1The pronouncement concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
God’s Vengeance
2The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance
and is fierce in wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance against his foes;
he is furious with his enemies.
3The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished.
His path is in the whirlwind and storm,
and clouds are the dust beneath his feet.
4He rebukes the sea and dries it up,
and he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither;
even the flower of Lebanon withers.
5The mountains quake before him,
and the hills melt;
the earth trembles at his presence —
the world and all who live in it.
6Who can withstand his indignation?
Who can endure his burning anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire;
even rocks are shattered before him.
Destruction of Nineveh
7The Lord is good,
a stronghold in a day of distress;
he cares for those who take refuge in him.
8But he will completely destroy Nineveh
with an overwhelming flood,
and he will chase his enemies into darkness.
9Whatever you plot against the Lord,
he will bring it to complete destruction;
oppression will not rise up a second time.
10For they will be consumed
like entangled thorns,
like the drink of a drunkard
and like straw that is fully dry.
11One has gone out from you,
who plots evil against the Lord,
and is a wicked counselor.
Promise of Judah’s Deliverance
12This is what the Lord says:
Though they are strong and numerous,
they will still be mowed down,
and he will pass away.
Though I have punished you,
I will punish you no longer.
13For I will now break off his yoke from you
and tear off your shackles.
The Assyrian King’s Demise
14The Lord has issued an order concerning you:
There will be no offspring
to carry on your name.
I will eliminate the carved idol and cast image
from the house of your gods;
I will prepare your grave,
for you are contemptible.
15Look to the mountains —
the feet of the herald,
who proclaims peace.
Celebrate your festivals, Judah;
fulfill your vows.
For the wicked one will never again
march through you;
he will be entirely wiped out.