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

Wo the city of blood, She is all with lies -- burglary -- full, Prey doth not depart.

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

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 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!

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 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.

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 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.

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

And I have cast upon thee abominations, And dishonoured thee, and made thee as a sight.

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 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 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?

Art thou better than No-Ammon, That is dwelling among brooks? Waters she hath round about her, Whose bulwark the sea, waters her wall.

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

Cush her might, and Egypt, and there is no end. Put and Lubim have been for thy help.

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.

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

Even thou art drunken, thou art hidden, Even thou dost seek a strong place, because of an 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 thy fortresses fig-trees with first-fruits, If they are shaken, They have fallen into the mouth of the eater.

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.

Lo, thy people women in thy midst, To thine enemies thoroughly opened Have been the gates of thy land, Consumed hath fire thy 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!

Waters of a siege draw for thyself, Strengthen thy fortresses, Enter into mire, and tread on clay, Make strong a brick-kiln.

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

Multiply thy merchants above the stars of the heavens, The cankerworm hath stripped off, and doth flee 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.

Thy crowned ones 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 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.

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 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 weakening of thy destruction, Grievous thy smiting, All hearing thy fame have clapped the hand at thee, For over whom did not thy wickedness pass continually?