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(A) I am Nahum from Elkosh.[a] And this is the message[b] that I wrote down about Nineveh.[c]

The Fierce Anger of the Lord

The Lord God demands loyalty.
In his anger, he takes revenge
    on his enemies.
The Lord is powerful,
    yet patient;
he makes sure that the guilty
    are always punished.
He can be seen in storms
    and in whirlwinds;
clouds are the dust from his feet.

At the Lord's command,
    oceans and rivers dry up.
Bashan, Mount Carmel,
and Lebanon[d] wither,
    and their flowers fade.
At the sight of the Lord,
mountains and hills
    tremble and melt;
the earth and its people
    shudder and shake.
Who can stand the heat
    of his furious anger?
It flashes out like fire
    and shatters stones.

The Power of Assyria Will Be Broken

The Lord is good.
He protects those who trust him
    in times of trouble.
But like a roaring flood,
the Lord chases his enemies
    into dark places
    and destroys them.[e]
So don't plot against the Lord!
He wipes out his enemies,
    and they never revive.
10 They are like drunkards
    overcome by wine,
or like twisted thornbushes
    burning in a fire.[f]
11 Assyria, one of your rulers
has made evil plans
    against the Lord.

12 But the Lord says, “Assyria,
no matter how strong you are,
    you will be cut down!
My people Judah,
I have troubled you before,
    but I won't do it again.
13 I'll snap your chains
and set you free
    from the Assyrians.”

14 Assyria, this is what else
    the Lord says to you:
“Your name will be forgotten.
I will destroy every idol
    in your temple,
and I will send you to the grave,
    because you are worthless.”

15 (B) Look toward the mountains,
    people of Judah!
Here comes a messenger
    with good news of peace.
Celebrate your festivals.
    Keep your promises to God.
Your evil enemies are destroyed
and will never again
    invade your country.

Footnotes

  1. 1.1 Elkosh: The location of Elkosh is not known.
  2. 1.1 message: Or “vision.”
  3. 1.1 Nineveh: The capital of Assyria, the hated enemy of Israel.
  4. 1.4 Bashan, Mount Carmel, and Lebanon: Three regions noted for their trees and flowers.
  5. 1.8 the Lord chases his enemies … and destroys them: Or “the Lord chases Nineveh … and destroys her.”
  6. 1.10 fire: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.

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