OLD TESTAMENT							NEW TESTAMENT
The 7 Books	Old Testament History		Wisdom Books	Major Prophets	Minor Prophets		NT History	Epistles of St. Paul		General Writings
Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuter. Joshua Judges	Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chron. 2 Chron.	Ezra Nehem. Tobit Judith Esther 1 Macc. 2 Macc.	Job Psalms Proverbs Eccles. Songs Wisdom Sirach	Isaiah Jeremiah Lament. Baruch Ezekiel Daniel	Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah	Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi	Matthew Mark Luke John Acts	Romans 1 Corinth. 2 Corinth. Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians	1 Thess. 2 Thess. 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews	James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation

Nahum 3

« 1 2 3 »

1 ὦ πόλις αἱμάτων ὅλη ψευδὴς ἀδικίας πλήρης οὐ ψηλαφηθήσεται θήρα 2 φωνὴ μαστίγων καὶ φωνὴ σεισμοῦ τροχῶν καὶ ἵππου διώκοντος καὶ ἅρματος ἀναβράσσοντος 3 καὶ ἱππέως ἀναβαίνοντος καὶ στιλβούσης ῥομφαίας καὶ ἐξαστραπτόντων ὅπλων καὶ πλήθους τραυματιῶν καὶ βαρείας πτώσεως καὶ οὐκ ἦν πέρας τοῖς ἔθνεσιν αὐτῆς καὶ ἀσθενήσουσιν ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν αὐτῶν 4 ἀπὸ πλήθους πορνείας πόρνη καλὴ καὶ ἐπιχαρὴς ἡγουμένη φαρμάκων ἡ πωλοῦσα ἔθνη ἐν τῇ πορνείᾳ αὐτῆς καὶ φυλὰς ἐν τοῖς φαρμάκοις αὐτῆς 5 ἰδοῦ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σέ λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ καὶ ἀποκαλύψω τὰ ὀπίσω σου ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου καὶ δείξω ἔθνεσιν τὴν αἰσχύνην σου καὶ βασιλείαις τὴν ἀτιμίαν σου 6 καὶ ἐπιρρίψω ἐπὶ σὲ βδελυγμὸν κατὰ τὰς ἀκαθαρσίας σου καὶ θήσομαί σε εἰς παράδειγμα 7 καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὁ ὁρῶν σε ἀποπηδήσεται ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ ἐρεῖ Δειλαία Νινευη τίς στενάξει αὐτήν πόθεν ζητήσω παράκλησιν αὐτῇ 8 ἑτοίμασαι μερίδα ἅρμοσαι χορδήν ἑτοίμασαι μερίδα Αμων ἡ κατοικοῦσα ἐν ποταμοῖς ὕδωρ κύκλῳ αὐτῆς ἧς ἡ ἀρχὴ θάλασσα καὶ ὕδωρ τὰ τείχη αὐτῆς 9 καὶ Αἰθιοπία ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτῆς καὶ Αἴγυπτος καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν πέρας τῆς φυγῆς καὶ Λίβυες ἐγένοντο βοηθοὶ αὐτῆς 10 καὶ αὐτὴ εἰς μετοικεσίαν πορεύσεται αἰχμάλωτος καὶ τὰ νήπια αὐτῆς ἐδαφιοῦσιν ἐ{P'} ἀρχὰς πασῶν τῶν ὁδῶν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔνδοξα αὐτῆς βαλοῦσιν κλήρους καὶ πάντες οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτῆς δεθήσονται χειροπέδαις

