BibleStudyIt Nahum 1
- Nahum Chapter 1
1 Nahum lives in Elkosh and this is his prophecy about the people in Nineveh. [ a ]
2 God is angry with the people in Nineveh. The Lord loves his people. [ b ] But he is very angry with his enemies. He is so angry with them that he must punish them. He will be angry until he has killed his enemies. 3 The Lord will punish those who do wrong things. But he does not get angry quickly. He is a powerful God. The Lord does not get angry quickly. But he gets angry when people do wrong things. Then he punishes those people.
He is very powerful. You can see his power in the wind and the storms. The clouds are like dust that his feet shake. 4 He can cause the sea and the rivers to become dry by one word. The fertile places of Bashan and Carmel become dry and the green forests of Lebanon die too. [ c ] 5 He causes the mountains to shake and he causes the hills to become flat. The earth and all the people in the world are afraid of God.
6 Nobody can fight God when he is very angry. The Lord pours his anger out like fire and he breaks the rocks in his path. 7 The Lord loves those who believe him. When they are in trouble, they can put their hope in God. 8 But the people in Nineveh are his enemies and he will kill them. 9 The Lord will stop anything that you decide to do immediately. He does not let his enemies have a second chance. 10 He will kill them. And then it will be like when thorn bushes have caught people. Or it will be like when they have drunk too much alcohol. It will be like when someone burns dry straw. 11 The Lord tells the king of Nineveh that he has done bad things against God. And the king has told his people that they should do wrong things.
12 The Lord has said, ‘The people in Nineveh are many. And they think that they are safe. But I will kill them. I have punished you, my people, before now. But I will not punish you any more. 13 Now I will make you free from the people from Nineveh. And I will break the things that are holding you like iron.’
14 Nineveh, the Lord has said what will happen to you. He has said, ‘You will have no children and your family name will have an end. I will destroy the statues that you made from wood and metal. You worship those statues in your temples. There I will make graves for you because you are bad.’
15 People in Judah, look at the mountains. You will see the feet of the person who will bring good news. He causes peace. You can have your special festivals again now. And now you can do what you promised to me. The bad people will not win a war against you because I have killed them. [ d ]
1 This book is the vision of Nahum from Elkosh. This is the sad message about the city of Nineveh. [ a ]
2 The Lord is a jealous God.
The Lord punishes the guilty,
and he is very angry.
The Lord punishes his enemies,
and he stays angry with them.
3 The Lord is patient,
but he is also very powerful!
The Lord will punish the guilty;
he will not let them go free.
He will use whirlwinds and storms to show his power.
People walk on the dusty ground, but he walks on the clouds.
4 He will speak harshly to the sea, and it will become dry.
He will dry up all the rivers.
The rich lands of Bashan and Carmel become dry and dead.
The flowers in Lebanon fade away.
5 The Lord will come,
and the mountains will shake
and the hills will melt away.
He will come,
and the earth will shake with fear.
The earth and everyone on it
will shake with fear.
6 No one can stand against his great anger.
No one can endure his terrible anger.
His anger will burn like fire.
The rocks will shatter when he comes.
7 The Lord is good.
He is a safe place to go to in times of trouble.
He takes care of those who trust him.
8 But he will completely destroy his enemies.
He will wash them away like a flood
and chase them into the darkness.
9 Why are you making plans against the Lord ?
He will bring complete destruction,
so you will not cause trouble again.
10 You will be destroyed completely
like thornbushes burning under a pot.
You will be destroyed
like dry weeds that burn quickly.
11 Someone from Nineveh is making evil plans against the Lord .
That advisor is a worthless troublemaker.
12 This is what the Lord said:
“The people of Assyria are at full strength.
They have many soldiers, but they will all be cut down.
They will all be finished.
My people, I made you suffer,
but I will make you suffer no more.
13 Now I will set you free from the power of Assyria.
I will take the yoke off your neck
and tear away the chains holding you.”
14 King of Assyria, the Lord gave this command about you:
“You will not have any descendants to wear your name.
I will destroy your carved idols
and metal statues that are in the temple of your gods.
I am preparing your grave,
because your end is coming soon! [ b ] ”
15 Judah, look!
There, coming over the mountains, is a messenger bringing good news!
He says there is peace.
