3 Woe
to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth
not; 2 The
noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the
pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 3 The
horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and
there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there
is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: 4 Because
of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress
of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families
through her witchcrafts. 5 Behold,
I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts
upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms
thy shame. 6 And
I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set
thee as a gazingstock. 7 And
it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from
thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall
I seek comforters for thee? 8 Art
thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that
had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall
was from the sea? 9 Ethiopia
and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy
helpers.
10 Yet was
she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were
dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her
honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains. 11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt
be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy. 12 All thy strong holds shall be like fig
trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into
the mouth of the eater. 13 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee
are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies:
the fire shall devour thy bars. 14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify
thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln. 15 There shall the fire devour thee; the
sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make
thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts. 16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above
the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away. 17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and
thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the
cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not
known where they are. 18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria:
thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains,
and no man gathereth them. 19 There is no healing of thy bruise; thy
wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands
over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?