God’s Mercy and Judgment

The [a]burden (A)against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

God’s Wrath on His Enemies

God is (B)jealous, and the Lord avenges;
The Lord avenges and is furious.
The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies;
The Lord is (C)slow to anger and (D)great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked.

(E)The Lord has His way
In the whirlwind and in the storm,
And the clouds are the dust of His feet.
(F)He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,
And dries up all the rivers.
(G)Bashan and Carmel wither,
And the flower of Lebanon wilts.
The mountains quake before Him,
The hills melt,
And the earth [b]heaves at His presence,
Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.

Who can stand before His indignation?
And (H)who can endure the fierceness of His anger?
His fury is poured out like fire,
And the rocks are thrown down by Him.

(I)The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And (J)He knows those who trust in Him.
But with an overflowing flood
He will make an utter end of its place,
And darkness will pursue His enemies.

(K)What do you [c]conspire against the Lord?
(L)He will make an utter end of it.
Affliction will not rise up a second time.
10 For while tangled (M)like thorns,
(N)And while drunken like drunkards,
(O)They shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.
11 From you comes forth one
Who plots evil against the Lord,
A [d]wicked counselor.

12 Thus says the Lord:

“Though they are [e]safe, and likewise many,
Yet in this manner they will be (P)cut down
When he passes through.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more;
13 For now I will break off his yoke from you,
And burst your bonds apart.”

14 The Lord has given a command concerning you:
[f]“Your name shall be perpetuated no longer.
Out of the house of your gods
I will cut off the carved image and the molded image.
I will dig your (Q)grave,
For you are (R)vile.”[g]

15 Behold, on the mountains
The (S)feet of him who brings good tidings,
Who proclaims peace!
O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,
Perform your vows.
For the [h]wicked one shall no more pass through you;
He is (T)utterly cut off.

The Destruction of Nineveh

He[i] who scatters has come up before your face.
Man the fort!
Watch the road!
Strengthen your flanks!
Fortify your power mightily.

For the Lord will restore the excellence of Jacob
Like the excellence of Israel,
For the emptiers have emptied them out
And ruined their vine branches.

The shields of his mighty men are made red,
The valiant men are in scarlet.
The chariots come with flaming torches
In the day of his preparation,
And [j]the spears are brandished.
The chariots rage in the streets,
They jostle one another in the broad roads;
They seem like torches,
They run like lightning.

He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their walk;
They make haste to her walls,
And the defense is prepared.
The gates of the rivers are opened,
And the palace is dissolved.
[k]It is decreed:
She shall be led away captive,
She shall be brought up;
And her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves,
Beating their breasts.

Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,
Now they flee away.
[l]“Halt! Halt!” they cry;
But no one turns back.
[m]Take spoil of silver!
Take spoil of (U)gold!
There is no end of treasure,
Or wealth of every desirable prize.
10 She is empty, desolate, and waste!
The heart melts, and the knees shake;
Much pain is in every side,
And all their faces [n]are drained of color.

11 Where is the dwelling of the (V)lions,
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub,
And no one made them afraid?
12 The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs,
[o]Killed for his lionesses,
(W)Filled his caves with prey,
And his dens with [p]flesh.

13 “Behold, (X)I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn [q]your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your (Y)messengers shall be heard no more.”

The Woe of Nineveh

Woe to the (Z)bloody city!
It is all full of lies and robbery.
Its [r]victim never departs.
The noise of a whip
And the noise of rattling wheels,
Of galloping horses,
Of [s]clattering chariots!
Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear.
There is a multitude of slain,
A great number of bodies,
Countless corpses—
They stumble over the corpses—
Because of the multitude of [t]harlotries of the [u]seductive harlot,
(AA)The mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations through her harlotries,
And families through her sorceries.

“Behold, I am (AB)against you,” says the Lord of hosts;
(AC)“I will lift your skirts over your face,
I will show the nations your nakedness,
And the kingdoms your shame.
I will cast abominable filth upon you,
Make you (AD)vile,[v]
And make you (AE)a spectacle.
It shall come to pass that all who look upon you
(AF)Will flee from you, and say,
(AG)‘Nineveh is laid waste!
(AH)Who will bemoan her?’
Where shall I seek comforters for you?”

