Nahum 3

hoy ir damim kullah kakhash pereq mele'ah lo yamish taref

Ah, city of crime, Utterly treacherous, Full of violence, Where killing never stops!

qol shot veqol ra'ash ofan vesus doher umerkavah meraqqedah

Crack of whip And rattle of wheel, Galloping steed And bounding chariot!

parash ma'aleh velahav kherev uveraq khanit verov khalal vekhoved pager ve'en qetseh laggeviyyah (ykhshlv) [vekhashelu] bigviyyatam

Charging cavalry, Flashing swords, And glittering spears! Hosts of slain And heaps of corpses, Dead bodies without number— They stumble over bodies.

merov zenune zonah tovat khen ba'alat keshafim hammokheret goyim biznuneha umishpakhot bikhshafeha

Because of the countless whoredoms of the whore, The winsome mistress of sorcery, Who ensnared nations with her whoredoms And peoples with her sorcery,

hinni elayikh ne'um Adonai tseva'ot vegilleti shulayikh al-panayikh vehareti goyim marekh umamlakhot qelonekh

I am going to deal with you —declares GOD of Hosts. I will lift up your skirts over your face And display your nakedness to the nations And your shame to kingdoms.

vehishlakhti alayikh shiqqutsim venibbaltikh vesamtikh kero'i

I will throw loathsome things over you And disfigure you And make a spectacle of you.

vehayah khol-ro'ayikh yiddod mimmekh ve'amar shoddedah nineveh mi yanud lah me'ayin avaqqesh menakhamim lakh

All who see you will recoil from you And will say, “Nineveh has been ravaged!” Who will console her? Where shall I look for Anyone to comfort you?

hatetevi minno amon hayyoshevah bayorim mayim saviv lah asher-khel yam miyyam khomatah

Were you any better than No-amon, Which sat by the Nile, Surrounded by water— Its rampart a river, Its wall consisting of sea?

kush otsmah umitsrayim ve'en qetseh put veluvim hayu be'ezratekh

Populous Cush And teeming Egypt, Put and the Libyans— They were her helpers.

gam-hi laggolah halekhah vashevi gam olaleha yerutteshu berosh kol-khutsot ve'al-nikhbaddeha yaddu goral vekhol-gedoleha ruttequ vazziqqim

Yet even she was exiled, She went into captivity. Her babes, too, were dashed in pieces At every street corner. Lots were cast for her nobles, And all her dignitaries were bound in chains.

gam-at tishkeri tehi na'alamah gam-at tevaqshi ma'oz me'oyev

You too shall be drunk And utterly overcome; You too shall seek A refuge from the enemy.

kol-mivtsarayikh te'enim im-bikkurim im-yinno'u venafelu al-pi okhel

All your forts are fig trees With ripe fruit; If shaken they will fall Into the mouths of devourers.

hinneh ammekh nashim beqirbekh le'oyevayikh patoakh niftekhu sha'are artsekh okhlah esh berikhayikh

Truly, the troops within you are women; The gates of your land have opened themselves To your enemies; Fire has consumed your gate bars.

me matsor sha'avi-lakh khazzeqi mivtsarayikh bo'i vattit verimsi vakhomer hakhaziqi malben

Draw water for the siege, Strengthen your forts; Tread the clay, Trample the mud, Grasp the brick mold!

sham tokhelekh esh takhritekh kherev tokhelekh kayyaleq hitkabbed kayyeleq hitkabbedi ka'arbeh

There fire will devour you, The sword will put an end to you; It will devour you like the grub. Multiply like grubs, Multiply like locusts!

hirbet rokhelayikh mikkokheve hashamayim yeleq pashat vayya'of

You had more traders Than the sky has stars— The grubs cast their skins and fly away.

minnezarayikh ka'arbeh vetafserayikh kegov govay hakhonim baggederot beyom qarah shemesh zarekhah venodad velo-noda meqomo ayyam

Your guards were like locusts, Your marshals like piles of hoppers That settle on the stone fences On a chilly day; When the sun comes out, they fly away, And where they are nobody knows.

namu ro'ekha melekh ashur yishkenu addirekha nafoshu ammekha al-heharim ve'en meqabbets

Your shepherds are slumbering, O king of Assyria; Your sheepmasters are lying inert; Your people are scattered over the hills, And there is none to gather them.

en-kehah leshivrekha nakhlah makkatekha kol shome'e shimakha taqe'u khaf alekha ki al-mi lo-averah ra'atekha tamid

There is no healing for your injury; Your wound is grievous. All who hear the news about you Clap their hands over you. For who has not suffered From your constant malice?