Bible in 90 Days
Israel Will Be Made Like New Again
11 “The time will come when I will set up
David’s fallen shelter.
I will repair its broken walls.
I will rebuild what was destroyed.
I will make it what it used to be.
12 Then my people will take control of those
who are left alive in Edom.
They will also possess all the nations
that belong to me,”
announces the Lord.
He will do all these things.
13 “The days are coming,” announces the Lord.
“At that time those who plow the land
will catch up with those who harvest the crops.
Those who stomp on grapes
will catch up with those who plant the vines.
Fresh wine will drip from the mountains.
It will flow down from all the hills.
14 I will bring my people Israel back home.
I will bless them with great success again.
They will rebuild the destroyed cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce.
They will make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will plant Israel in their own land.
They will never again be removed
from the land I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.
Obadiah’s Vision
1 This is the vision about Edom that Obadiah had.
Here is what the Lord and King says about Edom.
We’ve heard a message from the Lord.
A messenger was sent to the nations.
The Lord told him to say,
“Get up! Let us go and make war against Edom.”
2 The Lord says to Edom,
“I will make you weak among the nations.
They will look down on you.
3 You live in the safety of the rocks.
You make your home high up in the mountains.
But your proud heart has tricked you.
So you say to yourself,
‘No one can bring me down to the ground.’
4 You have built your home as high as an eagle does.
You have made your nest among the stars.
But I will bring you down from there,”
announces the Lord.
5 “Edom, suppose robbers came to you at night.
They would steal only as much as they wanted.
Suppose grape pickers came to harvest your vines.
They would still leave a few grapes.
But you are facing horrible trouble!
6 People of Esau, everything will be taken away from you.
Your hidden treasures will be stolen.
7 All those who are helping you
will force you to leave your country.
Your friends will trick you and overpower you.
Those who eat bread with you
will set a trap for you.
But you will not see it.”
8 Here is what the Lord announces. “At that time
I will destroy the wise men of Edom.
I will wipe out the men of understanding
in the mountains of Esau.
9 People of Teman, your soldiers will be terrified.
Everyone in Esau’s mountains
will be cut down by swords.
10 You did harmful things to the people of Jacob.
They are your relatives.
So you will be covered with shame.
You will be destroyed forever.
11 Outsiders entered the gates of Jerusalem.
They cast lots to see what each one would get.
Strangers carried off its wealth.
When that happened, you just stood there and did nothing.
You were like one of them.
12 That was a time of trouble for your relatives.
So you shouldn’t have been happy about what happened to them.
The people of Judah were destroyed.
So you should not have been happy about it.
You should not have laughed at them so much
when they were in trouble.
13 You should not have marched
through the gates of my people’s city
when they were in trouble.
You shouldn’t have been happy about what happened to them.
You should not have stolen their wealth
when they were in trouble.
14 You waited where the roads cross.
You wanted to cut down those who were running away.
You should not have done that.
You handed over to their enemies
those who were still left alive.
You should not have done that.
They were in trouble.
15 “The day of the Lord is near
for all the nations.
Others will do to you
what you have done to them.
You will be paid back
for what you have done.
16 You Edomites made my holy mountain of Zion impure
by drinking and celebrating there.
So all the nations will drink
from the cup of my anger.
And they will keep on drinking from it.
They will vanish.
It will be as if they had never existed.
17 But on Mount Zion some of my people will be left alive.
I will save them.
Zion will be my holy mountain once again.
And the people of Jacob
will again receive the land as their own.
18 They will be like a fire.
Joseph’s people will be like a flame.
The nation of Edom will be like straw.
Jacob’s people will set Edom on fire and burn it up.
No one will be left alive
among Esau’s people.”
The Lord has spoken.
19 Israelites from the Negev Desert
will take over Esau’s mountains.
Israelites from the western hills
will possess the land of the Philistines.
They’ll take over the territories
of Ephraim and Samaria.
Israelites from the tribe of Benjamin
will possess the land of Gilead.
20 Some Israelites were forced to leave their homes.
They’ll come back to Canaan and possess
it all the way to the town of Zarephath.
Some people from Jerusalem were taken
to the city of Sepharad.
