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 all full of lies and robbery. The prey doesn’t depart.

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

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,

the horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble on their bodies,

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.

because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.

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 Yahweh of Armies, “and I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.

6 A nd I will cast abominable filth upon thee and make thee vile and will set thee as dung.

I will throw abominable filth on you, and make you vile, and will set you a spectacle.

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?

It will happen that all those who look at you will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will mourn for her?’ Where will 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, who was situated among the rivers, who had the waters around her; whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea?

9 E thiopia was thy strength and Egypt with no limit; Put and Libia went to thy aid.

Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya 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 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.

11 T hou also shalt be drunken; thou shalt be encompassed; thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.

You also will be drunken. You will be hidden. You also will seek a stronghold 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 will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs: if they are shaken, they 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 among you are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured 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 water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.

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 the fire will devour you. The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust.

16 T hou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven; the cankerworm spoils and flies away.

You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips, and flees 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 guards are like the locusts, and your officials like the swarms of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day, but when the sun appears, they flee away, and their place is not known 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 slumber, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down. 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 your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you; for who hasn’t felt your endless cruelty?