< Nahum 3 >

1 Terrible things will happen to [Nineveh], that city [that is full of people who] murder [MTY] and lie. [The city is] full of things that were seized [from other countries by their soldiers]; [their armies] continually [LIT] have acted brutally towards people whom they conquered.
Anunae thii aka long khopuei aih, a pum la laithae tih longrhak ah bae, maeh khaw hlong tlaih pawh.
2 But [now listen to the enemy soldiers coming to attack Nineveh]; [listen to them] cracking their whips, and [listen to the] rattle of [their chariot] wheels! [Listen to] their galloping horses and their chariots as they bounce along!
Rhuihet ol neh hinghuennah kah lengkho ol mai neh. Marhang khaw rhetlo tih leng khaw a soek.
3 [Look at their] flashing swords and glittering spears as the horsemen race forward! Many [people of Nineveh will be] killed; [there will be] piles of corpses, [with the result that] people will stumble over them.
Marhang caem te cet tih cunghang hmaihluei neh, khopha caai neh, rhokpam cungkuem neh rhok khaw hmoeng. Te dongah rhok te bawt pawt tih a rhok dongah paloe la paloe uh.
4 All [that will happen] because [Nineveh is like] [MET] a beautiful prostitute [who lures men to where they will be ruined]; [Nineveh is a beautiful city] which has attracted/enticed [people of] other nations [to come there]. [The people of Nineveh] taught those people [of other nations rituals of] magic, and caused them to become their slaves.
Pumyoi kah pumyoihnah boeih, sungrhai hnam kah mikdaithen kah a then loh a pumyoihnah neh namtom a yoih tih a sungrhai neh hlang koca a yoih.
5 [So] the Commander of the armies of angels says to [the people of Nineveh]: “I am your enemy, and I will [cause the people in other] nations to see you [completely] humiliated like [MET] [women who have committed adultery are humiliated by] having their skirts lifted high, [with the result that] people can see their naked [bodies].
Nang taengah ka pai coeng he. He tah caempuei BOEIPA kah olphong ni. Na hnihmoi te na maelhmai duela kan hliphen vetih na yangyal te namtom taengah, na yah te ram tom ah ka tueng ni.
6 I will cause rubbish/garbage to be thrown at you; I will show [others] that I despise you very much, and I will cause you to be publicly ridiculed.
Nang dongkah sarhingkoi te ka voeih vetih nang kan tahah sak ni. Te vaengah nang te sawtkoi la kang khueh ni.
7 All those who see you will turn their backs to you and say, ‘Nineveh is ruined, but absolutely no one [RHQ] will mourn for it.’ No one will regret Nineveh being destroyed!”
Ana om dae lah, nang aka hmu boeih tah nang lamloh suel ni. Te vaengah, “Nineveh tah rhoelrhak uh coeng, anih ham unim aka rhaehba lah ve? Nang aka hloep te melam ka tlap eh?” a ti ni.
8 Your city is certainly [RHQ] no safer than Thebes [city] was. [Thebes was an important city] beside the Nile [River]; the river was [like] [SIM] a wall that protected the city [DOU].
Sokko tui ah aka om Amon No lakah na then nim? Te tah a taengah rhalmahvong pin om tih a vongtung he tuipuei lamloh tuipuei duela om.
9 [The rulers of] Ethiopia and Egypt helped Thebes; there was no limit to their power. [The governments of the nearby countries of] Put and Libya were also allies of Thebes.
Kusah neh Egypt kah a thaa khaw bawt pawh. Put neh Lubim khaw nang bomnah dongah om rhoi.
10 But Thebes was captured, and [its people were] (exiled/forced to go to other countries). Their babies were dashed to pieces in the streets [of the city]. [Enemy soldiers] (cast lots/threw small marked stones) to decide who would get each official in Thebes [to become his slave]. All the leaders of Thebes were fastened/tied by chains.
Tedae anih tah vangsawn ah tamna la cet. A camoe rhoek khaw tol takuem ah a lu a til pa uh. A thangpom rhoek te hmulung a naan thil uh tih a hlanglen boeih rhoek te hmaipom neh a siing uh.
11 You [people of Nineveh] will similarly become dazed and drunk, and you will search for places to hide [to escape] from your enemies.
Nang khaw na rhuihmil vetih aka thuh uh la na om ni. Namah te thunkha taeng lamloh lunghim na tlap bal ni.
12 [Your enemies will cause] the walls around your city to fall down like [SIM] the first figs that fall from fig trees [each year]. [Your city will be captured easily, like] [MET] [figs that fall] into the mouths [HYP] of those who shake the fig trees.
Na hmuencak boeih te thaihcuek neh a hlinghloek vaengah aka ca kah ka khuila aka cuhu thaibu banghui ni.
13 Look at your soldiers! They will be [as weak/helpless as] [MET] women! The gates of your city will be opened wide [to allow] your enemies [to enter them], [and then] the bars of those gates will be burned.
Na pilnam aih ke, huta rhoek khaw namah khui ah na thunkha la om coeng. Na khohmuen vongka te ah la ah coeng tih na thohkalh te hmai loh a hlawp coeng.
14 Store up water [now to use when] your enemies surround the city! Repair the forts! Dig up clay and trample it [to make it soft], and put it into molds to make bricks [to repair the walls]!
Vongup tui te namah hamla than laeh. Na hmuencak khaw moem laeh. Tangnong te paan lamtah taplai la til laeh. Taptlang khaw tlaih laeh.
15 [Nevertheless, your enemies] will burn your [city]; they will kill you with their swords; they will kill you like [SIM] locusts [destroy crops].
Nang te hmai loh n'hlawp pahoi vetih cunghang long khaw nang n'saii ni. Nang te lungang bangla n'caak ni. Lungang bangla pung vaikhai lamtah kaisih bangla pung vaikhai.
16 In your [city] there are now very many merchants; [it seems that] there are more of them than there are stars. But [when your city is being destroyed, those merchants will take the valuable things and disappear] [like] [SIM] locusts that strip the leaves from plants and [then] fly away.
Na thenpom te vaan kah aisi lakah na ping sak dae lungang loh a cilh vaengah ding bitni.
17 Your leaders are [also] like a swarm of [SIM] locusts [DOU] that crowd together on the stone fences/walls on a cold day, and [then] fly away when the sun comes up, and no one knows where they have gone.
Na taengom rhoek te kaisih banghui ni. Na rhalboei rhoek khaw yuet banghui ni. Yuet he khosik hnin ah tah tanglung dongah rhaeh dae, khomik a thoeng nen tah poeng sumsoek tih a hmuen mela a om khaw mingpha pawh.
18 O King of Assyria, your officials will [all] be dead [EUP]; your important people will lie down and rest [forever]. Your people will be scattered over the mountains, and there will no one to gather them [together].
Assyria manghai nang aka dawn rhoek te a mikku coeng. Namah kah a khuet rhoek khaw om sut uh coeng. Na pilnam te tlang ah pet uh tih aka coi om pawh.
19 You [are like someone who] has a wound that cannot be healed; [it will be] a wound that causes him to die. And all those who hear about what has happened to you will clap their hands [joyfully]. [They will say, ] “Everyone has [RHQ] suffered because he continually was [very] cruel to us.”
Na pocinah dongah toinah om pawh. Na hmasoe khaw nue coeng. Na boethae loh a dom te a bawt yoeyah pawt dongah na olthang aka ya boeih loh nang taengah kut a ving uh ni.

< Nahum 3 >