(AI)Are you better than (AJ)No[w] Amon
That was situated by the [x]River,
That had the waters around her,
Whose rampart was the sea,
Whose wall was the sea?
Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength,
And it was boundless;
(AK)Put and Lubim were [y]your helpers.
10 Yet she was carried away,
She went into captivity;
(AL)Her young children also were dashed to pieces
(AM)At the head of every street;
They (AN)cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound in chains.
11 You also will be (AO)drunk;
You will be hidden;
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

12 All your strongholds are (AP)fig trees with ripened figs:
If they are shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Surely, (AQ)your people in your midst are women!
The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies;
Fire shall devour the (AR)bars of your gates.

14 Draw your water for the siege!
(AS)Fortify your strongholds!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Make strong the brick kiln!
15 There the fire will devour you,
The sword will cut you off;
It will eat you up like a (AT)locust.

Make yourself many—like the locust!
Make yourself many—like the swarming locusts!
16 You have multiplied your (AU)merchants more than the stars of heaven.
The locust plunders and flies away.
17 (AV)Your commanders are like swarming locusts,
And your generals like great grasshoppers,
Which camp in the hedges on a cold day;
When the sun rises they flee away,
And the place where they are is not known.

18 (AW)Your shepherds slumber, O (AX)king of Assyria;
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are (AY)scattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.
19 Your injury has no healing,
(AZ)Your wound is severe.
(BA)All who hear news of you
Will clap their hands over you,
For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?

Footnotes

  1. Nahum 1:1 oracle, prophecy
  2. Nahum 1:5 Tg. burns
  3. Nahum 1:9 Or devise
  4. Nahum 1:11 Lit. counselor of Belial
  5. Nahum 1:12 Or at peace or complete
  6. Nahum 1:14 Lit. No more of your name shall be fruitful
  7. Nahum 1:14 Or contemptible
  8. Nahum 1:15 Lit. one of Belial
  9. Nahum 2:1 Vg. He who destroys
  10. Nahum 2:3 Lit. the cypresses are shaken; LXX, Syr. the horses rush about; Vg. the drivers are stupefied
  11. Nahum 2:7 Heb. Huzzab
  12. Nahum 2:8 Lit. Stand
  13. Nahum 2:9 Plunder
  14. Nahum 2:10 LXX, Tg., Vg. gather blackness; Joel 2:6
  15. Nahum 2:12 Lit. Strangled
  16. Nahum 2:12 Torn flesh
  17. Nahum 2:13 Lit. her
  18. Nahum 3:1 Lit. prey
  19. Nahum 3:2 bounding or jolting
  20. Nahum 3:4 Spiritual unfaithfulness
  21. Nahum 3:4 Lit. goodly charm, in a bad sense
  22. Nahum 3:6 despicable
  23. Nahum 3:8 Ancient Thebes; Tg., Vg. populous Alexandria
  24. Nahum 3:8 Lit. rivers, the Nile and the surrounding canals
  25. Nahum 3:9 LXX her

A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda

After (A)this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus (B)went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem (C)by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, [a]Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, [b]paralyzed, [c]waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

Jesus said to him, (D)“Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

And (E)that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; (F)it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”

11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’

12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13 But the one who was (G)healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. (H)Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Honor the Father and the Son

16 For this reason the Jews (I)persecuted Jesus, [d]and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, (J)“My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

18 Therefore the Jews (K)sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, (L)making Himself equal with God. 19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, (M)the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For (N)the Father loves the Son, and (O)shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, (P)even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but (Q)has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. (R)He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Life and Judgment Are Through the Son

24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, (S)he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, (T)but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when (U)the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For (V)as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have (W)life in Himself, 27 and (X)has given Him authority to execute judgment also, (Y)because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will (Z)hear His voice 29 (AA)and come forth—(AB)those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 30 (AC)I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because (AD)I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

The Fourfold Witness

31 (AE)“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not [e]true. 32 (AF)There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 You have sent to John, (AG)and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 He was the burning and (AH)shining lamp, and (AI)you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. 36 But (AJ)I have a greater witness than John’s; for (AK)the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very (AL)works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, (AM)has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, (AN)nor seen His form. 38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 (AO)You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and (AP)these are they which testify of Me. 40 (AQ)But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

41 (AR)“I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 (AS)How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek (AT)the honor that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; (AU)there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; (AV)for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you (AW)do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Footnotes

  1. John 5:2 NU Bethzatha
  2. John 5:3 withered
  3. John 5:3 NU omits the rest of v. 3 and all of v. 4.
  4. John 5:16 NU omits and sought to kill Him
  5. John 5:31 valid as testimony

Bible Gateway Recommends