182 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
182 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
The LORD's Judgment against Nineveh
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# Chapter 3
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1. What sorrow awaits Nineveh,
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the city of murder and lies!
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She is crammed with wealth
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and is never without victims.
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2. Hear the crack of whips,
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the rumble of wheels!
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Horses' hooves pound,
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and chariots clatter wildly.
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3. See the flashing swords and glittering spears
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as the charioteers charge past!
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There are countless casualties,
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heaps of bodies--
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so many bodies that
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people stumble over them.
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4. All this because Nineveh,
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the beautiful and faithless city,
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mistress of deadly charms,
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enticed the nations with her beauty.
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She taught them all her magic,
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enchanting people everywhere.
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5. "I am your enemy!"
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says the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
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"And now I will lift your skirts
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and show all the earth your nakedness and shame.
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6. I will cover you with filth
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and show the world how vile you really are.
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7. All who see you will shrink back and say,
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'Nineveh lies in ruins.
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Where are the mourners?'
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Does anyone regret your destruction?"
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8. Are you any better than the city of Thebes,
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situated on the Nile River, surrounded by water?
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She was protected by the river on all sides,
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walled in by water.
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9. Ethiopia and the land of Egypt
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gave unlimited assistance.
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The nations of Put and Libya
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were among her allies.
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10. Yet Thebes fell,
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and her people were led away as captives.
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Her babies were dashed to death
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against the stones of the streets.
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Soldiers threw dice to get Egyptian officers as servants.
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All their leaders were bound in chains.
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11. And you, Nineveh, will also stagger like a drunkard.
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You will hide for fear of the attacking enemy.
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12. All your fortresses will fall.
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They will be devoured like the ripe figs
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that fall into the mouths
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of those who shake the trees.
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13. Your troops will be as weak
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and helpless as women.
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The gates of your land will be opened wide to the enemy
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and set on fire and burned.
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14. Get ready for the siege!
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Store up water!
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Strengthen the defenses!
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Go into the pits to trample clay,
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and pack it into molds,
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making bricks to repair the walls.
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15. But the fire will devour you;
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the sword will cut you down.
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The enemy will consume you like locusts,
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devouring everything they see.
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There will be no escape,
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even if you multiply like swarming locusts.
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16. Your merchants have multiplied
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until they outnumber the stars.
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But like a swarm of locusts,
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they strip the land and fly away.
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17. Your guards and officials are also like swarming locusts
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that crowd together in the hedges on a cold day.
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But like locusts that fly away when the sun comes up,
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all of them will fly away and disappear.
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18. Your shepherds are asleep, O Assyrian king;
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your princes lie dead in the dust.
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Your people are scattered across the mountains
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with no one to gather them together.
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19. There is no healing for your wound;
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your injury is fatal.
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All who hear of your destruction
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will clap their hands for joy.
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Where can anyone be found
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who has not suffered from your continual cruelty?
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