הוֹי עִיר דָּמִים כֻּלָּהּ כַּחַשׁ פֶּרֶק מְלֵאָה לֹא יָמִישׁ טָרֶף

Woe! The city of blood, of crime, all of it is deceit, filled with lawlessness; prey does not depart from it. It is an oppressive city, whose cruelty is not haphazard, but is part of a culture of deceit.

קוֹל שׁוֹט וְקוֹל רַעַשׁ אוֹפָן וְסוּס דֹּהֵר וּמֶרְכָּבָה מְרַקֵּדָה

The prophet vividly describes the fate of the bloody city: From afar, one can hear the crack of the enemy’s whip, hastening the horses; and one can hear the sound of the rattling wheel of the chariots; a galloping horse and a bouncing chariot. Due to the low quality of both the roads and chariot wheels in those times, a fast-driving chariot would shake and jump around as though it were dancing.

פָּרָשׁ מַעֲלֶה וְלַהַב חֶרֶב וּבְרַק חֲנִית וְרֹב חָלָל וְכֹבֶד פָּגֶר וְאֵין קֵצֶה לַגְּוִיָּה וְכָשְׁלוּ בִּגְוִיָּתָם

The horseman flourishes, raises and exposes, sword blade and glittering spear. This is not a military parade; rather, these soldiers are drawing their weapons to kill. There are a horde of corpses and a great quantity of carcasses, and there is no end to the bodies that will fill the conquered city. As a result, they, the soldiers, stumble over their bodies.

מֵרֹב זְנוּנֵי זוֹנָה טוֹבַת חֵן בַּעֲלַת כְּשָׁפִים הַמֹּכֶרֶת גּוֹיִם בִּזְנוּנֶיהָ ומִשְׁפָּחוֹת בִּכְשָׁפֶיהָ

The prophet describes another, less violent aspect of Nineveh: All this befell Nineveh due to the great harlotry of the harlot, who was blessed with grace. The prophet compares the city to a beautiful prostitute, a practitioner of witchcraft who uses her powers to attract men, who sells nations with her harlotry, and captures families, peoples, with her witchcraft.

הִנְנִי אֵלַיִךְ נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת וְגִלֵּיתִי שׁוּלַיִךְ עַל־פָּנָיִךְ וְהַרְאֵיתִי גוֹיִם מַעְרֵךְ וּמַמְלָכוֹת קְלוֹנֵךְ

Behold, I am turning against you – the utterance of the Lord of hosts – and I will raise your skirts over your face, and I will show nations your nakedness and kingdoms your shame.

וְהִשְׁלַכְתִּי עָלַיִךְ שִׁקֻּצִים וְנִבַּלְתִּיךְ וְשַׂמְתִּיךְ כְּרֹאִי

I will cast repugnant things upon you and make you vile; I will render you filthy and repulsive like dung.

וְהָיָה כָל־רֹאַיִךְ יִדּוֹד מִמֵּךְ וְאָמַר שָׁדְּדָה נִינְוֵה מִי יָנוּד לָהּ! מֵאַיִן אֲבַקֵּשׁ מְנַחֲמִים לָךְ!

It shall be that all they who see you will move, to distance themselves from you, and say: Nineveh is plundered, who will be moved for her [yanud la]? From where will I seek comforters for you? No one will have pity upon or offer comfort to Nineveh. Generally, one who sees a devastated area will at least shake [yanud] his head in pity, but no one will do this for Nineveh.

הֲתֵיטְבִי מִנֹּא אָמוֹן הַיֹּשְׁבָה בַּיְאֹרִים מַיִם סָבִיב לָהּ אֲשֶׁר־חֵיל יָם מִיָּם חוֹמָתָהּ

The prophet places this event in historical perspective: Are you, Nineveh, better, more powerful and successful, than Noh Amon? This was for many years the capital city of Egypt. Even now it is a city which sits among the channels, water surrounds it, protecting it, whose rampart is the sea, out of the sea bed rises its wall. Noh Amon was a fortified city, guarded by nature.

כּוּשׁ עָצְמָה וּמִצְרַיִם וְאֵין קֵצֶה פּוּט וְלוּבִים הָיוּ בְּעֶזְרָתֵךְ

Kush was mighty and Egypt was without end. Egypt was larger than Assyria and its neighbors. There were ties between Egypt and Kush. Most of the time, Egypt ruled Kush, in which case Egypt benefited from Kush’s military strength; however, there were also periods when Kushite dynasties ruled over Egypt. Put, perhaps Punt, and Luvim, kingdoms near Egypt that were under its control, were your, Noh Amon’s, helpers, as they joined its army.

גַּם־הִיא לַגֹּלָה הָלְכָה בַשֶּׁבִי גַּם עֹלָלֶיהָ יְרֻטְּשׁוּ בְּרֹאשׁ כָּל־חוּצוֹת וְעַל־נִכְבַּדֶּיהָ יַדּוּ גוֹרָל וְכָל־גְּדוֹלֶיהָ רֻתְּקוּ בַזִּקִּים

It too, the powerful Egyptian capital Noh Amon, eventually went into exile in captivity. Since Egypt was conquered by Assyria, this illustration of Assyria’s own weakness is therefore ironic. Its young children would be mangled at the head of every street. The enemy army had no interest in the local children, and its soldiers beheaded them in the streets, almost playfully; and they cast lots over its noblemen, to decide which soldier would receive which as his slave. All its great men were bound in chains,for sale as slaves or to extort from them as much as possible before killing them.

