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

Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage; Her prey never departs.

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

The noise of the whip, The noise of the rattling of the wheel, Galloping horses And bounding chariots!

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—

Horsemen charging, Swords flashing, spears gleaming, Many slain, a mass of corpses, And countless dead bodies— They stumble over the dead bodies!

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.

All because of the many harlotries of the harlot, The charming one, the mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations by her harlotries And families by her sorceries.

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.

“Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts; “And I will lift up your skirts over your face, And show to the nations your nakedness And to the kingdoms your disgrace.

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

“I will throw filth on you And make you vile, And set you up as a spectacle.

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 will come about that all who see you Will shrink from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated! Who will grieve for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?”

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?

Are you better than No-amon, Which was situated by the waters of the Nile, With water surrounding her, Whose rampart was the sea, Whose wall consisted of the sea?

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

Ethiopia was her might, And Egypt too, without limits. Put and Lubim were among her helpers.

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 became an exile, She went into captivity; Also her small children were dashed to pieces At the head of every street; They cast lots for her honorable men, And all her great men were bound with fetters.

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

You too will become drunk, You will be hidden. You too will search for a refuge from 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 your fortifications are fig trees with ripe fruit— When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.

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, your people are women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate 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 for yourself water for the siege! Strengthen your fortifications! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold!

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 fire will consume you, The sword will cut you down; It will consume you as the locust does. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust, Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.

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

You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven— The creeping locust strips 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.

Your guardsmen are like the swarming locust. Your marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers Settling in the stone walls on a cold day. The sun rises and they flee, And the place where they are is not known.

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.

Your shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria; Your nobles are lying down. Your people are scattered on the mountains And there is no one to regather 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 relief for your breakdown, Your wound is incurable. All who hear about you Will clap their hands over you, For on whom has not your evil passed continually?