1 W oe to the bloody city! It is full of lies and booty and no end to the plunder!

Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage; Her prey never departs.

2 T he cracking of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses and chariots rumbling and bounding,

The noise of the whip, The noise of the rattling of the wheel, Galloping horses And bounding chariots!

3 H orsemen mounting and charging, the flashing sword, the gleaming spear, a multitude of slain and a great number of corpses, no end of corpses! stumble over the corpses!

Horsemen charging, Swords flashing, spears gleaming, Many slain, a mass of corpses, And countless dead bodies— They stumble over the dead bodies!

4 A ll because of the multitude of the harlotries, the well-favored harlot, the mistress of deadly charms who betrays and sells nations through her whoredoms and peoples through her enchantments.

All because of the many harlotries of the harlot, The charming one, the mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations by her harlotries And families by her sorceries.

5 B ehold, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will lift up your skirts over your face, and I will let the nations look on your nakedness and the kingdoms on your shame.

“Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts; “And I will lift up your skirts over your face, And show to the nations your nakedness And to the kingdoms your disgrace.

6 I will cast abominable things at you and make you filthy, treat you with contempt, and make you a gazingstock.

“I will throw filth on you And make you vile, And set you up as a spectacle.

7 A nd all who look on you will shrink and flee from you and say, Nineveh is laid waste; who will pity and bemoan her? Where shall I seek comforters for you?

“And it will come about that all who see you Will shrink from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated! Who will grieve for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?”

8 A re you better than No-amon, that dwelt by the rivers or canals, that had the waters round about her, whose rampart was a sea and water her wall?

Are you better than No-amon, Which was situated by the waters of the Nile, With water surrounding her, Whose rampart was the sea, Whose wall consisted of the sea?

9 E thiopia and Egypt were her strength, and that without limit. Put and the Libyans were her helpers.

Ethiopia was her might, And Egypt too, without limits. Put and Lubim were among her helpers.

10 Y et she was carried away; she went into captivity. Her young children also were dashed in pieces at all the street corners; lots were cast for her nobles, and all her great men were bound with chains.

Yet she became an exile, She went into captivity; Also her small children were dashed to pieces At the head of every street; They cast lots for her honorable men, And all her great men were bound with fetters.

11 Y ou will be drunk; you will be dazed. You will seek and require a refuge because of the enemy.

You too will become drunk, You will be hidden. You too will search for a refuge from the enemy.

12 A ll your fortresses are fig trees with early figs; if they are shaken they will fall into the mouth of the eater.

All your fortifications are fig trees with ripe fruit— When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.

13 B ehold, your troops in the midst of you are women; the gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies; fire consumes your bars.

Behold, your people are women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars.

14 D raw for yourself the water for a siege, make strong your fortresses! Go down into the clay pits and trample the mortar; make ready the brickkiln!

Draw for yourself water for the siege! Strengthen your fortifications! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold!

15 t here will the fire devour you; the sword will cut you off; it will destroy you as the locusts. Multiply yourselves like the licking locusts; make yourselves many like the swarming locusts!

There fire will consume you, The sword will cut you down; It will consume you as the locust does. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust, Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.

16 Y ou increased your merchants more than the stars of the heavens. The swarming locust spreads itself and destroys, and then flies away.

You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven— The creeping locust strips and flies away.

17 Y our princes are like the grasshoppers and your marshals like the swarms of locusts which encamp in the hedges on a cold day—but when the sun rises, they fly away, and no one knows where they are.

Your guardsmen are like the swarming locust. Your marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers Settling in the stone walls on a cold day. The sun rises and they flee, And the place where they are is not known.

18 Y our shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; your nobles are lying still. Your people are scattered on the mountains and there is no one to gather them.

Your shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria; Your nobles are lying down. Your people are scattered on the mountains And there is no one to regather them.

19 T here is no healing of your hurt; your wound is grievous. All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you. For upon whom has not your evil come continually?

There is no relief for your breakdown, Your wound is incurable. All who hear about you Will clap their hands over you, For on whom has not your evil passed continually?