They’ll return and possess
the towns of the Negev Desert.
21 Leaders from Mount Zion will go
and rule over the mountains of Esau.
And the kingdom will belong to the Lord.
Jonah Runs Away From the Lord
1 A message from the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai. The Lord said, 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh. Preach against it. The sins of its people have come to my attention.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord. He headed for Tarshish. So he went down to the port of Joppa. There he found a ship that was going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went on board. Then he sailed for Tarshish. He was running away from the Lord.
4 But the Lord sent a strong wind over the Mediterranean Sea. A wild storm came up. It was so wild that the ship was in danger of breaking apart. 5 All the sailors were afraid. Each one cried out to his own god for help. They threw the ship’s contents into the sea. They were trying to make the ship lighter.
But Jonah had gone below deck. There he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went down to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call out to your god for help! Maybe he’ll pay attention to what’s happening to us. Then we won’t die.”
7 Here is what the sailors said to one another. “Someone is to blame for getting us into all this trouble. Come. Let’s cast lots to find out who it is.” So they did. And Jonah was picked. 8 They asked him, “What terrible thing have you done to bring all this trouble on us? Tell us. What do you do for a living? Where do you come from? What is your country? What people do you belong to?”
9 He answered, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship the Lord. He is the God of heaven. He made the sea and the dry land.”
10 They found out he was running away from the Lord. That’s because he had told them. Then they became terrified. So they asked him, “How could you do a thing like that?”
11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down?”
12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied. “Then it will become calm. I know it’s my fault that this terrible storm has come on you.”
13 But the men didn’t do what he said. Instead, they did their best to row back to land. But they couldn’t. The sea got even rougher than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord. They prayed, “Please, Lord, don’t let us die for taking this man’s life. After all, he might not be guilty of doing anything wrong. So don’t hold us responsible for killing him. Lord, you always do what you want to.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard. And the stormy sea became calm. 16 The men saw what had happened. Then they began to have great respect for the Lord. They offered a sacrifice to him. And they made promises to him.
Jonah Prays to the Lord
17 Now the Lord sent a huge fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. 2 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said,
“When I was in trouble, I called out to the Lord.
And he answered me.
When I was deep in the place of the dead,
I called out for help.
And you listened to my cry.
3 You threw me deep into the Mediterranean Sea.
I was deep down in its waters.
They were all around me.
All your rolling waves
were sweeping over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been driven away from you.
But I will look again
toward your holy temple in Jerusalem.’
5 I had almost drowned in the waves.
The deep waters were all around me.
Seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 I sank down to the bottom of the mountains.
I thought I had died
and gone down into the grave forever.
But you are the Lord my God.
You brought my life up
from the very edge of the pit of death.
7 “When my life was nearly over,
I remembered you, Lord.
My prayer rose up to you.
It reached you in your holy temple in heaven.
8 “Some people worship the worthless statues of their gods.
They turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I will sacrifice a thank offering to you.
And I will shout with thankful praise.
I will do what I have promised.
I will say, ‘Lord, you are the one who saves.’ ”
10 The Lord gave the fish a command. And it spit Jonah up onto dry land.
Jonah Goes to Nineveh
3 A message from the Lord came to Jonah a second time. The Lord said, 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce to its people the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the Lord. He went to Nineveh. It was a very large city. In fact, it took about three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going one whole day into the city. As he went, he announced, “In 40 days Nineveh will be destroyed.” 5 The people of Nineveh believed God’s warning. So they decided not to eat any food for a while. And all of them put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. That’s what everyone did, from the least important of them to the most important.
6 Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh. He got up from his throne. He took off his royal robes. He also dressed himself in the clothing of sadness. And then he sat down in the dust. 7 Here is the message he sent out to the people of Nineveh.
“I and my nobles give this order.
Don’t let people or animals taste anything. That includes your herds and flocks. People and animals must not eat or drink anything. 8 Let people and animals alike be covered with the clothing of sadness. All of you must call out to God with all your hearts. Stop doing what is evil. Don’t harm others. 9 Who knows? God might take pity on us. He might not be angry with us anymore. Then we won’t die.”
10 God saw what they did. He saw that they stopped doing what was evil. So he took pity on them. He didn’t destroy them as he had said he would.
