1 W oe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. Its victim never departs.

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

2 T he noise of a whip And the noise of rattling wheels, Of galloping horses, Of clattering chariots!

The 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.

3 H orsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear. There is a multitude of slain, A great number of bodies, Countless corpses— They stumble over the corpses—

The 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,

4 B ecause of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, The mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations through her harlotries, And families through her sorceries.

because 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.

5 “ Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts; “I will lift your skirts over your face, I will show the nations your nakedness, And the kingdoms your shame.

Here 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.

6 I will cast abominable filth upon you, Make you vile, And make you a spectacle.

And I will cast abominable filth upon thee and make thee vile and will set thee as dung.

7 I t shall come to pass that all who look upon you Will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will bemoan her?’ Where shall I seek comforters for you?”

And 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?

8 A re you better than No Amon That was situated by the River, That had the waters around her, Whose rampart was the sea, Whose wall was the sea?

¶ 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?

9 E thiopia and Egypt were her strength, And it was boundless; Put and Lubim were your helpers.

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

10 Y et she was carried away, She went into captivity; Her young children also were dashed to pieces At the head of every street; They cast lots for her honorable men, And all her great men were bound in chains.

Yet 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.

11 Y ou also will be drunk; You will be hidden; You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

Thou also shalt be drunken; thou shalt be encompassed; thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.

12 A ll your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs: If they are shaken, They fall into the mouth of the eater.

All thy strongholds are like fig trees with the firstripe figs; if they are shaken, they even fall into the mouth of the eater.

13 S urely, your people in your midst are women! The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies; Fire shall devour the bars of your gates.

Behold, 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.

14 D raw your water for the siege! Fortify your strongholds! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Make strong the brick kiln!

Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brickkiln.

15 T here the fire will devour you, The sword will cut you off; It will eat you up like a locust. Make yourself many—like the locust! Make yourself many— like the swarming locusts!

There 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.

16 Y ou have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven. The locust plunders and flies away.

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

17 Y our commanders are like swarming locusts, And your generals like great grasshoppers, Which camp in the hedges on a cold day; When the sun rises they flee away, And the place where they are is not known.

Thy 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.

18 Y our shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; Your nobles rest in the dust. Your people are scattered on the mountains, And no one gathers them.

Thy 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.

19 Y our injury has no healing, Your wound is severe. All who hear news of you Will clap their hands over you, For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?

There 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?