Chapter 3

A description of Ninive's ruin, ℣.5 made ignominious to all nations: ℣.17 foreign soldiers flying away, and all their own terrified.

1. 1

   Woe to thee o city of bloods, all of lying full of tearing: spoil shall not depart from thee.

2. 2

   The voice of the whip, and the voice of the violence of the wheel, and of the neighing horse, and of the fervent chariot, and of the horseman mounting.

3. 3

   And of the glistering sword, and of the glittering spear, and of a multitude slain, and of a grievous ruin: neither is there an end of corpses, and they shall fall on their bodies.

4. 4

   Because of the multitude of the fornications, of the harlot beautiful and grateful, and having sorceries, which hath sold nations in her fornications, and families in her sorceries.

5. 5

   Behold I to thee, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will discover thy privy parts in thy face, and will shew to the Gentiles thy nakedness, and to kingdoms thine ignominy.

6. 6

   And I will throw upon thee abominations, and will use thee contumeliously, and will put thee for an example.

7. 7

   And it shall be, every one that shall see thee, shall leap back from thee, and shall say: Ninive is wasted: who shall shake the head upon thee? Whence shall I seek a comforter for thee?

8. 8

   Why, art thou better than Alexandria full of peoples, which dwelleth in the rivers? Waters round about it: whose riches, the sea: waters the walls thereof.

9. 9

   Aethiopia the strength of it, and Ægypt, and there is no end: Afrike, and the Libyans have been in thine aid.

10. 10

    But she also in transmigration was led into captivity: her little ones were dashed in the head of all ways, and upon her noble ones, they have cast lot, and all her great men were made fast in fetters.

11. 11

    Thou also therefore shalt be made drunk, and shalt be despised: and thou shalt seek help of the enemy.

12. 12

    All thy munitions as figtrees with their green figs: if they be shaken, they will fall into the mouth of the eater.

13. 13

    Behold thy people women in the midst of thee: to thine enemies the gates of thy land with opening shall be opened, fire shall devour thy bars.

14. 14

    Draw thee water for the siege, build thy munitions: enter into the clay, and tread, making mortar hold the brick

15. 15

    There the fire shall eat thee: thou shalt perish by the sword, as a bruke it shall devour thee: be gathered together as the bruke, be multiplied as the locust.

16. 16

    Thou hast made thy merchandises more than are the stars of heaven: the bruke was spread, and flew away.

17. 17

    Thy keepers as the locusts: and thy little ones as it were the locusts of locusts, which swarm on the hedges in the day of cold: the sun arose, and they flew away, and their place was not known where they were.

18. 18

    Thy pastors slumbered, o king of Assur, thy princes shall be buried, thy people lay hid in the mountains, and there is none to gather them together.

19. 19

    Thy destruction is not obscure, thy plague is very sore: all that have heard the same of thee, have clapped the hand upon thee: for upon whom hath not thy malice passed always?