Yahweh’s Wrath Against Nineveh

¹The oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.[#1:1 Or burden]

²¶A jealous and avenging God is Yahweh;[#1:2 The personal covenant name of God, a form of I AM WHO I AM, cf. Ex 3:14-15]

Yahweh is avenging and wrathful.

Yahweh is avenging against His adversaries,

And He keeps His anger for His enemies.

³Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power,

And Yahweh will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.

In whirlwind and storm is His way,

And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

⁴He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;

He dries up all the rivers.

Bashan and Carmel languish;

The blossoms of Lebanon languish.

⁵Mountains quake because of Him,

And the hills melt;

Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence,

The world and all the inhabitants in it.

⁶Who can stand before His indignation?

Who can endure the burning of His anger?

His wrath is poured out like fire,

And the rocks are torn down by Him.

⁷Yahweh is good,

A strong defense in the day of distress,

And He knows those who take refuge in Him.

⁸But with an overflowing flood

He will make a complete destruction of its place

And will pursue His enemies into darkness.

⁹¶Whatever you devise against Yahweh,

He will make a complete destruction of it.

Distress will not rise up twice.

¹⁰Like tangled thorns,

And like those who are drunken with their drink,

They are consumed

As stubble fully dried up.

¹¹From you has gone forth

One who devised evil against Yahweh,

A vile counselor.

¹²Thus says Yahweh,

“Though they are at full strength and likewise many,

Even so, they will be cut off and pass away.

Though I have afflicted you,

I will afflict you no longer.

¹³“So now, I will break his yoke bar from upon you,

And I will break your bands apart.”

¹⁴¶And Yahweh has commanded concerning you:[#1:14 The king of Nineveh]

“There will no longer be seed from your name.

From the house of your gods,

I will cut off graven image and molten image.

I will prepare your grave,

For you are contemptible.”

¹⁵¶Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who proclaims good news,[#1:15 Ch 2:1 in Heb]

Who announces peace!

Celebrate your feasts, O Judah;

Pay your vows.

For never again will the vile one pass through you;

He is cut off completely.