Jonah Is Angry That the Lord Spares Nineveh
4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong. He became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord. Here is what Jonah said to him. “Lord, isn’t this exactly what I thought would happen when I was still at home? That is what I tried to prevent by running away to Tarshish. I knew that you are gracious. You are tender and kind. You are slow to get angry. You are full of love. You are a God who takes pity on people. You don’t want to destroy them. 3 Lord, take away my life. I’d rather die than live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah had left the city. He had sat down at a place east of it. There he put some branches over his head. He sat in their shade. He waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God sent a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah. It gave him more shade for his head. It made him more comfortable. Jonah was very happy he had the leafy plant. 7 But before sunrise the next day, God sent a worm. It chewed the plant so much that it dried up. 8 When the sun rose, God sent a burning east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head. It made him very weak. He wanted to die. So he said, “I’d rather die than live.”
9 But God spoke to Jonah. God said, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” Jonah said. “In fact, I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant. But you did not take care of it. You did not make it grow. It grew up in one night and died the next. 11 And shouldn’t I show concern for the great city of Nineveh? It has more than 120,000 people. They can’t tell right from wrong. Nineveh also has a lot of animals.”
1 A message from the Lord came to Micah. He was from the town of Moresheth. The message came while Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. This is the vision Micah saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Here is what he said.
2 Listen to me, all you nations!
Earth and everyone who lives in it, pay attention!
The Lord and King will be a witness against you.
The Lord will speak from his holy temple in heaven.
The Lord Will Judge Samaria and Jerusalem
3 The Lord is about to come down
from his home in heaven.
He rules over even the highest places on earth.
4 The mountains will melt under him
like wax near a fire.
The valleys will be broken apart
by water rushing down a slope.
5 All this will happen because
Jacob’s people have done what is wrong.
The people of Israel
have committed many sins.
Who is to blame
for the wrong things Jacob has done?
Samaria!
Who is to blame for the high places
where Judah’s people worship other gods?
Jerusalem!
6 So the Lord says,
“I will turn Samaria into a pile of trash.
It will become a place for planting vineyards.
I will dump its stones down into the valley.
And I will destroy it
down to its very foundations.
7 All the statues of Samaria’s gods
will be broken to pieces.
All the gifts its people gave to temple prostitutes
will be burned with fire.
I will destroy all the statues of its gods.
Samaria collected gifts that were paid to temple prostitutes.
So the Assyrians will use the gifts
to pay their own temple prostitutes.”
Micah Weeps Over His People
8 I will weep and mourn because Samaria will be destroyed.
I’ll walk around barefoot and naked.
I’ll bark like a wild dog.
I’ll hoot like an owl.
9 Samaria’s plague can’t be healed.
The plague has spread to Judah.
It has spread right up to the gate of my people.
It has spread to Jerusalem itself.
10 Don’t tell the people of Gath about it.
Don’t let them see you weep.
People in Beth Ophrah, roll in the dust.
11 You who live in the town of Shaphir,
leave naked and in shame.
Those who live in Zaanan
won’t come out to help you.
The people in Beth Ezel will mourn.
They won’t be able to help keep you safe any longer.
12 Those who live in Maroth will groan with pain
as they wait for help.
That’s because the Lord will bring trouble on them.
It will reach the very gate of Jerusalem.
13 You who live in Lachish,
get your fast horses ready to pull their chariots.
You trust in military power.
Lachish was where sin began
for the people of Zion.
The wrong things Israel did
were also done by you.
14 People of Judah, you might as well say goodbye
to Moresheth near Gath.
The town of Akzib won’t give any help
to the kings of Israel.
15 An enemy will attack
you who live in Mareshah.
Israel’s nobles will have to run away
and hide in the cave of Adullam.
16 The children you enjoy so much
will be taken away as prisoners.
So shave your heads and mourn.
Make them as bare as the head of a vulture.
People’s Plans and God’s Plans
2 How terrible it will be for those
who plan to harm others!
How terrible for those who make evil plans
before they even get out of bed!
As soon as daylight comes,
they carry out their plans.
That’s because they have the power to do it.
2 If they want fields or houses,
they take them.
