1
Woe topEzek. 24:9; [Hab. 2:12] the bloody city,
all full of lies and plunder—
q[ch. 2:12] no end to the prey!
2 The crack of the whip, andr[ch. 2:4] rumble of the wheel,
s[Judg. 5:22] galloping horse andt[Joel 2:5] bounding chariot!
3 Horsemen charging,
flashing sword anduHab. 3:11 glittering spear,
v[2 Kgs. 19:35] hosts of slain,
heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
they stumble over the bodies!
4 And all for the countless whorings of thew[Rev. 17:2; 18:3] prostitute,
x[Isa. 47:9, 12] graceful and of deadly charms,
who betrays nations with her whorings,
and peoples with her charms.
5 m[See ch. 2:13 above] Behold, I am against you,
declares the Lord of hosts,
andyJer. 13:22, 26; [Isa. 3:17; 47:3] will lift up your skirts over your face;
and I will make nations look atzHab. 2:16 your nakedness
and kingdoms at your shame.
6 I will throw filth at you
andaMal. 2:9; [ch. 1:14] treat you with contempt
and make youbHeb. 10:33; [1 Cor. 4:9] a spectacle.
7 And all who look at youcJer. 51:9; Rev. 18:10 will shrink from you and say,
Wasted isd[Zeph. 2:13]; See ch. 1:1 Nineveh;eIsa. 51:19; Jer. 15:5 who will grieve for her?
fLam. 1:2, 9, 16, 17, 21 Where shall I seek comforters for you?
8 g[Amos 6:2] Are you better thanhJer. 46:25 Thebes
that sati[Ezek. 29:3] by the Nile,
with water around her,
her rampart a sea,
and water her wall?
9 jSee Dan. 11:43 Cush was her strength;
Egypt too, and that without limit;
kGen. 10:6 Put and thelSee 2 Chr. 12:3 Libyans were her helpers.
10 mIsa. 20:4 Yet she became an exile;
she went into captivity;
nIsa. 13:16 her infants were dashed in pieces
at the head of every street;
for her honored menoJoel 3:3; Obad. 11 lots were cast,
p[Ps. 149:8] and all her great men were bound in chains.
11 qJer. 25:17, 27; [Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17; Obad. 16] You also will be drunken;
you will go into hiding;
r[Jer. 4:5, 6] you will seek a refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortresses ares[Rev. 6:13] like fig trees
with first-ripe figs—
if shaken they fall
into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold, your troops
tIsa. 19:16; Jer. 51:30 are women in your midst.
The gates of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire has devoured your bars.
14 u[Isa. 22:11] Draw water for the siege;
r[See ver. 11 above] strengthen your forts;
go into the clay;
tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick mold!
15 There will the fire devour you;
the sword will cut you off.
It willv[Joel 2:3] devour youw[Joel 1:4, 6] like the locust.
Multiply yourselvesw[Joel 1:4, 6] like the locust;
multiplyw[Joel 1:4, 6] like the grasshopper!
16 You increasedx[Ezek. 27:23, 24] your merchants
more than the stars of the heavens.
w[See ver. 15 above] The locust spreads its wings and flies away.
17 Yourz[Isa. 10:8] princes arew[See ver. 15 above] like grasshoppers,
aJer. 51:27 your scribes1Or marshals like clouds of locusts
settling on the fences
in a day of cold—
when the sun rises, they fly away;
no one knows where they are.
18 Your shepherdsb[Ps. 76:5] are asleep,
O king of Assyria;
cch. 2:5 your nobles slumber.
Your peopled[1 Kgs. 22:17] are scattered on the mountains
with none to gather them.
19 There is no easing your hurt;
eJer. 10:19; Mic. 1:9 your wound is grievous.
All who hear the news about you
fLam. 2:15; [Zeph. 2:15] clap their hands over you.
Forg[Isa. 37:18] upon whom has not come
your unceasing evil?