“1 Woe to the bloody city! it [is] all full of lies [and] robbery; the
prey departeth not; 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling
of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering
spear: and [there is] a multitude of slain, and a great number of
carcases; and [there is] none end of [their] corpses; they stumble upon
their corpses: 4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the
wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations
through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. 5 Behold, I
[am] against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy
skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the
kingdoms thy shame. 6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and
make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. 7 And it shall come
to pass, [that] all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and
say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek
comforters for thee?”
“8 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the
rivers, [that had] the waters round about it, whose rampart [was] the
sea, [and] her wall [was] from the sea? 9 Ethiopia and Egypt [were] her
strength, and [it was] infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers. 10 Yet
[was] she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also
were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots
for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains. 11
Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek
strength because of the enemy. 12 All thy strong holds [shall be like]
fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even
fall into the mouth of the eater. 13 Behold, thy people in the midst of
thee [are] women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto
thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars. 14 Draw thee waters for
the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter,
make strong the brickkiln. 15 There shall the fire devour thee; the
sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make
thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts. 16
Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the
cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away. 17 Thy crowned [are] as the
locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the
hedges in the cold day, [but] when the sun ariseth they flee away, and
their place is not known where they [are]. 18 Thy shepherds slumber, O
king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell [in the dust]: thy people is
scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth [them]. 19 [There is]
no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit
of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy
wickedness passed continually?” (Nahum 3:1-19 AV)