1 Out upon thee, city of blood, full fed with treason and rapine, yet still at prey! 2 What sounds are these? Crack of whip, whirring of wheels, beat of horse-hoof, rattle of chariot. Mounts horseman, 3 flash like lightning sword and spear; what carnage! How cumbered the earth with slain! Dead bodies past counting; the living stumble over the dead. 4 Harlot so unwearied in thy harlot’s ways, so fair, so full of witchery, too long hast thou betrayed a nation here, a tribe there, with sorcery of thine, harlotry of thine; 5 and now I will be even with thee, says the Lord God of hosts. I mean to set thy skirts flying about thy ears, and lay bare the naked shame of thee, for all the kingdoms of the world to see; 6 pelted thou shalt be with things abominable, and foully bemocked; such a public show I will make of thee, 7 passer-by will be fain to shun thee; Nineve fallen, says he, and never a tear! Search where I will, never a friend to comfort thee![1] 8 Here was another city, No-Ammon,[2] fair as thyself; she too was built on the river-side, water all about her; the sea her mart, the sea her defences. 9 Hers the Ethiop land, hers was Egypt; wanted there strength yet, African and Libyan were at her side; 10 yet thy fate was hers, exile, and captivity, and children at every street’s turning dashed to death; honour and rank condemned to the lot’s mercy, and the chain’s grip!

1

Væ civitas sanguinum,
universa mendacii dilaceratione plena!
non recedet a te rapina. 2
Vox flagelli, et vox impetus rotæ, et equi frementis,
et quadrigæ ferventis, et equitis ascendentis, 3
et micantis gladii, et fulgurantis hastæ,
et multitudinis interfectæ, et gravis ruinæ;
nec est finis cadaverum,
et corruent in corporibus suis. 4
Propter multitudinem fornicationum meretricis
speciosæ, et gratæ, et habentis maleficia,
quæ vendidit gentes in fornicationibus suis,
et familias in maleficiis suis. 5
Ecce ego ad te, dicit Dominus exercituum,
et revelabo pudenda tua in facie tua;
et ostendam gentibus nuditatem tuam,
et regnis ignominiam tuam. 6
Et projiciam super te abominationes,
et contumeliis te afficiam,
et ponam te in exemplum. 7
Et erit: omnis qui viderit te resiliet a te,
et dicet: Vastata est Ninive.
Quis commovebit super te caput?
unde quæram consolatorem tibi? 8
Numquid melior es Alexandria populorum,
quæ habitat in fluminibus?
aquæ in circuitu ejus;
cujus divitiæ, mare;
aquæ, muri ejus. 9
Æthiopia fortitudo ejus, et Ægyptus, et non est finis;
Africa et Libyes fuerunt in auxilio tuo. 10
Sed et ipsa in transmigrationem ducta est in captivitatem:
parvuli ejus elisi sunt in capite omnium viarum,
et super inclytos ejus miserunt sortem,
et omnes optimates ejus confixi sunt in compedibus.

11 καὶ σὺ μεθυσθήσῃ καὶ ἔσῃ ὑπερεωραμένη καὶ σὺ ζητήσεις σεαυτῇ στάσιν ἐξ ἐχθρῶν 12 πάντα τὰ ὀχυρώματά σου συκαῖ σκοποὺς ἔχουσαι ἐὰν σαλευθῶσιν καὶ πεσοῦνται εἰς στόμα ἔσθοντος 13 ἰδοὺ ὁ λαός σου ὡς γυναῖκες ἐν σοί τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου ἀνοιγόμεναι ἀνοιχθήσονται πύλαι τῆς γῆς σου καὶ καταφάγεται πῦρ τοὺς μοχλούς σου 14 ὕδωρ περιοχῆς ἐπίσπασαι σεαυτῇ καὶ κατακράτησον τῶν ὀχυρωμάτων σου ἔμβηθι εἰς πηλὸν καὶ συμπατήθητι ἐν ἀχύροις κατακράτησον ὑπὲρ πλίνθον 15 ἐκεῖ καταφάγεταί σε πῦρ ἐξολεθρεύσει σε ῥομφαία καταφάγεταί σε ὡς ἀκρίς καὶ βαρυνθήσῃ ὡς βροῦχος 16 ἐπλήθυνας τὰς ἐμπορίας σου ὑπὲρ τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ βροῦχος ὥρμησεν καὶ ἐξεπετάσθη 17 ἐξήλατο ὡς ἀττέλεβος ὁ σύμμικτός σου ὡς ἀκρὶς ἐπιβεβηκυῖα ἐπὶ φραγμὸν ἐν ἡμέραις πάγους ὁ ἥλιος ἀνέτειλεν καὶ ἀφήλατο καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς οὐαὶ αὐτοῖς 18 ἐνύσταξαν οἱ ποιμένες σου βασιλεὺς Ἀσσύριος ἐκοίμισεν τοὺς δυνάστας σου ἀπῆρεν ὁ λαός σου ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐκδεχόμενος 19 οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις τῇ συντριβῇ σου ἐφλέγμανεν ἡ πληγή σου πάντες οἱ ἀκούοντες τὴν ἀγγελίαν σου κροτήσουσιν χεῖρας ἐπὶ σέ διότι ἐπὶ τίνα οὐκ ἐπῆλθεν ἡ κακία σου διὰ παντός

