Nahum 3

Woe to the city of blood,
    full of lies,
full of plunder,
    never without victims!

وَيْلٌ لِلْمَدِينَةِ السَّافِكَةِ الدِّمَاءِ الْمُمْتَلِئَةِ كَذِباً، الْمُكْتَظَّةِ بِالْغَنَائِمِ الْمَنْهُوبَةِ، الَّتِي لَا تَخْلُو أَبَداً مِنَ الضَّحَايَا.

The crack of whips,
    the clatter of wheels,
galloping horses
    and jolting chariots!

هَا فَرْقَعَةُ السِّيَاطِ وَقَعْقَعَةُ الْعَجَلاتِ وَجَلَبَةُ حَوَافِرِ الْخُيُولِ وَصَلْصَلَةُ الْمَرْكَبَاتِ.

Charging cavalry,
    flashing swords
    and glittering spears!
Many casualties,
    piles of dead,
bodies without number,
    people stumbling over the corpses—

وَفُرْسَانٌ وَاثِبَةٌ، وَسُيُوفٌ لامِعَةٌ وَرِمَاحٌ بَارِقَةٌ وَكَثْرَةُ قَتْلَى وَأَكْوَامُ جُثَثٍ لا نِهَايَةَ لَهَا، بِها يَتَعَثَّرُونَ.

all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute,
    alluring, the mistress of sorceries,
who enslaved nations by her prostitution
    and peoples by her witchcraft.

كُلُّ هَذَا مِنْ أَجْلِ كَثْرَةِ زِنَى نِينَوَى الفَاتِنَةِ الآسِرَةِ وَمِنْ أَجْلِ سِحْرِهَا الْقَاتِلِ. لَقَدِ اسْتَعْبَدَتِ الشُّعُوبَ بِعَهَرِهَا وَالأُمَمَ بِشَعْوَذَتِهَا.

“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.

هَا أَنَا أُقَاوِمُكِ، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ الْقَدِيرُ، فَأَكْشِفُ عَارَكِ لأُطْلِعَ الأُمَمَ عَلَى عَوْرَتِكِ وَالْمَمَالِكَ عَلَى خِزْيِكِ.

I will pelt you with filth,
    I will treat you with contempt
    and make you a spectacle.

وَأُلَوِّثُكِ بِالأَوْسَاخِ وَأُحَقِّرُكِ وَأَجْعَلُكِ عِبْرَةً.

All 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?”

وَكُلُّ مَنْ يَرَاكِ يَعْرِضُ عَنْكِ قَائِلاً: «قَدْ خَرِبَتْ نِينَوَى فَمَنْ يَنُوحُ عَلَيْهَا؟ أَيْنَ أَجِدُ لَهَا مُعَزِّينَ؟»

Are you better than Thebes,
    situated on the Nile,
    with water around her?
The river was her defense,
    the waters her wall.

هَلْ أَنْتِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ طِيبَةَ الْجَاثِمَةِ إِلَى جِوَارِ النِّيلِ الْمُحَاطَةِ بِالْمِيَاهِ، الْمُتَمَنِّعَةِ بِالْبَحْرِ وَبِأَسْوَارٍ مِنَ الْمِيَاهِ؟

Cush^[a] and Egypt were her boundless strength;
    Put and Libya were among her allies.

كُوشُ وَمِصْرُ كَانَتَا قُوَّتَهَا اللّامُتَنَاهِيَةَ، وَفُوطُ وَلِيبِيَا مِنْ حُلَفَائِهَا.

Yet 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.

وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ وَقَعَتْ أَسِيرَةً وَاقْتِيدَتْ إِلَى السَّبْيِ، وَتَمَزَّقَ أَطْفَالُهَا أَشْلاءَ فِي زَاوِيَةِ كُلِّ شَارِعٍ، وَاقْتُرِعَ عَلَى عُظَمَائِهَا، وَصُفِّدَ نُبَلاؤُهَا بِالأَغْلالِ.

You too will become drunk;
    you will go into hiding
    and seek refuge from the enemy.

وَأَنْتِ أَيْضاً تَسْكَرِينَ وَتَتَرَنَّحِينَ، وَتَلْتَمِسِينَ مَلْجَأً مِنَ الأَعْدَاءِ.

All your fortresses are like fig trees
    with their first ripe fruit;
when they are shaken,
    the figs fall into the mouth of the eater.

وَتَتَسَاقَطُ جَمِيعُ حُصُونِكِ كَتَسَاقُطِ بَوَاكِيرِ أَثْمَارِ أَشْجَارِ التِّينِ النَّاضِجَةِ فِي أَفْوَاهِ مَنْ يَهُزُّونَهَا.

Look 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.

انْظُرِي إِلَى جُنُودِكِ مُرْتَعِبِينَ كَالنِّسَاءِ فِي وَسَطِكِ. صَارَتْ أَبْوَابُ أَرْضِكِ مَفْتُوحَةً أَمَامَ أَعْدَائِكِ. وَشَرَعَتِ النِّيرَانُ تَلْتَهِمُ مَزَالِيجَكِ.

Draw water for the siege,
    strengthen your defenses!
Work the clay,
    tread the mortar,
    repair the brickwork!

خَزِّنِي مَاءً تَأَهُّباً لِلْحِصَارِ، حَصِّنِي قِلاعَكِ. دُوسِي أَكْوَامَ الطِّينِ لِتُجَهِّزِي الطُّوبَ؛ أَصْلِحِي قَوَالِبَ الطِّينِ.

There 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!

هُنَاكَ تَلْتَهِمُكِ النَّارُ، وَيَسْتَأْصِلُكِ السَّيْفُ، فَيُبِيدُكِ الأَعْدَاءُ كَالْجَرَادِ. تَكَاثَرِي كَالْجَرَادِ وَكَالْجَنَادِبِ.

You 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.

قَدْ أَضْحَى تُجَّارُكِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ كَوَاكِبِ السَّمَاءِ، وَلَكِنَّهُمْ تَبَدَّدُوا كَجَرَادٍ فَرَدَ أَجْنِحَتَهُ وَطَارَ.

Your 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.

أَصْبَحَ رُؤَسَاؤُكِ كَالْجَنَادِبِ، وَقَادَتُكِ كَأَسْرَابِ الْجَرَادِ الْمُتَكَوِّمَةِ عَلَى سِيَاجٍ فِي يَوْمٍ بَارِدٍ. مَا إِنْ تُشْرِقُ الشَّمْسُ حَتَّى تَطِيرَ بَعِيداً إِلَى حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُ أَحَدٌ.

King of Assyria, your shepherds^[b] slumber;
    your nobles lie down to rest.
Your people are scattered on the mountains
    with no one to gather them.

قَدْ نَامَ رُعَاتُكَ يَا مَلِكَ أَشُّورَ، وَغَرِقَ عُظَمَاؤُكَ فِي سُبَاتٍ عَمِيقٍ، تَشَتَّتَ شَعْبُكَ عَلَى الْجِبَالِ وَلا يُوْجَدُ مَنْ يَجْمَعُهُمْ.

Nothing 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?