlot, The goodness of the grace of the lady of witchcrafts, Who is selling nations by her fornications, And families by her witchcrafts. 5 Lo, I 'am' against thee, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And have removed thy skirts before thy face, And have shewed nations thy nakedness, And kingdoms thy shame, 6 And I have cast upon thee abominations, And dishonoured thee, and made thee as a sight. 7 And it hath come to pass, Each of thy beholders fleeth from thee, And hath said: 'Spoiled is Nineveh, Who doth bemoan for her?' Whence do I seek comforters for thee?

8 Art thou better than No-Ammon, That is dwelling among brooks? Waters she hath round about her, Whose bulwark 'is' the sea, waters her wall. 9 Cush her might, and Egypt, and there is no end. Put and Lubim have been for thy help. 10 Even she doth become an exile, She hath gone into captivity, Even her sucklings are dashed to pieces At the top of all out-places, And for her honoured ones they cast a lot, And all her great ones have been bound in fetters. 11 Even thou art drunken, thou art hidden, Even thou dost seek a strong place, because of an enemy. 12 All thy fortresses 'are' fig-trees with first-fruits, If they are shaken, They have fallen into the mouth of the eater. 13 Lo, thy people 'are' women in thy midst, To thine enemies thoroughly opened Have been the gates of thy land, Consumed hath fire thy bars. 14 Waters of a siege draw for thyself, Strengthen thy fortresses, Enter into mire, and tread on clay, Make strong a brick-kiln. 15 There consume thee doth a fire, Cut thee off doth a sword, It doth consume thee as a cankerworm! Make thyself heavy as the cankerworm, Make thyself heavy as the locust. 16 Multiply thy merchants above the stars of the heavens, The cankerworm hath stripped off, and doth flee away. 17 Thy crowned ones 'are' as a locust, And thy princes as great grasshoppers, That encamp in hedges in a day of cold, The sun hath risen, and it doth flee away, And not known is its place where they are. 18 Slumbered have thy friends, king of Asshur, Rest do thine honourable ones, Scattered have been thy people on the mountains, And there is none gathering. 19 There is no weakening of thy destruction, Grievous 'is' thy smiting, All hearing thy fame have clapped the hand at thee, For over whom did not thy wickedness pass continually?

Habakkuk Complains of Injustice

11 The burden that Habakkuk the prophet hath seen: 2 Till when, O Jehovah, have I cried, And Thou dost not hear? I cry unto Thee—'Violence,' and Thou dost not save. 3 Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, And perversity dost cause to behold? And spoiling and violence 'are' before me, And there is strife, and contention doth lift 'itself' up, 4 Therefore doth law cease, And judgment doth not go forth for ever, For the wicked is compassing the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

The Chaldeans Will Punish Judah

5 Look ye on nations, and behold and marvel greatly. For a work He is working in your days, Ye do not believe though it is declared. 6 For, lo, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy tabernacles not its own. 7 Terrible and fearful it 'is', From itself its judgment and its excellency go forth. 8 Swifter than leopards have been its horses, And sharper than evening wolves, And increased have its horsemen, Even its horsemen from afar come in, They fly as an eagle, hasting to consume. 9 Wholly for violence it doth come in, Their faces swallowing up the east wind, And it doth gather as the sand a captivity. 10 And at kings it doth scoff, And princes 'are' a laughter to it, At every fenced place it doth laugh, And it heapeth up dust, and captureth it. 11 Then passed on hath the spirit, Yea, he doth transgress, And doth ascribe this his power to his god.

Habakkuk Remonstrates with the LORD

12 Art not Thou of old, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? We do not die, O Jehovah, For judgment Thou hast appointed it, And, O Rock, for reproof Thou hast founded it. 13 Purer of eyes than to behold evil, To look on perverseness Thou art not able, Why dost Thou behold the treacherous? Thou keepest silent when the wicked Doth swallow the more righteous than he, 14 And Thou makest man as fishes of the sea, As a creeping thing—none ruling over him. 15 Each of them with a hook he hath brought up, He doth catch it in his net, and gathereth it in his drag, Therefore he doth joy and rejoice. 16 Therefore he doth sacrifice to his net, And doth make perfume to his drag, For by them 'is' his portion fertile, and his food fat. 17 Doth he therefore empty his net, And continually to slay nations spare not?

The LORD's Answer to Habakkuk

21 On my charge I stand, and I station myself on a bulwark, and I watch to see what He doth speak against me, and what I do reply to my reproof. 2 And Jehovah answereth me and saith: 'Write a vision, and explain on the tables, That he may run who is reading it. 3 For yet the vision 'is' for a season, And it breatheth for the end, and doth not lie, If it tarry, wait for it, For surely it cometh, it is not late. 4 Lo, a presumptuous one! Not upright is his soul within him, And the righteous by his stedfastness liveth.

