| Berean Study Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without prey. | 1Woe to the city of blood, totally deceitful, full of plunder, never without prey. |
| 2The crack of the whip, the rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot! | 2The crack of the whip and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and jolting chariot! |
| 3Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end—they stumble over their dead— | 3Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end-- they stumble over their dead. |
| 4because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft. | 4Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute, the attractive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft, |
| 5“Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms. | 5I am against you. This is the declaration of the LORD of Hosts. I will lift your skirts over your face and display your nakedness to nations, your shame to kingdoms. |
| 6I will pelt you with filth and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you. | 6I will throw filth on you and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you. |
| 7Then all who see you will recoil from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated; who will grieve for her?’ Where can I find comforters for you?” | 7Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying," Nineveh is devastated; who will show sympathy to her?" Where can I find anyone to comfort you? |
| 8Are you better than Thebes, stationed by the Nile with water around her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall was the water? | 8Are you better than Thebes that sat along the Nile with water surrounding her, whose rampart was the sea, the river her wall? |
| 9Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were her allies. | 9Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength; Put and Libya were among her allies. |
| 10Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in chains. | 10Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity. Her children were also dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in chains. |
| 11You too will become drunk; you will go into hiding and seek refuge from the enemy. | 11You also will become drunk; you will hide yourself. You also will seek refuge from the enemy. |
| 12All your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; when shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater! | 12All your fortresses are fig trees with figs that ripened first; when shaken, they fall-- right into the mouth of the eater! |
| 13Look at your troops—they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars. | 13Look, your troops are like women among you; the gates of your land are wide open to your enemies. Fire will devour the bars of your gates. |
| 14Draw your water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Work the clay and tread the mortar; repair the brick kiln! | 14Draw water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Step into the clay and tread the mortar; take hold of the brick-mold! |
| 15There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and consume you like a young locust. Make yourself many like the young locust; make yourself many like the swarming locust! | 15The fire will devour you there; the sword will cut you down. It will devour you like the young locust. Multiply yourselves like the young locust, multiply like the swarming locust! |
| 16You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away. | 16You have made your merchants more numerous than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away. |
| 17Your guards are like the swarming locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts that settle on the walls on a cold day. When the sun rises, they fly away, and no one knows where. | 17Your court officials are like the swarming locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day; when the sun rises, they take off, and no one knows where they are. |
| 18O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them. | 18King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered across the mountains with no one to gather them together. |
| 19There is no healing for your injury; your wound is severe. All who hear the news of you applaud your downfall, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty? | 19There is no remedy for your injury; your wound is severe. All who hear the news about you will clap their hands because of you, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty? |
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