Holman Christian Standard Bible (275 page)
Read Holman Christian Standard Bible Online
Authors: B&H Publishing Group
Nahum
Attack against Nineveh
2
One who scatters is coming up against you.
Man the fortifications!
Watch the road!
Brace yourself!
Summon all your strength!
One who scatters is coming up against you.
Man the fortifications!
Watch the road!
Brace yourself!
Summon all your strength!
2
For the
Lord
will restore the majesty of Jacob,
yes, the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their vine branches.
For the
Lord
will restore the majesty of Jacob,
yes, the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their vine branches.
3
The shields of his warriors are dyed red;
the valiant men are dressed in scarlet.
The fittings of the chariot flash like fire
on the day of its battle preparations,
and the spears are brandished.
4
The chariots dash madly through the streets;
they rush around in the plazas.
They look like torches;
they dart back and forth like lightning.
5
He gives orders to his officers;
they stumble as they advance.
They race to its wall;
the protective shield is set in place.
6
The river gates are opened,
and the palace erodes away.
The shields of his warriors are dyed red;
the valiant men are dressed in scarlet.
The fittings of the chariot flash like fire
on the day of its battle preparations,
and the spears are brandished.
4
The chariots dash madly through the streets;
they rush around in the plazas.
They look like torches;
they dart back and forth like lightning.
5
He gives orders to his officers;
they stumble as they advance.
They race to its wall;
the protective shield is set in place.
6
The river gates are opened,
and the palace erodes away.
7
Beauty is stripped,
she is carried away;
her ladies-in-waiting moan
like the sound of doves,
and beat their breasts.
8
Nineveh has been like a pool of water
from her first days,
but they are fleeing.
“Stop! Stop! ” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9
“Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! ”
There is no end to the treasure,
an abundance of every precious thing.
10
Desolation, decimation, devastation!
Hearts melt,
knees tremble,
loins shake,
every face grows pale!
Beauty is stripped,
she is carried away;
her ladies-in-waiting moan
like the sound of doves,
and beat their breasts.
8
Nineveh has been like a pool of water
from her first days,
but they are fleeing.
“Stop! Stop! ” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9
“Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! ”
There is no end to the treasure,
an abundance of every precious thing.
10
Desolation, decimation, devastation!
Hearts melt,
knees tremble,
loins shake,
every face grows pale!
11
Where is the lions' lair,
or the feeding ground of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness prowled,
and the lion's cub,
with nothing to frighten them away?
12
The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed
and strangled prey for its lionesses.
It filled up its dens with the kill,
and its lairs with mauled prey.
13
Beware, I am against you.
This is the declaration of the
Lord
of
•Hosts
.
I will make your chariots go up in smoke
and the sword will devour your young lions.
I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the sound of your messengers
will never be heard again.
Where is the lions' lair,
or the feeding ground of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness prowled,
and the lion's cub,
with nothing to frighten them away?
12
The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed
and strangled prey for its lionesses.
It filled up its dens with the kill,
and its lairs with mauled prey.
13
Beware, I am against you.
This is the declaration of the
Lord
of
•Hosts
.
I will make your chariots go up in smoke
and the sword will devour your young lions.
I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the sound of your messengers
will never be heard again.
Nahum
Nineveh's Downfall
3
Woe to the city of blood,
totally deceitful,
full of plunder,
never without prey.
2
The crack of the whip
and rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse
and jolting chariot!
3
Charging horseman,
flashing sword,
shining spear;
heaps of slain,
mounds of corpses,
dead bodies without end —
they stumble over their dead.
4
Because 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.
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.
6
I will throw filth on you
and treat you with contempt;
I will make a spectacle of you.
7
Then 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?
Woe to the city of blood,
totally deceitful,
full of plunder,
never without prey.
2
The crack of the whip
and rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse
and jolting chariot!
3
Charging horseman,
flashing sword,
shining spear;
heaps of slain,
mounds of corpses,
dead bodies without end —
they stumble over their dead.
4
Because 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.
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.
