Chapter 1

What burden for Nineve? Here is matter revealed to Nahum the Elcesite.

A jealous lover the Lord is, and takes full vengeance; full vengeance the Lord takes, no stranger, he, to indignation; nor spares rebel, nor forgets the wrong.

Bide his time he may, but power lacks not; guilty is guilty still. Storm and whirlwind are the path he treads, cloud-wrack the dust he spurns;

the sea at his rebuke dries up, streams turn into a desert, Basan withers away, and Carmel; all the leaf of Lebanon fades.

Shrink and shrivel they, mountain-top and hill-side, before him; quakes earth at his coming, and all the world of men with it.

Alas, when the blow of his resentment falls, who may confront that fierce anger unmoved? Here is vengeance poured out like fire, to melt the hard rock!

None so gracious as the Lord, no strength like his in the hour of distress; do but trust him, and he will keep thee in his care …

… Flood-tide shall overwhelm the site of it;1 ever his enemies find darkness at their heels.

Think not, by shifts of yours, to thwart the Lord’s will; believe me, he will take full toll, there shall be no second visitation.

Close be it as thicket of thorns, yonder conspiracy over the cups, all at once, like scorched stubble, they shall be consumed.

Here is one of thy number devising rebellion against the Lord, folly’s counsellor.

But thus the Lord says: Are they in full muster? At least there are over-many of them; they must be shorn of their strength. It will pass; once chastened is chastened enough,

and now I mean to shatter that yoke of his that lies on thy back, tear thy chains asunder …

For thee, this doom the Lord has; race shall never spring from thee to bear thy name, nor in the temple of thy god any images be left, cast or carven; and I will write it on thy tomb-stone, thou wast nothing worth.

See where they bring good news on the mountain heights, proclaiming that all is well! Now, Juda, keep holiday; paid be thy vows; mocking enemy shall pass through thee no more; never a one left.