ناحُوم 3

١ 1 وَيْلٌ لِلْمَدِينَةِ السَّافِكَةِ الدِّمَاءِ الْمُمْتَلِئَةِ كَذِباً، الْمُكْتَظَّةِ بِالْغَنَائِمِ الْمَنْهُوبَةِ، الَّتِي لاَ تَخْلُو أَبَداً مِنَ الضَّحَايَا.

Woe to the bloody city! Full of lies and plunder, without end is the spoil.

٢ 2 هَا فَرْقَعَةُ السِّيَاطِ وَقَعْقَعَةُ الْعَجَلاَتِ وَجَلَبَةُ حَوَافِرِ الْخُيُولِ وَصَلْصَلَةُ الْمَرْكَبَاتِ.

Hear the crack of the whip, hear the rattle of wheels. Galloping horses, jolting chariots.

٣ 3 وَفُرْسَانٌ وَاثِبَةٌ، وَسُيُوفٌ لاَمِعَةٌ وَرِمَاحٌ بَارِقَةٌ وَكَثْرَةُ قَتْلَى وَأَكْوَامُ جُثَثٍ لا نِهَايَةَ لَهَا، بِهَا يَتَعَثَّرُونَ.

Horsemen charging, swords flashing, spears glittering, a multitude of slain, a heap of bodies, no end to the corpses over which people stumble!

٤ 4 كُلُّ هَذَا مِنْ أَجْلِ كَثْرَةِ زِنَى نِينَوَى الفَاتِنَةِ الآسِرَةِ وَمِنْ أَجْلِ سِحْرِهَا الْقَاتِلِ. لَقَدِ اسْتَعْبَدَتِ الشُّعُوبَ بِعَهَرِهَا وَالأُمَمَ بِشَعْوَذَتِهَا.

‘Because you acted like a whore, bewitching the nations, enticing the peoples,

٥ 5 هَا أَنَا أُقَاوِمُكِ، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ الْقَدِيرُ، فَأَكْشِفُ عَارَكِ لأُطْلِعَ الأُمَمَ عَلَى عَوْرَتِكِ وَالْمَمَالِكَ عَلَى خِزْيِكِ.

I am against you, Nineveh’ the Lord of hosts declares. ‘I will strip your clothes and show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.

٦ 6 وَأُلَوِّثُكِ بِالأَوْسَاخِ وَأُحَقِّرُكِ وَأَجْعَلُكِ عِبْرَةً.

‘I will fling loathsome filth at you, and make you an object of contempt, a spectacle,

٧ 7 وَكُلُّ مَنْ يَرَاكِ يَعْرِضُ عَنْكِ قَائِلاً: «قَدْ خَرِبَتْ نِينَوَى فَمَنْ يَنُوحُ عَلَيْهَا؟ أَيْنَ أَجِدُ لَهَا مُعَزِّينَ؟»

so that everyone who sees you will flee from you and say: “Nineveh is laid waste, who will mourn for her?”

٨ 8 هَلْ أَنْتِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ طِيبَةَ الْجَاثِمَةِ إِلَى جِوَارِ النِّيلِ الْمُحَاطَةِ بِالْمِيَاهِ، الْمُتَمَنِّعَةِ بِالْبَحْرِ وَبِأَسْوَارٍ مِنَ الْمِيَاهِ.

‘Are you any better than Thebes, which stood on the banks of the Nile, with waters around as a rampart, whose wall was the sea of waters?

٩ 9 كُوشُ وَمِصْرُ كَانَتَا قُوَّتَهَا اللاَّمُتَنَاهِيَةَ، وَفُوطُ وَلِيبِيَا مِنْ حُلَفَائِهَا.

Her strength was Ethiopia and Egypt. The Libyans were her helpers, and Put with its countless people.

١٠ 10 وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ وَقَعَتْ أَسِيرَةً وَاقْتِيدَتْ إِلَى السَّبْيِ، وَتَمَزَّقَ أَطْفَالُهَا أَشْلاَءَ فِي زَاوِيَةِ كُلِّ شَارِعٍ، وَاقْتُرِعَ عَلَى عُظَمَائِهَا، وَصُفِّدَ نُبَلاَؤُهَا بِالأَغْلاَلِ.