גַּם־אַתְּ תִּשְׁכְּרִי תְּהִי נַעֲלָמָה גַּם־אַתְּ תְּבַקְשִׁי מָעוֹז מאוֹיֵב

Just like Noh Amon, you too will become drunk, as you will be forced to imbibe from the poisonous cup of retribution. You will disappear; you too will seek refuge from the enemy.

כָּל־מִבְצָרַיִךְ תְּאֵנִים עִם־בִּכּוּרִים אִם־יִנּוֹעוּ וְנָפְלוּ עַל־פִּי אוֹכֵל

All your fortresses, which are designed to be difficult to conquer, will be like fig trees with first fruits, ready for the enemy’s consumption; if they, the trees, are shaken, they, the figs, will fall into the mouth of the consumer.

הִנֵּה עַמֵּךְ נָשִׁים בְּקִרְבֵּךְ לְאֹיְבַיִךְ פָּתוֹחַ נִפְתְּחוּ שַׁעֲרֵי אַרְצֵךְ אָכְלָה אֵשׁ בְּרִיחָיִךְ

Behold, your people are women in your midst, who do not venture into battle, and as there is no one to protect you, the gates of your land opened before your enemies, the fire consumed your gates’ bars.

מֵי מָצוֹר שַׁאֲבִי־לָךְ חַזְּקִי מִבְצָרָיִךְ בֹּאִי בַטִּיט וְרִמְסִי בַחֹמֶר הַחֲזִיקִי מַלְבֵּן

If you wish to prepare for the enemy’s attack, Nineveh, draw water, so you will have accessible reservoirs for the siege. Reinforce your fortresses; to that end, come into the clay and trample the mortar. Nineveh was built with bricks, and in order to fashion them, people had to tread mortar with their feet. Lay hold of the brick mold.

שָׁם תֹּאכְלֵךְ אֵשׁ תַּכְרִיתֵךְ חֶרֶב תֹּאכְלֵךְ כַּיָּלֶק הִתְכַּבֵּד כַּיֶּלֶק הִתְכַּבְּדִי כָּאַרְבֶּה

However, any preparations you undertake will be futile. There, fire will consume you; you will be eliminated by sword; the city’s residents will be killed. It will consume you like the migratory locust, whose huge swarms are vulnerable and defenseless against those who wish to eat them. Proliferate like the migratory locust; proliferate like the desert locust, only to be devoured en masse.

הִרְבֵּית רֹכְלַיִךְ מִכּוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם יֶלֶק פָּשַׁט וַיָּעֹף

Since you are a large city and commercial center, you multiplied your merchants beyond the stars of the heavens, it appeared there were more merchants than stars; migratory locusts that spread themselves and fly away. Like a young grasshopper that spreads its wings and begins to fly, the city spread its commercial influence around the world, sending its merchants everywhere.

מִנְּזָרַיִךְ כָּאַרְבֶּה וְטַפְסְרַיִךְ כְּגוֹב גּוֹבָי הַחוֹנִים בַּגְּדֵרוֹת בְּיוֹם קָרָה שֶׁמֶשׁ זָרְחָה וְנוֹדַד וְלֹא־נוֹדַע מְקוֹמוֹ אַיָּם

Your rulers, alternatively, your smart representatives around the world, are numerous like locusts, and your officials are like a swarm of grasshoppers that settle on the fences on a day of frost. Since grasshoppers have cold blood, their body temperature and energy depend upon the sun. Therefore, in cold temperatures they are incapable of flying and must remain on rocks and fences. However, the sun subsequently shines and then it wanders; its place, where it is, is not known. When the sun shines, the grasshoppers fly off; so too, all the leaders of Nineveh will disappear suddenly.

נָמוּ רֹעֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר יִשְׁכְּנוּ אַדִּירֶיךָ נָפֹשׁוּ עַמְּךָ עַל־הֶהָרִים וְאֵין מְקַבֵּץ

Your shepherds, your ministers, slumber, king of Assyria, your mighty are at rest, they do nothing. Your people are scattered upon the mountains, and there is no one to gather them. The king of Assyria will not be able to rely on his men. When they are most needed, in a time of crisis, his lazy ministers will disperse.

אֵין־כֵּהָה לְשִׁבְרֶךָ נַחְלָה מַכָּתֶךָ כֹּל שֹׁמְעֵי שִׁמְעֲךָ תָּקְעוּ כַף עָלֶיךָ כִּי עַל־מִי לֹא־עָבְרָה רָעָתְךָ תָּמִיד

There is no remedy for your injury, your wound is mortal; all who hear report of you, of your collapse, king of Assyria, clap hands over you, rejoice, for who did not constantly suffer your evildoing? Since the Assyrians oppressed the entire region, all the nations that were persecuted and exiled by them will rejoice over the passing of the Assyrian menace.