1 Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, packed with plunder, never without prey.

Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;

2 The sound of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses, and jolting chariots.

The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.

3 Charging horsemen, flashing swords, glittering spears—a vast number of slain, a heap of corpses with no end. People stumble over the dead bodies.

The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:

4 All this because of the abundant prostitution of a well-favored harlot, a skilled sorceress, who ensnares nations with her lust and peoples with her witchcraft.

Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

5 Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts. I will lift up your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame.

Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

6 I will throw filth on you, treat you with contempt, and make you a spectacle.

And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.

7 Everyone who sees you will flee from you, saying, 'Nineveh is devastated! Who will mourn for her? Where can I find anyone to comfort you?'

And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

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

Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?

9 Cush and Egypt were her strength, and there was no limit; Put and Libya were among her allies.

Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.

10 Yet she went into exile, carried away into captivity. Her infants were dashed to pieces at every street corner. Lots were cast for her nobles, and all her great men were bound in chains.

Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.

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

Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.

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

All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.

13 Look, your people are like women within you. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies, and fire has consumed your bars.

Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.

14 Draw water for the siege, strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay and tread the mortar; take hold of the brick mold.

Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.

15 There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down. It will consume you like the young locusts. Multiply yourselves like locusts; increase yourselves like swarming locusts.

There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.

16 You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the heavens. The young locust strips the land and flies away.

Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.

17 Your crowned guards are like locusts, and your officials are like swarms of locusts camping in the walls on a cold day. When the sun rises, they flee away, and no one knows where they are.

Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

18 Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; your nobles lie down in slumber. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.

Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.

19 There is no healing for your wound; your injury is fatal. All who hear the news about you will clap their hands over you. For who has not suffered your endless cruelty?

There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?