1 W oe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies violence; the prey departeth not.

Woe to the bloody city! It is full of lies and booty and no end to the plunder!

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

The cracking of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses and chariots rumbling and bounding,

3 T he horseman springing up, and the glitter of the sword, and the flash of the spear, and a multitude of slain, and a mass of carcases, and no end of corpses: they stumble over their corpses.

Horsemen 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!

4 — Because of the multitude of the fornications of the well-favoured harlot, mistress of sorceries, that selleth nations through her fornications, and families through her sorceries,

All 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.

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

Behold, 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.

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

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

7 A nd it shall come to pass, all they that see thee shall flee from thee, and shall say, Nineveh is laid waste! Who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

And 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?

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

Are 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?

9 E thiopia was her strength, and Egypt, and it was infinite; Phut and the Libyans were her helpers.

Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and that without limit. Put and the Libyans were her helpers.

10 S he too was carried away, she went into captivity: her infants 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 with chains.

Yet 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.

11 T hou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid; thou also shalt seek a refuge from the enemy.

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

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

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

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 devoureth thy bars.

Behold, 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.

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

Draw 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!

15 T here shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the cankerworm. Make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locust.

there 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!

16 T hou hast multiplied thy merchants more than the stars of the heavens; the cankerworm spreadeth himself out and flieth away.

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

17 T hy chosen men are as the locusts, and thy captains as swarms of grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day: when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

Your 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.

18 T hy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; thy nobles lie still; thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.

Your 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.

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

There 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?