Judah, celebrate your special festivals
and do what you promised.
Those worthless troublemakers will not come through and attack you again.
They have all been destroyed.
1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2 God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.
5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
9 What do ye imagine against the Lord ? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.
11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord , a wicked counsellor.
12 Thus saith the Lord ; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.
13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.
14 And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
1 The ( A ) pronouncement of ( B ) Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:
2 A ( C ) jealous and avenging God is the Lord ;
The Lord is ( D ) avenging and [ a ] wrathful.
The Lord takes ( E ) vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies.
3 The Lord is ( F ) slow to anger and great in power,
And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
In the ( G ) gale and the storm is His way,
And ( H ) clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
4 He ( I ) rebukes the sea and dries it up;
He dries up all the rivers.
( J ) Bashan and Carmel wither,
The blossoms of Lebanon wither.
5 Mountains ( K ) quake because of Him,
And the hills ( L ) come apart;
Indeed the earth is ( M ) upheaved by His presence,
The ( N ) world and all the inhabitants in it.
6 ( O ) Who can stand before His indignation?
Who can endure the ( P ) burning of His anger?
His ( Q ) wrath gushes forth like fire,
And the ( R ) rocks are broken up by Him.
7 The Lord is ( S ) good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble,
And ( T ) He knows those who take refuge in Him.
8 But with an ( U ) overflowing flood
He will make a complete end of [ b ] its site,
And will pursue His enemies into ( V ) darkness.
9 Whatever you ( W ) devise against the Lord ,
He will make a ( X ) complete end of it.
Distress will not rise up twice.
10 Like tangled ( Y ) thorns,
And like those who are ( Z ) drunken with their drink,
They are ( AA ) consumed
Like stubble completely dried up.
11 From you has gone out
One who ( AB ) plotted evil against the Lord ,
A [ c ] ( AC ) wicked counselor.
12 This is what the Lord says:
“Though they are at full strength and so they are many,
So also they will be ( AD ) cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you ( AE ) no longer.
13 So now, I will ( AF ) break his yoke from upon you,
And I will tear your shackles to pieces.”
14 The Lord has issued a command concerning [ d ] you:
“ [ e ] Your name will ( AG ) no longer be perpetuated.
I will eliminate the ( AH ) carved image and the cast metal image
From the house of your gods.
I will prepare your ( AI ) grave,
For you are contemptible.”
15 [ f ] Behold, ( AJ ) on the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace!
( AK ) Celebrate your feasts, Judah,
Pay your vows.
For ( AL ) never again will the [ g ] wicked one pass through you;
He is ( AM ) eliminated completely.
1 A prophecy ( A ) concerning Nineveh. ( B ) The book of the vision ( C ) of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2 The Lord is a jealous ( D ) and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance ( E ) and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
and vents his wrath against his enemies. ( F )
3 The Lord is slow to anger ( G ) but great in power;
the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. ( H )
His way is in the whirlwind ( I ) and the storm, ( J )
and clouds ( K ) are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebukes ( L ) the sea and dries it up; ( M )
he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel ( N ) wither
and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
5 The mountains quake ( O ) before him
and the hills melt away. ( P )
The earth trembles ( Q ) at his presence,
the world and all who live in it. ( R )
6 Who can withstand ( S ) his indignation?
Who can endure ( T ) his fierce anger? ( U )
His wrath is poured out like fire; ( V )
the rocks are shattered ( W ) before him.
7 The Lord is good, ( X )
a refuge in times of trouble. ( Y )
He cares for ( Z ) those who trust in him, ( AA )
8 but with an overwhelming flood ( AB )
he will make an end of Nineveh;
he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.
9 Whatever they plot ( AC ) against the Lord
he will bring [ a ] to an end;
trouble will not come a second time.
10 They will be entangled among thorns ( AD )
and drunk ( AE ) from their wine;
they will be consumed like dry stubble. [ b ] ( AF )
11 From you, Nineveh, has one come forth
who plots evil against the Lord
and devises wicked plans.
12 This is what the Lord says:
“Although they have allies and are numerous,
they will be destroyed ( AG ) and pass away.
Although I have afflicted you, Judah,
I will afflict you no more. ( AH )
13 Now I will break their yoke ( AI ) from your neck
and tear your shackles away.” ( AJ )