From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians
This is a mid 7^th Century BCE prophecy about the impending destruction of
the world empire of that period, the Assyrians.

Chapter 1

¹ The concern over Nineveh. This is the scroll of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

² Because He is zealous, Jehovah will punish… the Lord will punish in His rage. Jehovah will punish His opponents, and all of His enemies remove.

³ Jehovah is patient and has great strength, but the [guilty] [He] will not acquit. His ways are rumbling and final, and the clouds are as dust under His feet. ⁴ He can squeeze and dry up the seas, and [He] can desolate rivers. Thus Bashan and Carmel were weakened, and the blossoms of Lebanon have failed.

⁵ Before Him the mountains have shaken, and the hills have all trembled. Throughout the whole earth they rise at His presence, as do all who live there upon it.

⁶ Who can stand in the [face] of His rage… who can withstand His anger? For, sovereign rulers melt in His rage, and because of Him the rocks split apart.

⁷ Yet, Jehovah is gentle to all those who’ll wait, for Him in their day of affliction, and He knows all those who deeply respect Him.

⁸ By a downpour He’ll execute and consume, all those who’re aroused [to attack them], and His enemies will be pursued by the darkness.

⁹ Against Jehovah, what plans can you make? For, He Himself brings destruction. Yet, He will not punish twice, or punish for the same [errors].

¹⁰ His enemies [towns] He will lay bare, down to their very foundations… like twisted yews they’ll be consumed, and as stubble that has dried.

¹¹ Against Jehovah you have planned… wicked things you’ve plotted against Him. ¹² So, thus says Jehovah (He who rules many waters), ‘They will be sent away, and not be heard from again. ¹³ I’ll remove his rod from [your backs], and I’ll remove all his shackles.’

¹⁴ It was concerning you that Jehovah said this: ‘Your name will be mentioned no more, in the [Temple] of your God; for, I’ll destroy all your idols (those that are molded and carved), then a time will be set for your funeral… which will come very soon.’

¹⁵ {Look!} Upon the mountains are coming, the feet of he who announces good news, and with reports about peace! So, O Judah, declare a holiday, and pay all of your vows! For, they won’t enter [your gates] anymore, and they won’t look upon your corruption.

Chapter 2

¹ He’s finished… He’s consumed… He’s ascended… He who breathed in your face… He who [brought] your affliction!

Watch the road and grab hold of your loins! Be very manly in strength! ² For, the insolence of Jacob Jehovah’s removed, as well as the insolence of IsraEl; for, those who shake off shook them off, and the [leaves] on their branches they ruined.

³ Under his command there are weapons and men, who laugh at fire because of their might. The chariots [will be ready] in the day he prepares, and the horsemen will be causes of wailing. ⁴ Their chariots will wreak havoc in the roads, and then they will meet in the squares. The sight of them is like burning lamps, and lightning [trails in their wake].

⁵ Then their great men will stop and consider, and in the daytime they’ll flee. They will be weak as they leave, and between the walls they will run… for they will send advance guards.

⁶ The city gates will then open wide, and its great homes will be ruined… ⁷ all their supports will lie bare. Then [women] will appear with their servants, and be led away as though doves, amid the sounds of their beating hearts.

⁸ Nineveh is just a pool in her waters; for they didn’t stand (they just fled), when no one was paying attention. ⁹ So they looted the silver and plundered the gold… there was no limit to all that they took; for with her desirable things, they were weighed down [as they left].

¹⁰ There was thrusting, shaking, and tumult! Hearts were breaking and knees became weak. Loins became loose, and all faces looked like burnt pots.

¹¹ Where is the den of the lion? Where is the pasture [where she hides] her cubs? Where did the lion then go? She went to be with her cubs, and there was nothing to scare them. ¹² The lion then snatched up the things, which her cubs had required; and for her, young lions stragleded their prey. Their nest became filled up with game… their home was full of the things she had seized.

¹³ ‘Look, I am against you,’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘and all your army I’ll burn into smoke. Your lions I’ll devour by the broadsword, and I’ll destroy the game from your land, so the things that you do won’t be heard of.’

Chapter 3

¹ O city of blood, and all that is false and unrighteous; You’ll no longer be in charge of the game. ² For, the sounds of whips [you will hear], as well as the rumbling of wheels; the hot pursuits upon horses, and the dust that is stirred by chariot wheels; ³ the attack of horseman and shine of their swords, as well as the flashing of shields. Multitudes will then be slaughtered, and there will be a great downfall. For, there’s no limit to the nations that will come, and their bodies will weaken from [raping].

⁴ ‘You’re a whore who brought gratification, and in making potions you took the lead. Then your whoring you sold to the nations, and your potions you sold to the tribes. ⁵ So, Look! I am against you,’ says Jehovah the Almighty, ‘and I will uncover your backside, then show all the nations your shame, and your dishonor to all other kingdoms!

