- 1
- ¶ WOE to the bloody city!
it is all full of lies and iniquity; the plunder in it cannot be estimated.
- 2
- The noise of the whip and the noise of rattling of the wheels and of the snorting of horses and of bounding chariots!
- 3
- The horseman driving, with the flash of the sword and the glittering spear!
And there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of corpses; there is no end to corpses; they stumble over their corpses.
- 4
- Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot that was beautiful and mistress of witchcrafts, who brings up nations through her whoredoms and tribes through her witchcraft,
- 5
- Behold, I am against you, says the LORD of hosts;
and I will raise your skirts over your face and will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame.
- 6
- And I will cast filth upon you and disgrace you, and will make you a spectacle,
- 7
- And it shall come to pass that all who look upon you shall abhor you and say, Nineveh is plundered;
who will bemoan her? Whence shall I seek a comforter for you?
- 8
- ¶ Are you better than Jawan of Ammon, which is situated by the rivers, that had waters round about her, whose rampart was the sea, and water her wall?
- 9
- Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was limitless;
Put and the Libyans were her helpers;
- 10
- Yet even she was carried away into captivity;
her children were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets; and they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
- 11
- You also shall be grieved and you shall be despised;
you also shall seek help because of your enemies.
- 12
- All your strongholds shall be like fig trees with the first ripe figs;
when they are ripe, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
- 13
- Behold, your people in the midst of you are cowards;
they will open the gates of your land to your enemies; the fire shall devour your bars.
- 14
- Draw water for the siege, fortify your strongholds;
mix the clay, tread the mortar, strengthen the foundations.
- 15
- There shall the fire devour you, the sword shall cut you off;
it shall devour you like the crawling locust because you have become many like the crawling locust and multiplied like the locust.
- 16
- You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the heaven;
the young locust swarms and flies away.
- 17
- Your Nazarites are as the locusts, and your warriors as the swarms of locusts which settle on the hedges on a cold day, but when the sun arises they fly off, and it is not known where they are.
- 18
- Your friends slumber, O king of Assyria;
your allies have deserted; your people are scattered on the mountains, and they have none to gather them.
- 19
- There is no one to grieve over your wound;
your wound is painful; all who hear the news of you clap their hands over you; for your wickedness has gone forth against every man continually.
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