They cheat people out of their homes.
They rob them of their property.
3 So the Lord says to them,
“I am planning to send trouble on you.
You will not be able to save yourselves from it.
You will not live so proudly anymore.
It will be a time of trouble.
4 At that time people will make fun of you.
They will tease you by singing a song of sadness.
They will pretend to be you and say,
‘We are totally destroyed.
Our enemies have divided up our land.
The Lord has taken it away from us!
He has given our fields to those
who turned against us.’ ”
5 So you won’t even have anyone left
in the Lord’s community
who can divide up the land for you.
Some Prophets Aren’t Really Prophets at All
6 “Don’t prophesy,” the people’s prophets say.
“Don’t prophesy about bad things.
Nothing shameful is going to happen to us.”
7 People of Jacob, should anyone say,
“The Lord is patient,
so he wouldn’t do things like that”?
The Lord replies, “What I promise brings good things
to those who lead honest lives.
8 But lately my people have attacked one another
as if they were enemies.
You strip off the rich robes
from those who happen to pass by.
They thought they were as safe as men
returning from a battle they had won.
9 You drive the women among my people
out of their pleasant homes.
You take away my blessing
from their children forever.
10 Get up! Leave this land!
It is no longer your resting place.
You have made it ‘unclean.’
You have completely destroyed it.
11 Suppose a prophet goes around telling lies.
And he prophesies that you will have
plenty of wine and beer.
Then that kind of prophet would be
just right for this nation!
The Lord Promises to Save His People
12 “People of Jacob, I will gather all of you.
I will bring together
you who are still left alive in Israel.
I will gather you together like sheep in a pen.
You will be like a flock in its grasslands.
Your country will be filled with people.
13 I will open the way for you to return.
I will march in front of you.
You will break through the city gates and go free.
I am your King. I will pass through the gates
in front of you.
I, the Lord, will lead the way.”
The Lord Warns Israel’s Leaders and Prophets
3 Then I said,
“Listen, you leaders of Jacob’s people!
Pay attention, you rulers of Israel!
You should want to judge others fairly.
2 But you hate what is good.
And you love what is evil.
You are like someone
who tears the skin off my people.
You pull the meat off their bones.
3 You eat my people’s bodies.
You strip off their skin.
You break their bones in pieces.
You chop them up like meat.
You put them in a cooking pot.”
4 The time will come when Israel
will cry out to the Lord.
But he won’t answer them.
In fact, he’ll turn his face away from them.
They have done what is evil.
5 The Lord says,
“The prophets are those
who lead my people astray.
If my people feed them,
the prophets promise them peace.
If my people do not feed them,
the prophets prepare to go to war against them.
6 So night will come on the prophets.
But they will not have any visions.
Darkness will cover them.
But they will not be able
to figure out what is going to happen.
The sun will set on the prophets.
The day will become dark for them.
7 Those who see visions will be put to shame.
Those who try to figure out what is going to happen
will be dishonored.
All of them will cover their faces.
I will not answer them.”
8 The Spirit of the Lord
has filled me with power.
He helps me do what is fair.
He makes me brave.
Now I’m prepared to tell Jacob’s people
what they’ve done wrong.
I’m ready to tell Israel they’ve sinned.
9 Listen to me, you leaders of Jacob’s people!
Pay attention, you rulers of Israel!
You hate to do what is fair.
You twist everything that is right.
10 You build up Zion by spilling the blood of others.
You build Jerusalem by doing what is evil.
11 Your judges take money from people
who want special favors.
Your priests teach only if they get paid for it.
Your prophets won’t tell fortunes
unless they receive money.
But you still look for the Lord’s help.
You say, “The Lord is with us.
No trouble will come on us.”
12 So because of what you have done,
Zion will be plowed up like a field.
Jerusalem will be turned into a pile of trash.
The temple hill will be covered with bushes and weeds.
People From Many Nations Will Worship at the Lord’s Mountain
4 In the last days
the mountain where the Lord’s temple is located will be famous.
It will be the highest mountain of all.
It will be lifted up above the hills.
And nations will go to it.
2 People from many nations will go there. They will say,
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain.
Let’s go to the temple of Jacob’s God.
