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Simple English

Nahum

Predicts the fall of Nineveh as a judgment for their wickedness. ... click to read full summary of this book.

Chapter 3

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Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;

Oh no, the violent city! It's filled with deceit and theft; the stolen goods never leave.

The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.

The sound of a whipping, and the sound of wheels rolling, and of galloping horses, and of leaping chariots.

The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:

The rider lifts a shiny sword and a sparkling spear. There are many dead people and lots of bodies. There are so many dead bodies that they keep tripping over them.

Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

Because of the many acts of sexual immorality by the beautiful prostitute, who is the leader of witchcraft, she sells nations because of her immorality and families because of her magic.

Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

Look, I am against you, says the Lord of armies; and I will expose your private parts in front of you, and show the world your vulnerability, and the kingdoms your embarrassment.

And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.

I will make you unclean and disgraceful, and display you for others to look at and mock.

And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

And it will happen that everyone who sees you will run away from you, and they will say, "Nineveh is destroyed!" Who will mourn for her? Where should I find people to comfort you?

Art thou better than populous No, that was situate 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 ancient No, which was located near rivers, surrounded by water, with the sea as its fortress and walls coming from the sea?

Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.

Ethiopia and Egypt were very strong allies for her, with endless support; Put and Lubim also helped her.

Yet was she 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 great men were bound in chains.

She was taken away as a prisoner, her little kids were killed on the streets. People fought over who would get her respected people, and then they put all her important people in chains.

Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.

You too will become intoxicated; you will be hidden, and you will also look for strength because of your enemies.

All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.

All your fortresses will be like fig trees with ripe figs: if they are shaken, they will fall right into the eater's mouth.

Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.

Look, among you, your people are like women: your land's gates will be opened to your enemies: fire will destroy your bars.

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

Gather water for the siege and strengthen your fortresses. Get clay, mix it with water, and make strong bricks for building.

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.

The fire will destroy you, and the sword will end you, just like a cankerworm eats things up. You should multiply like a cankerworm or locusts.

Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away.

You have increased your traders more than the stars in the sky; the cankerworm destroys and quickly leaves.

Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

Your kings act like locusts, and your leaders are like big grasshoppers. They hide in bushes during cold times, but when the sun comes up, they quickly leave and it's hard to find where they went.

Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.

Your shepherds are sleeping, King of Assyria: your important people will live in the dirt: your people are scattered on the mountains, and nobody is bringing them together.

There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?

Your injury won't heal; it's very serious. Everyone who hears about you will clap their hands in reaction. This is because your wickedness affects everyone all the time.

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