6
I will throw filth on you
and treat you with contempt;
I will make a spectacle of you.
7
Then 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?
8
Are you better than Thebes
that sat along the Nile
with water surrounding her,
whose rampart was the sea,
the river her wall?
9
•Cush
and Egypt were her endless source of strength;
Put and Libya were among her allies.
10
Yet 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.
11
You also will become drunk;
you will hide yourself.
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
Are you better than Thebes
that sat along the Nile
with water surrounding her,
whose rampart was the sea,
the river her wall?
9
•Cush
and Egypt were her endless source of strength;
Put and Libya were among her allies.
10
Yet 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.
11
You also will become drunk;
you will hide yourself.
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
12
All your fortresses are fig trees
with figs that ripened first;
when shaken, they fall —
right into the mouth of the eater!
All your fortresses are fig trees
with figs that ripened first;
when shaken, they fall —
right into the mouth of the eater!
13
Look, 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.
Look, 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.
14
Draw water for the siege;
strengthen your fortresses.
Step into the clay and tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick-mold!
15
The 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!
16
You have made your merchants
more numerous than the stars of the sky.
The young locust strips the land
and flies away.
17
Your 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.
Draw water for the siege;
strengthen your fortresses.
Step into the clay and tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick-mold!
15
The 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!
16
You have made your merchants
more numerous than the stars of the sky.
The young locust strips the land
and flies away.
17
Your 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.
18
King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber;
your officers sleep.
Your people are scattered across the mountains
with no one to gather them together.
19
There 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?
King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber;
your officers sleep.
Your people are scattered across the mountains
with no one to gather them together.
19
There 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?
Habakkuk
| Habakkuk 1 | Habakkuk 2 | Habakkuk 3 |
Habakkuk
Habakkuk's First Prayer
2
How long,
Lord
, must I call for help
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
3
Why do You force me to look at injustice?
Why do You tolerate wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
4
This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.
How long,
Lord
, must I call for help
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
3
Why do You force me to look at injustice?
Why do You tolerate wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
4
This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.
God's First Answer
5
Look at the nations and observe —
be utterly astounded!
For something is taking place in your days
that you will not believe
when you hear about it.
6
Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter, impetuous nation
that marches across the earth's open spaces
to seize territories not its own.
7
They are fierce and terrifying;
their views of justice and sovereignty
stem from themselves.
8
Their horses are swifter than leopards
and more fierce than wolves of the night.
Their horsemen charge ahead;
their horsemen come from distant lands.
They fly like an eagle, swooping to devour.
9
All of them come to do violence;
their faces are set in determination.
They gather prisoners like sand.
10
They mock kings,
and rulers are a joke to them.
They laugh at every fortress
and build siege ramps to capture it.
11
Then they sweep by like the wind
and pass through.
They are
•guilty
; their strength is their god.
Look at the nations and observe —
be utterly astounded!
For something is taking place in your days
that you will not believe
when you hear about it.
6
Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter, impetuous nation
that marches across the earth's open spaces
to seize territories not its own.
7
They are fierce and terrifying;
their views of justice and sovereignty
stem from themselves.
8
Their horses are swifter than leopards
and more fierce than wolves of the night.
Their horsemen charge ahead;
their horsemen come from distant lands.
They fly like an eagle, swooping to devour.
9
All of them come to do violence;
their faces are set in determination.
They gather prisoners like sand.
10
They mock kings,
and rulers are a joke to them.
They laugh at every fortress
and build siege ramps to capture it.
11
Then they sweep by like the wind
and pass through.
They are
•guilty
; their strength is their god.
Habakkuk's Second Prayer
12
Are You not from eternity,
•Yahweh
my God?
My Holy One, You will not die.
Lord
, You appointed them to execute judgment;
my Rock, You destined them to punish us.
13
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil,
and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous?
Why are You silent
while one who is wicked swallows up
one who is more righteous than himself?
14
You have made mankind
like the fish of the sea,
like marine creatures that have no ruler.
