¹Woe to the city of bloodshed! All of her is lies, full of plunder; prey does not depart.

²The sound of a whip, and the sound of the quaking of a wheel, and a horse dashing, and a chariot skipping about!

³A horseman raising up the blade of a sword, and the lightning of a spear, and a multitude of the slain, and a mass of carcasses, and no end to the bodies; they stumble over their bodies.

⁴From the multitude of the whoredoms of the prostitute, pleasing in favor, mistress of sorceries, who sells nations by her whoredoms and clans by her sorceries.

⁵Here I am against you, the utterance of Yahweh of hosts; I will uncover your skirts over your face, and show nations your nakedness and kingdoms your shame.

⁶I will throw detestable things on you, and treat you with contempt, and make you a spectacle.

⁷And it will be that all who see you will flee from you and say: Nineveh is devastated! Who will show grief for her? From where shall I seek comforters for you?

⁸Are you better than No Amon, that dwells among the channels, with waters all around her, whose rampart is the sea, whose wall is from the sea?

⁹Cush was her strength, and Egypt, and there was no end; Put and the Libyans were your help.

¹⁰Even she went into exile, into captivity; her infants too were dashed to pieces at the head of every street; over her honored ones they cast lots, and all her great ones were bound in fetters.

¹¹You too will become drunk; you will be hidden; you too will seek a stronghold from the enemy.

¹²All your fortifications are fig trees with firstfruits: if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.

¹³Look, your people are women in your midst; wide open to your enemies are the gates of your land; fire has eaten your bars.

¹⁴Draw water for the siege, for yourself; strengthen your fortifications; go into the mud and trample the mortar; take firm hold of the brick mold.

¹⁵There fire will eat you; the sword will cut you off; it will eat you like the young locust. Make yourself numerous like the young locust, make yourself numerous like the locust!

¹⁶You have multiplied your traders more than the stars of the skies; the young locust strips off and flies away.

¹⁷Your courtiers are like the locust, and your officials like a swarm of locusts, camping in the enclosures on a day of cold; the sun rises and it flees, and its place is not known; where are they?

¹⁸Your shepherds slumber, king of Assyria; your mighty ones settle down; your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.

¹⁹There is no relief for your breaking; your wound is grievous. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you; for over whom has your evil not passed continually?