(KJV) Nahum 3¹

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⥃Judgment on Nineveh

[1] Woe to² the bloody city³! it [is] all full⁴ of lies [and] robbery; the prey departeth not; [2] The noise⁵ 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 spear⁶: and [there⁷ 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 mistress⁸ of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. [5] Behold, I [am⁹] against thee, saith the Lord of hosts; and I will discover¹⁰ thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. [6] And I will cast¹¹ abominable filth upon thee, and make¹² thee vile, and will set¹³ thee as a gazingstock. [7] And it shall come to pass, [that] all¹⁴ they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh¹⁵ is laid waste: who¹⁶ will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee? [8] Art thou¹⁷ better than populous No¹⁸, that was situate among the rivers, [that had¹⁹] the waters round about it, whose rampart [was] the sea, [and] her wall [was] from the sea? [9] Ethiopia²⁰ and Egypt [were] her strength, and [it was] infinite; Put²¹ and Lubim were thy helpers²². [10] Yet [was] she carried²³ away, she went into captivity: her young²⁴ children also were dashed in pieces at²⁵ the top of all the streets: and they cast²⁶ lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains. [11] Thou also²⁷ shalt be drunken²⁸: thou shalt be hid²⁹, thou also³⁰ 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.³¹ [13] Behold, thy people³² in the midst of thee [are] women: the gates³³ of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars³⁴. [14] Draw³⁵ thee waters for the siege, fortify³⁶ thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln. [15] There shall the³⁷ fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it³⁸ shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts³⁹. [16] Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above⁴⁰ the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth⁴¹, 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].⁴² [18] Thy shepherds⁴³ slumber, O king⁴⁴ of Assyria: thy nobles⁴⁵ shall dwell [in the dust]: thy people⁴⁶ is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth [them]. [19] [There is] no⁴⁷ healing⁴⁸ of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit⁴⁹ of thee shall⁵⁰ clap the hands over thee: for upon⁵¹ whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?