1 W oe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. The prey doesn’t depart.

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

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

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

3 t he 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,

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

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 Yahweh of Armies, “and 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 throw abominable filth on you, and make you vile, and will set you a spectacle.

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

7 I t 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?”

“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, who was situated among the rivers, who had the waters around her; whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of 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 C ush and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya were her helpers.

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

10 Y et 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.

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 drunken. You will be hidden. You also will seek a stronghold because of 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 fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe 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 B ehold, your troops among you are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars.

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 water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.

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 devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust.

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 increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips, and flees away.

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

17 Y our 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.

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, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather 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 T here 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?

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?