He will teach us how we should live.
Then we will live the way he wants us to.”
The law of the Lord will be taught at Zion.
His message will go out from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between people from many nations.
He’ll settle problems among strong nations everywhere.
They will hammer their swords into plows.
They’ll hammer their spears into pruning tools.
Nations will not go to war against one another.
They won’t even train to fight anymore.
4 Everyone will have
their own vine and fig tree.
And no one will make them afraid.
That’s what the Lord who rules over all has promised.
5 Other nations worship and trust in their gods.
But we will worship and obey the Lord.
He will be our God for ever and ever.
The Lord’s Plan
6 “The time is coming
when I will gather those who are disabled,”
announces the Lord.
“I will bring together those
who were taken away as prisoners.
I will gather those I have allowed to suffer.
7 I will make the disabled my faithful people.
I will make into a strong nation those driven away from their homes.
I will rule over them on Mount Zion.
I will be their King from that time on and forever.
8 Jerusalem, you used to be
like a guard tower for my flock.
City of Zion, you used to be
a place of safety for my people.
The glorious kingdom you had before
will be given back to you.
Once again a king will rule over your people.”
9 Why are you crying out so loudly now?
Don’t you have a king?
Has your ruler died?
Is that why pain comes on you
like the pain of a woman having a baby?
10 People of Zion, groan with pain.
Cry out like a woman having a baby.
Soon you must leave your city.
You must camp in the open fields.
You will have to go to the land of Babylon.
But that’s where the Lord will save you.
There he will set you free
from the power of your enemies.
11 But now many nations
have gathered together to attack you.
They say, “Let Jerusalem be made ‘unclean.’
We want to laugh when Zion suffers!”
12 But those nations don’t know
what the Lord has in mind.
They don’t understand his plan.
He has planned to gather them up like bundles of grain.
He has planned to take them to his threshing floor.
13 The Lord says,
“People of Zion, get up
and crush your enemies.
I will make you like a threshing ox.
I will give you iron horns and bronze hooves.
So you will crush many nations.”
They got their money in the wrong way.
But you will set it apart to the Lord.
You will give their wealth
to the Lord of the whole earth.
A Promised Ruler Will Come From Bethlehem
5 Jerusalem, you are being attacked.
So bring your troops together.
Our enemies have surrounded us.
They want to slap the face of Israel’s ruler.
2 The Lord says,
“Bethlehem Ephrathah, you might not be
an important town in the nation of Judah.
But out of you will come for me
a ruler over Israel.
His family line goes back
to the early years of your nation.
It goes all the way back
to days of long ago.”
3 The Lord will hand over his people to their enemies.
That will last until the pregnant woman bears her promised son.
Then the rest of his relatives in Judah
will return to their land.
4 That promised son will stand firm
and be a shepherd for his flock.
The Lord will give him the strength to do it.
The Lord his God will give him
the authority to rule.
His people will live safely.
His greatness will reach
from one end of the earth to the other.
5 And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians attack our land.
They will march through our forts.
But we will raise up against them many shepherds.
We’ll send out against them
as many commanders as we need to.
6 They will use their swords to rule over Assyria.
They’ll rule the land of Nimrod
with swords that are ready to strike.
The Assyrians will march across our borders
and attack our land.
But the promised ruler will save us from them.
7 Jacob’s people who are still left alive
will be scattered among many nations.
They will be like dew the Lord has sent.
Dew doesn’t depend on any human being.
They will be like rain that falls on the grass.
Rain doesn’t wait for someone to give it orders.
8 So Jacob’s people will be scattered
among many nations.
They will be like a lion
among the animals in the forest.
They’ll be like a young lion
among flocks of sheep.
Lions attack and tear apart their prey as they move along.
No one can keep them
from killing what they want.
9 Lord, your power will win the battle
over your enemies.
All of them will be destroyed.
10 “At that time I will destroy
your war horses,” announces the Lord.
“I will smash your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities in your land.
I will tear down all your forts.
12 I will destroy your worship of evil powers.
You will no longer be able
to put a spell on anyone.
13 I will destroy the statues of your gods.
I will take your sacred stones away from you.
You will no longer bow down
to the gods your hands have made.
