Nahum 2:1-13
2 ** A hammer has come in your face: mount guard, keep a lookout on roads, brace waists, rally strength to the utmost.
2 ** For Jehovah has brought back Jacob’s pride like Israel’s, because riflers had rifled them and had wrecked their branches.
3 * His champions’ shields are reddened, stalwart men in scarlet; steel was softened in fire on the day of his making ready, and cypresses were made to reel.
4 ** In the open the chariots are running wild, they are hurtling through the suburbs; their look is like torches, they shoot along like lightning-flashes.
5 *** He remembers his heroes; they stumble in their going; they hurry to the wall and the barricade is got ready.
6 The river gates are opened and the palace collapses,
7 ** and madame is made to stand exposed, with her slave-girls droning like pigeons’ notes, drumming on their chests.
8 * And Nineveh is like a reservoir of water with its water running out; “stop, stop,” but no one turns his face.
9 Plunder silver, plunder gold, and there is no end of the supply, fortunes in every kind of choice article.
10 * Clearing out, cleaning out, clawing out, and hearts melting down and knees giving way and cramps in all backs, and all their faces are contorted.
11 * Where is the lions’ lair, that was feeding-place for the two-year-olds, where walked lion, lioness, lion’s cub with no one to alarm it?
12 the lion tore up as much as his cubs wanted and broke necks for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey and his lairs with carcasses.
13 *** Have at you, quoth Jehovah of Armies! I will smoke out your thicket, and swords shall eat up your two-year-olds, and I will rid earth of your kills, and the sound of your roar shall not be heard again.
Footnotes
^ 2:1 (keep a lookout on roads) Or plank a road
^ 2:1 (mount guard) Or watch a rampart Or throw up an entrenchment
^ 2:2 Lit. emptiers had emptied them
^ 2:2 The word means branches of a grapevine
^ 2:3 Unc.; susp.; var. and horses were made to curvet (unc.)
^ 2:4 Or In the streets
^ 2:4 Or through the squares
^ 2:5 (barricade) Unc.
^ 2:5 Or in their gangways
^ 2:5 (first words) Susp.
^ 2:7 Codd. and Hussab is exposed, is carried up, with
^ 2:7 Conj. madame is brought out and exposed with her slavegirls leading her, droning like pigeons’ notes
^ 2:8 Codd. like a reservoir of water from the days it is, and they are running away
^ 2:10 (contorted) Unc.
^ 2:11 Conj. that was a cave for
^ [2:13 (Have at) that is, go at or deal with hostilely]
^ 2:13 Or burn out your thicket with smoke Codd. burn her chariots with smoke Conj. smoke out your couching-place
^ 2:13 (roar) Codd. messengers (misspelled)