11 Bemused and helpless with fear, looking about for succour against the invader, so she was, so thou shalt be. 12 At a touch thy bastions shall fall, like ripe figs that drop into the eater’s mouth, soon as tree is shaken; 13 woman-hearted the defenders, the gates wide open to the enemy’s onrush, touchwood the bars of them. 14 Water, there, water for a siege! Raise the battlements higher yet! Down to the clay-pit with thee, tread the mortar, put thy hand to the brick-mould! 15 Fire shall consume thee none the less, the sword cut thee off, hungry as locust to devour.

Thrive thou as locust thrives or grasshopper, 16 ay, let thy enterprises[3] outnumber the stars in heaven, what avails it? Early hatches locust, early flies away. 17 Forgotten, the high lords, forgotten, the princelings,[4] as they had been locusts, and brood of locusts, that cling to yonder hedge-row in the chill of morning, and are gone, once the sun is up, who knows whither? 18 Gone to their rest thy marshals, king of Assyria; thy vassals lie silent in the dust; out on the hills the common folk take refuge, with none to muster them. 19 Wound of thine there is no hiding, hurt of thine is grievous; nor any shall hear the tidings of it but shall clap their hands over thee, so long thy tyrannous yoke has rested on so many.

11
Et tu ergo inebriaberis, et eris despecta:
et tu quæres auxilium ab inimico. 12
Omnes munitiones tuæ sicut ficus cum grossis suis:
si concussæ fuerint, cadent in os comedentis. 13
Ecce populus tuus mulieres in medio tui:
inimicis tuis adapertione pandentur portæ terræ tuæ,
devorabit ignis vectes tuos. 14
Aquam propter obsidionem hauri tibi:
exstrue munitiones tuas,
intra in lutum, et calca,
subigens tene laterem. 15
Ibi comedet te ignis,
peribis gladio, devorabit te ut bruchus:
congregare ut bruchus,
multiplicare ut locusta. 16
Plures fecisti negotiationes tuas quam stellæ sint cæli;
bruchus expansus est, et avolavit. 17
Custodes tui quasi locustæ,
et parvuli tui quasi locustæ locustarum,
quæ considunt in sepibus in die frigoris:
sol ortus est, et avolaverunt,
et non est cognitus locus earum ubi fuerint. 18
Dormitaverunt pastores tui, rex Assur,
sepelientur principes tui:
latitavit populus tuus in montibus,
et non est qui congreget. 19
Non est obscura contritio tua;
pessima est plaga tua.
Omnes qui audierunt auditionem tuam compresserunt manum super te:
quia super quem non transiit malitia tua semper?

[1] It is not clear where the comments of the supposed passer-by come to an end.

[2] No or No-Ammon is commonly identified with (Egyptian) Thebes, the ‘sea’ being understood as referring to the Nile. The Latin version gives ‘Alexandria’, which involves a manifest anachronism.

[3] In the Hebrew text, ‘thy merchants’. A change of one letter would give ‘thy foot-soldiers’.

[4] The words rendered ‘high lords’ and ‘princelings’ are rare words of uncertain significance. The Latin has ‘guardians’ and ‘little ones’, but it seems likely that state officials of some kind are meant.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd