| English Standard Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder— no end to the prey! | 1Woe to the city of blood, totally deceitful, full of plunder, never without prey. |
| 2The crack of the whip, and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot! | 2The crack of the whip and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and jolting chariot! |
| 3Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, hosts of slain, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over the bodies! | 3Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end--they stumble over their dead. |
| 4And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute, graceful and of deadly charms, who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms. | 4Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute, the attractive mistress of sorcery, who treats nations and clans like merchandise by her prostitution and sorcery, |
| 5Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame. | 5I am against you. This is the declaration of the LORD of Armies. I will lift your skirts over your face and display your nakedness to nations, your shame to kingdoms. |
| 6I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. | 6I will throw filth on you and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you. |
| 7And all who look at you will shrink from you and say, “Wasted is Nineveh; who will grieve for her?” Where shall I seek comforters for you? | 7Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying, "Nineveh is devastated; who will show sympathy to her?" Where can I find anyone to comfort you? |
| 8Are you better than Thebes that sat by the Nile, with water around her, her rampart a sea, and water her wall? | 8Are you better than Thebes that sat along the Nile with water surrounding her, whose rampart was the sea, the river her wall? |
| 9Cush was her strength; Egypt too, and that without limit; Put and the Libyans were her helpers. | 9Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength; Put and Libya were among her allies. |
| 10Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity; her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; for her honored men lots were cast, and all her great men were bound in chains. | 10Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity. Her children were also dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in chains. |
| 11You also will be drunken; you will go into hiding; you will seek a refuge from the enemy. | 11You also will become drunk; you will hide. You also will seek refuge from the enemy. |
| 12All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs— if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater. | 12All your fortresses are fig trees with figs that ripened first; when shaken, they fall--right into the mouth of the eater! |
| 13Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars. | 13Look, your troops are like women among you; your land's city gates are wide open to your enemies. Fire will devour the bars of your gates. |
| 14Draw water for the siege; strengthen your forts; go into the clay; tread the mortar; take hold of the brick mold! | 14Draw water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Step into the clay and tread the mortar; take hold of the brick-mold! |
| 15There will the fire devour you; the sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the locust. Multiply yourselves like the locust; multiply like the grasshopper! | 15The fire will devour you there; the sword will cut you down. It will devour you like the young locust. Multiply yourselves like the young locust; multiply like the swarming locust! |
| 16You increased your merchants more than the stars of the heavens. The locust spreads its wings and flies away. | 16You have made your merchants more numerous than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away. |
| 17Your princes are like grasshoppers, your scribes like clouds of locusts settling on the fences in a day of cold— when the sun rises, they fly away; no one knows where they are. | 17Your court officials are like the swarming locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day; when the sun rises, they take off, and no one knows where they are. |
| 18Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; your nobles slumber. Your people are scattered on the mountains with none to gather them. | 18King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered across the mountains with no one to gather them together. |
| 19There is no easing your hurt; your wound is grievous. All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you. For upon whom has not come your unceasing evil? | 19There is no remedy for your injury; your wound is severe. All who hear the news about you will clap their hands because of you, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty? |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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