15
The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook,
catch them in their dragnet,
and gather them in their fishing net;
that is why they are glad and rejoice.
16
That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet
and burn incense to their fishing net,
for by these things their portion is rich
and their food plentiful.
17
Will they therefore empty their net
and continually slaughter nations without mercy?
Are You not from eternity,
•Yahweh
my God?
My Holy One, You will not die.
Lord
, You appointed them to execute judgment;
my Rock, You destined them to punish us.
13
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil,
and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous?
Why are You silent
while one who is wicked swallows up
one who is more righteous than himself?
14
You have made mankind
like the fish of the sea,
like marine creatures that have no ruler.
15
The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook,
catch them in their dragnet,
and gather them in their fishing net;
that is why they are glad and rejoice.
16
That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet
and burn incense to their fishing net,
for by these things their portion is rich
and their food plentiful.
17
Will they therefore empty their net
and continually slaughter nations without mercy?
Habakkuk
Habakkuk Waits for God's Response
2
I will stand at my guard post
and station myself on the lookout tower.
I will watch to see what He will say to me
and what I should reply about my complaint.
I will stand at my guard post
and station myself on the lookout tower.
I will watch to see what He will say to me
and what I should reply about my complaint.
God's Second Answer
2
The
Lord
answered me:
The
Lord
answered me:
Write down this vision;
clearly inscribe it on tablets
so one may easily read it.
3
For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
it testifies about the end and will not lie.
Though it delays, wait for it,
since it will certainly come and not be late.
4
Look, his ego is inflated;
he is without integrity.
But the righteous one will live by his faith.
5
Moreover, wine betrays;
an arrogant man is never at rest.
He enlarges his appetite like
•Sheol
,
and like Death he is never satisfied.
He gathers all the nations to himself;
he collects all the peoples for himself.
clearly inscribe it on tablets
so one may easily read it.
3
For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
it testifies about the end and will not lie.
Though it delays, wait for it,
since it will certainly come and not be late.
4
Look, his ego is inflated;
he is without integrity.
But the righteous one will live by his faith.
5
Moreover, wine betrays;
an arrogant man is never at rest.
He enlarges his appetite like
•Sheol
,
and like Death he is never satisfied.
He gathers all the nations to himself;
he collects all the peoples for himself.
The Five Woe Oracles
6
Won't all of these take up a taunt against him,
with mockery and riddles about him?
They will say:
Won't all of these take up a taunt against him,
with mockery and riddles about him?
They will say:
Woe to him who amasses what is not his —
how much longer? —
and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.
7
Won't your creditors suddenly arise,
and those who disturb you wake up?
Then you will become spoil for them.
8
Since you have plundered many nations,
all the peoples who remain will plunder you —
because of human bloodshed
and violence against lands, cities,
and all who live in them.
how much longer? —
and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.
7
Won't your creditors suddenly arise,
and those who disturb you wake up?
Then you will become spoil for them.
8
Since you have plundered many nations,
all the peoples who remain will plunder you —
because of human bloodshed
and violence against lands, cities,
and all who live in them.
9
Woe to him who dishonestly makes
wealth for his house
to place his nest on high,
to escape from the reach of disaster!
10
You have planned shame for your house
by wiping out many peoples
and sinning against your own self.
11
For the stones will cry out from the wall,
and the rafters will answer them
from the woodwork.
Woe to him who dishonestly makes
wealth for his house
to place his nest on high,
to escape from the reach of disaster!
10
You have planned shame for your house
by wiping out many peoples
and sinning against your own self.
11
For the stones will cry out from the wall,
and the rafters will answer them
from the woodwork.
12
Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
and founds a town with injustice!
13
Is it not from the
Lord
of
•Hosts
that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire
and countries exhaust themselves for nothing?
14
For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the
Lord
's glory,
as the waters cover the sea.
Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
and founds a town with injustice!
13
Is it not from the
Lord
of
•Hosts
that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire
and countries exhaust themselves for nothing?
14
For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the
Lord
's glory,
as the waters cover the sea.
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