¹ Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;¹

1. bloody...: Heb. city of bloods

² The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.

³ The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of dead bodies; and there is no end of their bodies; they stumble upon their bodies:¹

1. the bright...: Heb. the flame of the sword, and the lightning of the spear

⁴ Because of the multitude of the harlotries of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her harlotries, and families through her witchcrafts.

⁵ Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will remove thy skirts upon thy face, and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

⁶ And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.

⁷ And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? Where shall I seek comforters for thee?

⁸ Art thou better than populous No, that dwelt among the rivers, that had the waters around it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?¹

1. populous...: or, nourishing, etc: Heb. No Amon

⁹ Cush and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.¹

1. thy helpers: Heb. in thy help

¹⁰ Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.

¹¹ Thou also shalt be drunk: thou shalt be hidden, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.

¹² All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.

¹³ Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open to thy enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.

¹⁴ Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.

¹⁵ There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.

¹⁶ Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.¹

1. spoileth: or, spreadeth himself

¹⁷ Thy princes are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which settle in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are .

¹⁸ Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust : thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them .¹

1. nobles: or, valiant ones

¹⁹ There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the report of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?¹

1. healing: Heb. wrinkling