1 Tsūba si, sas ǀaoǂnâxūs di ǃās,
ǂhumib xa ǀoa hâse;
sas ge ǁkhâuǁnâs xa ǀoa hâ,
ǁnās ge sas ǃnâ ǀam tama hâ.
2 Samib di ǃgoab,
kuniǀnūdi di ǂkhupib,
hāgu di ǃkhoeb,
torokunidi di ǃnariba.
3 Hāǃgapi-aogu ra ǃgapiǀkhī,
gôagu ra ǂkhai,
ǁhâigôagu ra napa.
ǂGui khoen ge ǃgamhe hâ,
ǃgôaheǁoasa sorodi ge ǁgoe
tsîn ge khoena ǁîdi ai ra ǃnôa.
4 Nēn hoan ge Nineves ǀaigu xa ge ǃaromahe.
Îsa khoes, ǃgaidīgu ǀhonkhoes,
ǁaede ǁîs ǀnamǀnamsasib ǀkha ǂgaeǂhapu
tsî ge ǃgaidīgu âs ǀkha khobodīsa.
5 “Mû, tita ge sas ǃoagu hâ.
Tita ge nî ǀhuiǀkhā si
tsî ǁaede sa ǀōǀkhāsiba nî mû kai
tsî gaoside sa taotaosasiba.
6 Tita ge ǀurisa xūna sas ai nî ao.
Tita ge sasa ǃharaxūb ǀkha nî sîsenū
tsî khoen mûǁae ui-uisa xūse nî dī.
7 Sasa ga mûn hoan ge sasa xu nî ūbēsen.
ǁÎn ge nî mî: ‘Nineves ge hîkākāhe hâ.
Tari-e ǁîsa nî ǀkhomxa?’
Mâpa ta sasa ǁkhaeǂgao-ao-e nî hōba?”
tib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixaba ra mî.8 Tebes, Nylǃāb amǃgâ ǂnôas xas sasa a ama-ai? ǁÎs ǂnamipeb ge ǁgamma ge ǁgoe i. ǃĀb ge ǁîsa gere ǁkhauba, ǁgamgu ge ǁîsa ǂnubiǂgoase ge ība i. 9 Etiopiab tsî Egipteb tsîkha ge ge ǁîs di kai ǀgai i. Puti tsî Libiab tsîkha ge ge ǁîs di hui-ao i. 10 Xawes ge ǃkhōsabese ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ge ǃgû-ūhe. ǁKhātin ge ǁîs ôarona ǃgangu ǁhôadi hoadi tawa ge ǂkhūǂkhūhe. ǁÎs di ǃgôahesan ǂamas ge ǀkhūsa ge aohe, tsî gu ge ǁîs di ǂamkhoega khedegu ǀkha ge ǃgaeǃnonhe.
11 Sas tsîn āǃgâu tsî nî ǂkhīǂnari. Sas tsîn ge khākhoeba xus nî gaugausen ga ǁhaiǁhâǃkhai-e nî ôa. 12 Sa ǀgaisa ǁkhui-omgu hoagu ge ǂgurose ǁan hâ ǀnoman hâ-ai ǀnomahaidi khami nî ī; ǁîdi ga ǀgabihe, on ge ǀnomana ǂû ǂgao ra khoe-i di ams ǃnâ ra ǁnāǂgâ. 13 Sa toroǃkhamaogu ge tarekhoedi khami ī. Sa ǃhūb di dao-amdi ge khākhoen ǃaroma harase a ǁkhowa-amsa, ǀaes ge sa ǂganamūǃnaoga hîkākā hâ. 14 ǃNamiǂgāhes ǃaroma ǁgam-e ǀnai xuribasen, î ǁkhui-omgu âsa ǀgaiǀgai. ǂGoab ǃnâ ǂgâ, î ǁîba dāǃnâ; ǂgoaǀuidi kuru-ū xūna ū. 15 ǀAes ge ǁnāpa nî hîkākā si, gôab ge nî ǃgam si tsî ǂhomn khami nî hapu si.
ǂHomn khami ǂguiǂguisen re, kaise ǂgui ǂhomn kōse ǂguiǂguisen re. 16 Sas ge ǀhommi ai hâ ǀgamiron ǃgâ-ai sa ǂharugu-aona ge ǂguiǂgui. ǂHomn ge khōb âna ǁhûnuǁnâ tsî ra ǁkhanabē. 17 Sa ǃûi-aogu ge ǂhomn khami ī, sa ǂamkhoega kaise ǂgui ǂhomn, ǃkhai i as kōse ǂnubiǂgoagu ai ra ǂnûn khami. Sores ga ǁhai, on ge ra ǁkhanabē, khoe-i xare-i ge mâpan go ī ǃkhaisa a ǀū.
18 Asiriab gao-aotse, sa ǃûi-aogu ge ra ǂomhî, sa ǀgapi khoen ge ǁom hâ. Sa ǁaes ge ǃhomgu ai ǀgarusase hâ tsî i ge ǁîna nî ǀhaoǀhao khoe-i xare-e a ǀkhai. 19 Sa khôaǂkhūhes ge a ǂuruǂuruhe ǁoa, sa ǀhapis ge a ǂgauǂgauhe ǁoa. Sas ǀkha ge īn xa ga ǁnâun hoan ge ǁnās ǂama nî ǁapunǃom. Tari-e sa ǁkhō ǁgâiǀāba ge hōǃâ tama hâ i?
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.