5 And also, because the wine 'is' treacherous, A man is haughty, and remaineth not at home, Who hath enlarged as sheol his soul, And is as death that is not satisfied, And doth gather unto itself all the nations, And doth assemble unto itself all the peoples,

Woes on the Unrighteous

6 Do not these—all of them—against him a simile taken up, And a moral of acute sayings for him, And say, Wo 'to' him who is multiplying 'what is' not his? Till when also is he multiplying to himself heavy pledges? 7 Do not thy usurers instantly rise up, And those shaking thee awake up, And thou hast been for a spoil to them? 8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, Spoil thee do all the remnant of the peoples, Because of man's blood, and of violence 'to' the land, 'To' the city, and 'to' all dwelling in it. 9 Wo 'to' him who is gaining evil gain for his house, To set on high his nest, To be delivered from the hand of evil, 10 Thou hast counselled a shameful thing to thy house, To cut off many peoples, and sinful 'is' thy soul. 11 For a stone from the wall doth cry out, And a holdfast from the wood answereth it. 12 Wo 'to' him who is building a city by blood, And establishing a city by iniquity. 13 Lo, is it not from Jehovah of Hosts And peoples are fatigued for fire, And nations for vanity are weary? 14 For full is the earth of the knowledge of the honour of Jehovah, As waters cover 'the bottom of' a sea.

15 Wo 'to' him who is giving drink to his neighbour, Pouring out thy bottle, and also making drunk, In order to look on their nakedness. 16 Thou hast been filled—shame without honour, Drink thou also, and be uncircumcised, Turn round unto thee doth the cup of the right hand of Jehovah, And shameful spewing 'is' on thine honour. 17 For violence 'to' Lebanon doth cover thee, And spoil of beasts doth affright them, Because of man's blood, and of violence 'to' the land, 'To' the city, and 'to' all dwelling in it. 18 What profit hath a graven image given That its former hath graven it? A molten image and teacher of falsehood, That trusted hath the former on his own formation—to make dumb idols? 19 Wo 'to' him who is saying to wood, 'Awake,' 'Stir up,' to a dumb stone, It a teacher! lo, it is overlaid—gold and silver, And there is no spirit in its midst. 20 And Jehovah 'is' in His holy temple, Be silent before Him, all the earth!

Habakkuk's Prayer

31 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet concerning erring ones: 2 O Jehovah, I heard thy report, I have been afraid, O Jehovah, Thy work! in midst of years revive it, In the midst of years Thou makest known In anger Thou dost remember mercy.

3 God from Teman doth come, The Holy One from mount Paran. Pause! Covered the heavens hath His majesty, And His praise hath filled the earth. 4 And the brightness is as the light, He hath rays out of His hand, And there—the hiding of His strength. 5 Before Him goeth pestilence, And a burning flame goeth forth at His feet. 6 He hath stood, and He measureth earth, He hath seen, and He shaketh off nations, And scatter themselves do mountains of antiquity, Bowed have the hills of old, The ways of old 'are' His. 7 Under sorrow I have seen tents of Cushan, Tremble do curtains of the land of Midian. 8 Against rivers hath Jehovah been wroth? Against rivers 'is' Thine anger? Against the sea 'is' Thy wrath? For Thou dost ride on Thy horses—Thy chariots of salvation? 9 Utterly naked Thou dost make Thy bow, Sworn are the tribes—saying, 'Pause!' 'With' rivers Thou dost cleave the earth. 10 Seen thee—pained are mountains, An inundation of waters hath passed over, Given forth hath the deep its voice, High its hands it hath lifted up. 11 Sun—moon—hath stood—a habitation, At the light thine arrows go on, At the brightness, the glittering of thy spear. 12 In indignation Thou dost tread earth, In anger Thou dost thresh nations. 13 Thou hast gone forth for the salvation of Thy people, For salvation with Thine anointed, Thou hast smitten the head of the house of the wicked, Laying bare the foundation unto the neck. Pause! 14 Thou hast pierced with his staves the head of his leaders, They are tempestuous to scatter me, Their exultation 'is' as to consume the poor in secret. 15 Thou hast proceeded through the sea with Thy horses—the clay of many waters.

16 I have heard, and my belly trembleth, At the noise have my lips quivered, Rottenness doth come into my bones, And in my place I do tremble, That I rest for a day of distress, At the coming up of the people, he overcometh it. 17 Though the fig-tree doth not flourish, And there is no produce among vines, Failed hath the work of the olive, And fields have not yielded food, Cut off from the fold hath been the flock, And there is no herd in the stalls. 18 Yet I, in Jehovah I exult, I do joy in the God of my salvation. 19 Jehovah the Lord 'is' my strength, And He doth make my feet like hinds, And on my high-places causeth me to tread. To the overseer with my stringed instruments!