| New International Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims! | 1Woe to the city of blood, totally deceitful, full of plunder, never without prey. |
| 2The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots! | 2The crack of the whip and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and jolting chariot! |
| 3Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses-- | 3Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end-- they stumble over their dead. |
| 4all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples 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"I am against you," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame. | 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, I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. | 6I will throw filth on you and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you. |
| 7All who see you will flee from you and say, 'Nineveh is in ruins--who will mourn for her?' Where can I find anyone to comfort 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, situated on the Nile, with water around her? The river was her defense, the waters her wall. | 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 among her allies. | 9Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength; Put and Libya were among her allies. |
| 10Yet she was taken captive and went into exile. Her infants were dashed to pieces at every street corner. Lots were cast for her nobles, and all her great men were put 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 like fig trees with their first ripe fruit; when they are shaken, the figs 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 all weaklings. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has consumed the bars of your gates. | 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 water for the siege, strengthen your defenses! Work the clay, tread the mortar, repair the brickwork! | 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 consume you; the sword will cut you down-- they will devour you like a swarm of locusts. Multiply like grasshoppers, multiply like locusts! | 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 increased the number of your merchants till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly 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 locusts, your officials like swarms of locusts that settle in the walls on a cold day-- but when the sun appears 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. |
| 18King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your nobles lie down to rest. 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. |
| 19Nothing can heal you; your wound is fatal. All who hear the news about you clap their hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless 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? |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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