1Woe to the bloody city! It is steeped in lies, and full of plunder; the victim never departs.

2The sound of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of a wheel, and of a galloping horse, and of a bounding chariot.

3The horseman lifts up both the bright sword and the glittering spear. And many are slain, and there are masses of dead bodies, and no end of corpses; they stumble over the dead bodies,

4Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts who sells nations by her whoredoms, and families by her witchcrafts.

5"Behold, I am against you," says the LORD of hosts; "and I will lift your skirts over your face. And I will cause the nations to see your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.

6And I will cast abominable filth upon you, and will make you vile, and will set you as a gazing stock.

7And it shall be that all those who look upon you shall flee from you, and say, 'Nineveh is laid waste; who will weep for her?' From where shall I seek comforters for you?"

8Are you better than No Amon, that dwelt among the Nile branches, that had waters all around her, whose rampart was the sea, the waters her wall?

9Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, yea, without end. Put and Lubim were among your helpers.

10Yet she went into exile; she went into captivity, and her young children also were dashed to pieces at the head of all the streets; and they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.

11You also shall be drunken; you shall be hidden, you also shall seek protection from the enemy.

12All your strongholds shall be like fig trees with the first fruits; if they are shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.

13Behold, your people in your midst are women. The gates of your land shall surely be opened to your enemies; the fire shall devour your bars.

14Draw waters for the siege; fortify your strongholds; go into the clay, and tread the mortar; make the brick mold strong.

15There fire shall devour you; the sword shall cut you off, it shall eat you up like the locust. Make yourself as many as the larvae, multiply yourself like the locusts.

16You have multiplied your merchants above the stars of heaven; the locust larvae shall strip and fly away.

17Your rulers are like the locusts, and your officials are a swarm of locusts that camp in the hedges in the cold day; the sun rises, and they flee, and the place where they are is not known.

18Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria. Your nobles are at rest in the dust; your people are scattered upon the mountains, and no one is gathering them.

19There is no healing of your bruise; your wound is grievous; all who hear the news of you shall clap their hands over you; for upon whom has your wickedness not passed continually?