1 ¶ Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; stealing does not depart from her!

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

2 T he noise of the whip and the noise of the rattling of the wheels and of the prancing horses and of the jumping chariots shall be heard in thee.

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

3 T he horseman lifts up both the bright sword and the glittering spear, and there is a multitude of slain and a great number of carcasses; and there shall be no end of their corpses; they stumble upon 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 b ecause of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot of beautiful grace, the mistress of witchcrafts that sells the Gentiles into slavery through her whoredoms and peoples through her witchcrafts.

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 H ere I am against thee, saith the LORD of the hosts, and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will show the Gentiles 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 dung.

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, that all those that look upon thee shall flee from thee and say, Nineveh is laid waste; who will bemoan her? from where 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 ¶ Art thou better than populous No that was situated among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?

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 thy strength and Egypt with no limit; Put and Libia went to thy aid.

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

10 Y et she was carried away, she went into captivity; her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her nobles were bound in 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 encompassed; thou also shalt seek strength because of 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 like fig trees with the firstripe figs; if they are 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 shall be like women; the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies; the fire shall devour 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 waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brickkiln.

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 eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.

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 above the stars of heaven; the cankerworm spoils and flies 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 princes shall be as the locusts and thy captains as the great grasshoppers which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun arises, they flee away, and it is not known where they were.

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 have slumbered, O king of Assyria; thy valiant ones are at rest; thy people scattered themselves upon the mountains, and there is no one to unite 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 cure for thy destruction; thy wound is grievous; all that hear thy story shall clap their hands over thee; for upon whom has 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?