Nahum 1

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

The burden of Nineueh. The booke of the vision of Nahum the Elkeshite.

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.

God is ielous, and the Lord reuengeth: the Lord reuengeth: euen the Lord of anger, the Lord will take vengeance on his aduersaries, and he reserueth 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.

The Lord is slow to anger, but he is great in power, and will not surely cleare the wicked: the Lord hath his way in ye whirlewind, and in the storme, and the cloudes are the dust of his feete.

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 rebuketh the sea, and dryeth it, and he dryeth vp all the riuers: Bashan is wasted and Carmel, and the floure of Lebanon is wasted.

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

The mountaines tremble for him, and the hilles melt, and the earth is burnt at his sight, yea, the worlde, and all that 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 stande before his wrath? or who can abide in the fiercenesse of his wrath? his wrath is powred out like fire, and the rockes are broken by him.

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

The Lord is good and as a strong hold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him.

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

But passing ouer as with a flood, he will vtterly destroy the place thereof, and darknesse shall pursue his enemies.

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

What doe ye imagine against the Lord? he wil make an vtter destruction: affliction shall not rise vp the seconde time.

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

For he shall come as vnto thornes folden one in another, and as vnto drunkards in their drunkennesse: they shall be deuoured as stubble fully dryed.

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

There commeth one out of thee that imagineth euill against the Lord, euen a wicked counsellour.

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 saith the Lord, Though they be quiet, and also many, yet thus shall they be cut off when he shall passe by: though I haue afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

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

For nowe I will breake his yoke from thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.

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 the Lord hath giuen a commandement concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sowen: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the grauen, and the molten image: I will make it thy graue for thee, for thou art 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!’

Beholde vpon the mountaines the feete of him that declareth, and publisheth peace: O Iudah, keepe thy solemne feastes, perfourme thy vowes: for the wicked shall no more passe thorowe thee: he is vtterly cut off.