⁶ ‘Because of all your uncleanness, upon you I’ll bring what's disgusting, and I’ll set you as an example. ⁷ For, all who see you will leave you and say, O Nineveh the wretched; Who will now mourn over her… where should I search to bring comfort to her?

⁸ ‘So, tune up the strings of the lyre, and prepare a portion for Amun (he who inhabits the rivers)! For, she and her walls are surrounded by water, and she has ruled to the sea. ⁹ Ethiopia and Egypt have been her strength, but they’ll be [no help] in her flight into exile… yet, Sudan and Libya will come to her aid.

¹⁰ ‘But she’ll be captured and carried into exile, and her infants will be dashed on the curbs of her roads. They will cast lots for her honorable things, and her great men will all be bound.

¹¹ ‘Then you’ll be provoked and get drunk, and from your enemies you'll seek shelter. ¹² But what happens to your forts will happen to you… you will all [eat] the same fruit. And as soon as they have been shaken, they’ll fall into the mouths of those who’ll consume [them].

¹³ ‘{Look!} To your enemies all your people are like women! So, they’ll open the gates of your land, and fire will burn all the bars on your gates! ¹⁴ So, draw from the water that surrounds you, in order to save all your forts! Tread mortar and trample it with straw… make it stronger than bricks! ¹⁵ For, fire and the sword will destroy you; it will consume you like locusts, and by grasshoppers you’ll be oppressed.

¹⁶ ‘You grew your trade above the stars in the sky, but grasshoppers came and spread [over you]. ¹⁷ Small locusts will leap and consume, and cover your fences like frost. Then, as the sun rises they’ll start hopping… and woe to them, since they know not their place!

¹⁸ ‘O king of Assyria; Your shepherds are all fast asleep, and all your mighty are resting. Your people [have fled] to the mountains, and no one is searching for them. ¹⁹ No one will heal your destruction, and all your wounds are inflamed. Yet, those hearing the message about you, are clapping their hands over you… for, upon whom did your evil not come?’

Notes

The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?

In both the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT) and the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), we find all the realm of non-living creation divided into just three entities; the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (or the waters) and rivers.

Now, in contemporary English, we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can't be found. So, Genesis 1:1 is literally translated herein as, 'In the beginning, The God created the skies and the lands.' This is very accurate, because it was man's view of creation from the earth. There was just the land that he stood on, the sky above him, and the waters or seas over there. He had no technical understanding of the earth as a planet, because men had never seen the earth as a globe in space, as most of us have done today. However, because of these distinctions that we are aware of, translators must choose the proper words to provide the right nuances in English, in order for readers to grasp the proper meaning of each text. And as you will see, something as simple as selecting another synonym can give us a quite different view of the meanings of some common verses.

The Greek word ourano(n), for example, can be correctly translated as heaven, heavens, sky, and skies, depending on the context and tense. But if the translator should choose the wrong word, people will reach very different (and often wrong) conclusions, because of the nuances implied in English.

Likewise, the Greek words ge, ges, and gen can be translated as earth, earths, ground, grounds, land, or lands, depending on the context and tense. So, the symbolic words at 2 Peter 3:5, 6, for example, are translated herein as, 'The thing that they don't want to understand is this: That the ancient skies and land were out of the water, but (in obedience to God's instructions) they stood together between the waters.' (For an example of the problems created by the wrong use of the words ge, ges, and gen, see the linked document Isaiah 24 - Is It Speaking of Armageddon?).

Notice that the 'skies and land' were located 'between the water.' So, although other Bibles translated this verse as speaking of the 'heavens and earth,' the reference is to the portion of the heavens that are close to the earth… to the skies.

The same is true of the famous words of Jesus at Matthew 5:5, which read in Greek: 'Makarioi oi praeis hoti outoi kleronomesousin ten gen,' or, Blest the gentle for they will/inherit the (earth, ground, or land).' Notice that in some Bibles Jesus is recorded as saying, 'The meek will inherit the earth;' while in others he said, 'The meek will inherit the land.' Do you see the difference in nuances implied here? Yet, both word choices are equally correct.

And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. tas thalassan), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassan and rivers are called potamos (or 'flowing'). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water; 'The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.'

We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, whIch we have translated as saying, 'Then I saw new skies and new lands, because the previous sky and land had disappeared, as did the sea.' So, did John see 'a new heavens and a new earth,' as some translate his words, or did he see 'new skies and new lands,' as we have quoted him? The Greek words that are used in the beginning of this verse are both in the plural tense, but in the singular tense in the latter half of the verse. So, what John says that he saw was 'new skies and new lands' which took the place of the old 'sky, land, and sea' that had just disappeared before him (he didn't see the globe and the realm of God disappear).

Also, in the case of where EliJah was taken away in a celestial chariot; most people think he was taken (as their Bibles put it) 'to heaven,' where he went to live with God. This isn't true, because King JehoRam later received a letter from Elijah (see 2 Chronicles 21:12). So, God had apparently used the celestial chariot to take him into 'the sky' (the proper translation here), where he was then sent to another place here on the earth. For more information on this, see the linked document, The Hereafter.

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