Yet she was exiled and made captive. On all corners of the streets her infants were dashed to pieces. Lots were cast for her nobles, all her great ones were bound in chains.

١١ 11 وَأَنْتِ أَيْضاً تَسْكَرِينَ وَتَتَرَنَّحِينَ، وَتَلْتَمِسِينَ مَلْجَأً مِنَ الأَعْدَاءِ

‘You too, Nineveh, will be drunk with fear; you too will seek a place of escape from the foe.

١٢ 12 وَتَتَسَاقَطُ جَمِيعُ حُصُونِكِ كَتَسَاقُطِ بَوَاكِيرِ أَثْمَارِ أَشْجَارِ التِّينِ النَّاضِجَةِ فِي أَفْوَاهِ مَنْ يَهُزُّونَهَا.

All your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; if shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater!

١٣ 13 انْظُرِي إِلَى جُنُودِكِ مُرْتَعِبِينَ كَالنِّسَاءِ فِي وَسَطِكِ. صَارَتْ أَبْوَابُ أَرْضِكِ مَفْتُوحَةً أَمَامَ أَعْدَائِكِ. وَشَرَعَتِ النِّيرَانُ تَلْتَهِمُ مَزَالِيجَكِ.

Your troops are weak as women before your foes; the gates of your land are wide open; your defenses burned down.

١٤ 14 خَزِّ نِي مَاءً تَأَهُّباً لِلْحِصَارِ، حَصِّنِي قِلاَعَكِ. دُوسِي أَكْوَامَ الطِّينِ لِتُجَهِّزِي الطُّوبَ؛ أَصْلِحِي قَوَالِبَ الطِّينِ.

‘Draw water for the siege, strengthen your forts. Go to the clay pits and tread the clay; take up the brick moulds.

١٥ 15 هُنَاكَ تَلْتَهِمُكِ النَّارُ، وَيَسْتَأْصِلُكِ السَّيْفُ، فَيُبِيدُكِ الأَعْدَاءُ كَالْجَرَادِ. تَكَاثَرِي كَالْجَرَادِ وَكَالْجَنَادِبِ.

There the fire will consume you, the sword will cut you down. Multiply like the locust or a swarm of grasshoppers.

١٦ 16 قَدْ أَضْحَى تُجَّارُكِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ كَوَاكِبِ السَّمَاءِ، وَلَكِنَّهُمْ تَبَدَّدُوا كَجَرَادٍ فَرَدَ أَجْنِحَتَهُ وَطَارَ.

Increase the numbers of your merchants until they are more than the stars of heaven,

١٧ 17 أَصْبَحَ رُؤَسَاؤُكِ كَالْجَنَادِبِ، وَقَادَتُكِ كَأَسْرَابِ الْجَرَادِ الْمُتَكَوِّمَةِ عَلَى سِيَاجٍ فِي يَوْمٍ بَارِدٍ. مَا إِنْ تُشْرِقُ الشَّمْسُ حَتَّى تَطِيرَ بَعِيداً إِلَى حَيْثُ لاَ يَعْلَمُ أَحَدٌ.

until your watchmen are locusts, and your scribes like grasshoppers, which swarm in the hedges on a cold day; but when the sun rises they fly away, no one knows where.

١٨ 18 قَدْ نَامَ رُعَاتُكَ يَامَلِكَ أَشُّورَ، وَغَرِقَ عُظَمَاؤُكَ فِي سُبَاتٍ عَمِيقٍ، تَشَتَّتَ شَعْبُكَ عَلَى الْجِبَالِ وَلاَ يُوْجَدُ مَنْ يَجْمَعُهُمْ.

‘King of Assyria: your princes slumber, your nobles sleep! Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them!

١٩ 19 لاَ جَبْرَ لِكَسْرِكَ، وَجُرْحُكَ مُمِيتٌ. وَكُلُّ مَنْ يَسْمَعُ بِمَا جَرَى لَكَ يُصَفِّقُ ابْتِهَاجاً لِمَا أَصَابَكَ، فَمَنْ لَمْ يُعَانِ مِنْ شَرِّكَ الْمُتْمَادِي؟

There is no healing for your hurt, your wound is incurable. All who hear of your fate clap their hands in joy, for who has escaped your limitless cruelty?’