Nahum 2
Modern English Version
The Fall of Nineveh
2 He who scatters has come to you.
Guard the fortifications!
Watch the road!
Prepare yourself,
and strengthen yourself!
2 For the Lord is restoring the prominence of Jacob,
even the prominence of Israel,
for others have certainly
laid waste their vines.
3 The shields of his mighty men are soaked red,
even the mighty men are clad in red.
In the day he prepares the chariots,
they are like a fire of iron.
The cypress spears are ready.
4 The chariots run wildly through the streets,
they rush to and fro in the open areas;
their appearance is like torches,
they dash to and fro like lightning.
5 He remembers his officers
as they stumble about on the road;
they hurry on to the wall
as the siege tower is set up.
6 The holding gates are opened wide,
and the palace washes away.
7 It is decreed:
She is uncovered and led away captive;
her handmaidens shall lead her as with the voice of doves,
beating their chests.
8 Nineveh is like a pool
whose waters run away.
“Halt! Halt!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9 “Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
There is no limit to the treasure,
or to the wealth of every precious thing.”
10 She is desolate, empty, and waste!
Hearts melt away, and knees shake;
pain is in all the loins, and all their faces grow pale.
11 Where is the den of the lions,
and the feeding place of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness prowl,
and the lion’s cub goes, with no one to disturb them?
12 The lion tore enough food for his cubs,
and strangled prey for his lionesses;
he has filled his caves with prey,
and his dens with flesh.
13 I am against you,
says the Lord of Hosts,
and I will burn your chariots in smoke,
and the sword will devour your lions.
I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the voice of your messengers
will be heard no more.
Nahum 2
New International Version
Nineveh to Fall
2 [a]An attacker(A) advances against you, Nineveh.
Guard the fortress,
watch the road,
brace yourselves,
marshal all your strength!
2 The Lord will restore(B) the splendor(C) of Jacob
like the splendor of Israel,
though destroyers have laid them waste
and have ruined their vines.
3 The shields of the soldiers are red;
the warriors are clad in scarlet.(D)
The metal on the chariots flashes
on the day they are made ready;
the spears of juniper are brandished.[b]
4 The chariots(E) storm through the streets,
rushing back and forth through the squares.
They look like flaming torches;
they dart about like lightning.
5 Nineveh summons her picked troops,
yet they stumble(F) on their way.
They dash to the city wall;
the protective shield is put in place.
6 The river gates(G) are thrown open
and the palace collapses.
7 It is decreed[c] that Nineveh
be exiled and carried away.
Her female slaves moan(H) like doves
and beat on their breasts.(I)
8 Nineveh is like a pool
whose water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9 Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
The supply is endless,
the wealth from all its treasures!
10 She is pillaged, plundered, stripped!
Hearts melt,(J) knees give way,
bodies tremble, every face grows pale.(K)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.