Nahum 1

1 A message about Nineveh, a vision which came to Nahum from Elkosh.

The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 The Lord tolerates no rivals. The Lord is vengeful and fierce in wrath. The Lord does not fail to punish his foes; the Lord is vengeful against his enemies.

Jehovah is a jealous God and avenges. Jehovah avenges and is full of wrath. Jehovah takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserves wrath for his enemies.

3 The Lord is slow to anger, great in power. The guilty will not escape his punishment. Storm tempest is his path and cloud is the dust of his feet.

Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means clear the guilty. Jehovah has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

4 He rebukes the sea and dries it up and makes all the streams run dry. Bashan and Carmel are languishing and the bloom of Lebanon is withered.

He rebukes the sea, and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers. Bashan languishes, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languishes.

5 The mountains tremble before him and the hills dissolve. The earth heaves before him, the world and all who live in it.

The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is up heaved at his presence. Yea, the world, and all who dwell therein.

6 Who can stand before his wrath? Who can withstand the heat of his anger? His fierce fury pours forth like fire, he shatters rocks.

Who can stand before his indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken apart by him.

7 The Lord is good to those who hope in him, a place of refuge in the day of trouble.

Jehovah is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who take refuge in him.

8 With rushing flood an end he makes of those who rise against him, he drives his enemies into darkness.

But with an over running flood he will make a full end of her place, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

9 Why do you plot against the Lord? He will end you. He only takes vengeance once.

What do ye devise against Jehovah? He will make a full end. Affliction shall not rise up the second time.

10 Thorns, tangled and drenched, they are consumed like dry stubble.

For entangled like thorns, and drunken as with their drink, they are consumed utterly as dry stubble.

11 Nineveh! From you has arisen one who plots evil against the Lord, a counsellor of wickedness.

He has gone forth out of thee, who devises evil against Jehovah, who counsels wickedness.

12 The Lord says: ‘Though they are many and strong, they will pass away and be gone. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more,

Thus says Jehovah: Though they be in full strength, and likewise many, even so they shall be cut down. And he shall pass away. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

13 and now I will break his yoke from your necks and snap your chains.’

And now I will break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds apart.

14 The Lord has given this command concerning you, Nineveh: ‘Your name will no longer be remembered. I will destroy every idol and image in the house of your God. I will destroy even your tomb, for you are worthless.’

And Jehovah has given commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown. Out of the house of thy gods I will cut off the graven image and the molten image. I will make thy grave, for thou are vile.

15 Look! On the mountains a messenger bringing good news, announcing peace! ‘Celebrate the feasts, Judah, fulfil your vows. Never again will these enemies invade your land, they are destroyed!’

Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep thy feasts, O Judah. Perform thy vows, for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee. He is utterly cut off.