Punishment for Nineveh
The Lord said:
1 Doom to the crime capital!
Nineveh, city of murder
and treachery,
2 here is your fate—
cracking whips,
churning wheels;
galloping horses,
roaring chariots;
3 cavalry attacking,
swords and spears flashing;
soldiers stumbling
over piles of dead bodies.
4 You were nothing more
than a prostitute
using your magical charms
and witchcraft
to attract and trap nations.
5 But I, the Lord All-Powerful,
am now your enemy.
I will pull up your skirt
and let nations and kingdoms
stare at your nakedness.
6 I will cover you with garbage,
treat you like trash,
and rub you in the dirt.
7 Everyone who sees you
will turn away and shout,
“Nineveh is done for!
Is anyone willing to mourn
or to give her comfort?”
Nineveh's Fate Is Sealed
8 Nineveh, do you feel safer
than the city of Thebes?
The Nile River
was its wall of defense.
9 Thebes trusted the mighty power
of Ethiopia and Egypt;
the nations of Put and Libya
were her allies.
10 But she was captured and taken
to a foreign country.
Her children were murdered
at every street corner.
The members of her royal family
were auctioned off,
and her high officials
were bound in chains.
11 Nineveh, now it's your turn!
You will get drunk and try to hide
from your enemy.
12 Your fortresses are fig trees
with ripe figs.
Merely shake the trees,
and fruit will fall
into every open mouth.
13 Your army is weak.
Fire has destroyed the crossbars
on your city gates;
now they stand wide open
to your enemy.
14 Your city is under attack.
Haul in extra water!
Strengthen your defenses!
Start making bricks!
Stir the mortar!
15 You will still go up in flames
and be cut down by swords
that will wipe you out like a field
attacked by grasshoppers.
So, go ahead and increase
like a swarm of locusts!
16 More merchants are in your city
than there are stars
in the sky—
but they are like locusts
that eat everything,
then fly away.
17 Your guards and your officials
are swarms of locusts.
On a chilly day
they settle on a fence,
but when the sun comes out,
they take off
to who-knows-where.
18 King of Assyria,
your officials and leaders
are sound asleep,
while your people are scattered
in the mountains.
Yes, your people are sheep
without a shepherd.
19 You're fatally wounded.
There's no hope for you.
But everyone claps
when they hear this news,
because your constant cruelty
has caused them pain.
1 Owee kotjihuro tjovizeze notjizepe!
Otjo tje ura noutumbe mbu huurwa nokupundwa aruhe.
2 Purateneye! Okukwaana kwongora,
nomaporokotero woviryo vyomatemba,
nomatupukiro woukambe,
nomaputarero womatemba wovita!
3 Ovakavire voukambe mave utukire okurwa,
omangaruvyo maye keṋakeṋa,
nomanga maye tjene!
Otutu matu tendekwa kumwe,
oturova tu tu hi notjivaro;
ovandu mave putara mu two!
4 Ninive otjikorondu matji verwa.
Otjo otjiwa, nungwari tje ura nomauanga nge zepa,
otjo tji worera oviwaṋa atji vi isa po ovakarere.
5 Muhona Omunamasaaehe ma tja nai:
“Ami me ku vere, Ninive!
Me ku hukura u kare muzu,
ne tjiti kutja oviwaṋa vi ku mune,
vi ku mune mohoṋi yoye.
6 Ami me ku ṱunu nomanyengu
nu me ku ṱunda nondova.
Ovandu tji mave tara kove mave yaukwa.
7 Avehe mbu mave ku munu mave rihutu.
Owo mave tja: ‘Ninive tja rira otjitambatundu!
Owaṋi ngu notjari na tjo?
Owaṋi ngu ma vanga okutjihuhumiṋa?’ ”
8 Ninive, oove omusemba pOtebes, otjihuro ohongora tja Engipte are? Otjo wina tja ri nonḓonḓu okutjiyama otja otjikere, indji onḓonḓu Nil ondja ri ondjeure yatjo. 9 Otjo tja honaparera Sudan na Engipte, kapa ri omaandero kouvara watjo, Libie re rikuta kumwe na tjo. 10 Nambano ovature va Tebes va huurwa. Kovikoro avihe vyomivanda ovanatje vawo va tonwa okuṱa. Ovarumendu vawo ovanane avehe va twarewa momapando nave kahaṋewa movevehuure.
11 Ninive, ove wina mopurukisiwa, mo kara nokuhinomasa, nu mokondjo okutaura kovanavita na ove. 12 Oviṱunga vyoye avihe mavi sana komikuyu mbi nomakuyu nga hora; omiti mbi tji vya nyinganyingisiwa, omakuyu maye poṋene osemba motjinyo tja ingwi ngu ma vanga okuyerya. 13 Ovarwe voye wovita va sana kovakazendu, nehi kari nomayeuriro kovanavita na ove. Omuriro mau seseta ovipate vyomivero vyoye. 14 Kateke omeva kutja u rirongerere omakoverero; nu zeuparisa oviṱunga vyoye! Yata omunoko okuungura po ozohima! 15 Nandi wa tjita avihe mbi, mo ningiririsiwa nga tji wa koka, nu mo ṱu motjirwa. Ove mo zengisiwa otja ovihape mbya riwa i ozombahu.
Nandarire kutja ove wa takavara otja ozombahu, kape nombatero. 16 Nandi wa eta ovarandise ovengi pozonyose keyuru, owo mave i tjimuna ozombahu nde nyaturura ovivava vyazo naze tuka! 17 Ovahongore voye ve ri otja ehapu rozombahu nḓe haama kotumbo meyuva rombepera. Nungwari omutenya tji wa tu, ozo ze tuka, nu kape na ngu ma tjiwa kutja ozo za i pi.
18 Mbara ya Asirie, ozongooneya zoye va ṱa, novaingona voye va rara nga aruhe! Otjiwaṋa tjoye tja pizukira kozondundu, nu kape na ngu me tji kotora konganda. 19 Kape nondjamo komihihamo vyoye, novirwaro vyoye kavi nokuveruka. Avehe mbu mave zuu ombuze yomawiro woye, mave tono omake nenyando. Pe nomundu ngamwa ngwa taurira ourunde woye mbu hi nondjandero are?
