Font Size
Nahum 2
Expanded Bible
Nahum 2
Expanded Bible
Nineveh Will Be Defeated
2 The ·destroyer [attacker; scatterer] is coming ·to attack [against] ·you, Nineveh [L you; C the Babylonians and Medes destroyed Nineveh].
Guard the ·defenses [fortress; ramparts].
Watch the road.
·Get ready [T Gird your loins].
Gather all your strength!
2 ·Destroyers [Plunderers] have ·destroyed [plundered] God’s people
and ruined their vines,
but the Lord will ·bring back [restore] Jacob’s ·greatness [splendor; majesty]
like Israel’s ·greatness [splendor; majesty].
3 The shields of his soldiers are red [C either dyed red or splattered with blood];
the army is dressed in ·red [scarlet].
The metal on the chariots ·flashes like fire [shines; glistens]
·when [L on the day] they are ready to attack;
·their horses are excited [or their cypress spears are brandished].
4 The chariots ·race [storm; charge insanely] through the streets
and rush back and forth through the city squares.
They look like torches;
they run like lightning.
5 He [C probably the king of Assyria] ·calls [or remembers] his officers,
but they stumble on the way.
They hurry to the city wall,
and the ·shield [or siege tower] is put into place.
6 The river gates are thrown open,
and the palace ·is destroyed [collapses; dissolves; melts].
7 It has been ·announced [decreed] that ·the people of Nineveh [L she]
will be ·captured [exiled; or stripped; exposed] and carried away.
The slave girls moan like doves
and beat their breasts [C a sign of grief].
8 Nineveh is like a pool,
and now its water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” the people yell,
but no one turns back.
9 ·Take [Plunder] the silver!
·Take [Plunder] the gold!
There is no end to the treasure—
piles of wealth of every ·kind [precious/desirable thing].
10 ·Nineveh is robbed [L Empty!], ·ruined [desolate!], and destroyed.
·The people lose their courage [L Their hearts melt], and their knees knock.
·Stomachs ache [Bodies/Loins in anguish], and everyone’s face grows pale.
11 Where is the lions’ den [C the lion was a symbol of Assyria]
and the place where they feed their young?
Where did the lion, lioness, and cubs go
without being afraid?
12 The lion killed enough for his cubs,
·enough [L and strangled prey] for his ·mate [L lionesses].
He filled his cave with ·the animals he caught [prey];
he filled his den with ·meat he had killed [L torn (flesh)].
13 “I am against ·you, Nineveh [L you],”
says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,
and the sword will ·kill [devour] your young lions.
I will ·stop you from hunting down others on [L cut off your prey from] the earth,
and your messengers’ voices
will no longer be heard.”
Nahum 2
New International Version
Nahum 2
New International Version
Nineveh to Fall
2 [a]An attacker(A) advances against you, Nineveh.
Guard the fortress,
watch the road,
brace yourselves,
marshal all your strength!
2 The Lord will restore(B) the splendor(C) of Jacob
like the splendor of Israel,
though destroyers have laid them waste
and have ruined their vines.
3 The shields of the soldiers are red;
the warriors are clad in scarlet.(D)
The metal on the chariots flashes
on the day they are made ready;
the spears of juniper are brandished.[b]
4 The chariots(E) storm through the streets,
rushing back and forth through the squares.
They look like flaming torches;
they dart about like lightning.
5 Nineveh summons her picked troops,
yet they stumble(F) on their way.
They dash to the city wall;
the protective shield is put in place.
6 The river gates(G) are thrown open
and the palace collapses.
7 It is decreed[c] that Nineveh
be exiled and carried away.
Her female slaves moan(H) like doves
and beat on their breasts.(I)
8 Nineveh is like a pool
whose water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9 Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
The supply is endless,
the wealth from all its treasures!
10 She is pillaged, plundered, stripped!
Hearts melt,(J) knees give way,
bodies tremble, every face grows pale.(K)
Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.