1 W oe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and rapine; the prey departeth not.

It is bad for the city of blood, full of lies and stolen riches! There is no end of her prizes of war!

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

The noise of the whip, the noise of the wheel, running horses and rolling war-wagons!

3 t he horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies; they stumble upon their bodies;-

Horsemen rushing to battle, swords and spears shining, many dead, too many dead bodies to number! They fall over the dead bodies!

4 b ecause of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

All this is because of the many sins of the woman who sells the use of her body. She tempts with her beauty and uses witchcraft. She sells nations by her sinful acts, and families by her witchcraft.

5 B ehold, I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face; and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

“I am against you,” says the Lord of All. “I will lift up your clothing over your face and let the nations see your body. The nations will see your shame.

6 A nd I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing-stock.

I will throw dirt on you and make you unclean. People will look at you and see how bad you are.

7 A nd 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?

All who see you will leave you and say, ‘Nineveh is destroyed! Who will have sorrow for her?’ Where can I find anyone to comfort you?”

8 A rt thou better than No-amon, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about her; whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea?

Are you better than Thebes, which is by the Nile River? Water was all around her. The sea kept her safe, for the water was her wall.

9 E thiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.

Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, with too many to number. Put and Lubim were among her helpers.

10 Y et was she carried away, she went into captivity; her young children also were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets; and they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.

Yet she was taken away to a strange land. She was taken away in chains. Her small children were beaten to death at every street corner. They drew names to see who would get her men of honor. And all her great men were put in chains.

11 T hou also shalt be drunken; thou shalt be hid; thou also shalt seek a stronghold because of the enemy.

You also will become drunk. You will be hidden. You will look for a safe place from those who hate you.

12 A ll thy fortresses shall be like fig-trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.

All your strong towers are like fig trees with first-fruits. When they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the one who eats them.

13 B ehold, thy people in the midst of thee are women; the gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire hath devoured thy bars.

Your soldiers are all women. The gates of your land are opened wide to those who hate you. Fire destroys your gates.

14 D raw thee water for the siege; strengthen thy fortresses; go into the clay, and tread the mortar; make strong the brickkiln.

Store up water to drink when you are shut in by armies! Make your walls stronger! Go into the clay to make more clay blocks for building!

15 T here shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the canker-worm: make thyself many as the canker-worm; make thyself many as the locust.

There the fire will destroy you. The sword will kill you. It will destroy you like the locust. Make yourselves as many as the locusts, as many as the flying locusts.

16 T hou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the canker-worm ravageth, and fleeth away.

You have more traders than the stars of heaven. The locust destroys everything from the land and flies away.

17 T hy princes are as the locusts, and thy marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, which encamp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

Your watchmen are like the flying locusts. Your leaders are like clouds of locusts. They stay in the stone walls on a cold day. When the sun rises they fly away and no one knows where they are.

18 T hy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; thy nobles are at rest; thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and there is none to gather them.

Your shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria. Your leaders are lying down. Your people have gone everywhere on the mountains. And there is no one to gather them together again.

19 T here is no assuaging of thy hurt: thy wound is grievous: all that hear the report of thee clap their hands over thee; for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?

Nothing can heal your hurt. Your sore cannot be cured. All who hear about you will clap their hands over you. For who has not suffered under your sinful ways again and again?