14 I will pull down the poles you used
to worship the female god named Asherah.
That will happen when I completely destroy your cities.
15 I will pay back the nations
that have not obeyed me.
I will direct my anger against them.”
The Lord Brings Charges Against Israel
6 Israel, listen to the Lord’s message. He says to me,
“Stand up in court.
Let the mountains serve as witnesses.
Let the hills hear what you have to say.”
2 Hear the Lord’s case, you mountains.
Listen, you age-old foundations of the earth.
The Lord has a case against his people Israel.
He is bringing charges against them.
3 The Lord says,
“My people, what have I done to you?
Have I made things too hard for you? Answer me.
4 I brought your people up out of Egypt.
I set them free from the land
where they were slaves.
I sent Moses to lead them.
Aaron and Miriam helped him.
5 Remember how Balak, the king of Moab,
planned to put a curse on your people.
But Balaam, the son of Beor,
gave them a blessing instead.
Remember their journey from Shittim to Gilgal.
I want you to know
that I always do what is right.”
6 The people of Israel say,
“What should we bring with us
when we go to worship the Lord?
What should we offer the God of heaven
when we bow down to him?
Should we take burnt offerings to him?
Should we sacrifice calves
that are a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams?
Will he take delight in 10,000 rivers of olive oil?
Should we offer our oldest sons
for the wrong things we’ve done?
Should we sacrifice our own children
to pay for our sins?”
8 The Lord has shown you what is good.
He has told you what he requires of you.
You must act with justice.
You must love to show mercy.
And you must be humble as you live in the sight of your God.
The Lord Will Punish His Guilty People
9 The Lord is calling out to Jerusalem.
And it would be wise to pay attention to him.
He says, “Listen, tribe of Judah
and you people who are gathered in the city.
10 You sinful people, should I forget
that you got your treasures by stealing them?
You use dishonest measures to cheat others.
I have placed a curse on that practice.
11 Should I forgive anyone who uses dishonest scales?
They use weights that weigh things heavier
or lighter than they really are.
12 The rich people among you harm others.
You are always telling lies.
You try to fool others by what you say.
13 So I have begun to strike you down.
I have begun to destroy you
because you have sinned so much.
14 You will eat. But you will not be satisfied.
Your stomachs will still be empty.
You will try to save what you can.
But you will not be able to.
If you do save something,
it will be destroyed in battle.
15 You will plant seeds.
But you will not harvest any crops.
You will press olives.
But you will not use the oil.
You will crush grapes.
But you will not drink the wine
that is made from them.
16 You have followed the evil practices
of King Omri of Israel.
You have done what the family
of King Ahab did.
You have followed their bad example.
So I will let you be destroyed.
Others will make fun of you.
The nations will laugh at you.”
Israel’s Sin Brings Suffering
7 I’m suffering very much!
I’m like someone who gathers summer fruit in a vineyard
after the good fruit has already been picked.
No grapes are left to eat.
None of the early figs I long for remain.
2 Faithful people have disappeared from the land.
Those who are honest are gone.
Everyone hides and waits
to spill the blood of others.
They use nets to try and trap one another.
3 They are very good at doing what is evil.
Rulers require gifts.
Judges accept money from people
who want special favors.
Those who are powerful
always get what they want.
All of them make evil plans together.
4 The best of these people are as harmful as thorns.
The most honest of them are even worse.
God has come to punish you.
The time your prophets warned you about has come.
Panic has taken hold of you.
5 Don’t trust your neighbors.
Don’t put your faith in your friends.
Be careful what you say
even to your own wife.
6 Sons don’t honor their fathers.
Daughters refuse to obey their mothers.
Daughters-in-law are against their mothers-in-law.
A man’s enemies are the members of his own family.
7 But I will look to the Lord.
I’ll put my trust in God my Savior.
He will hear me.
Jerusalem Will Be Rebuilt
8 The people of Jerusalem say,
“Don’t laugh when we suffer,
you enemies of ours!
We have fallen.
But we’ll get up.
Even though we sit in the dark,
the Lord will give us light.
9 We’ve sinned against the Lord.
So he is angry with us.
His anger will continue until he takes up our case.
Then he’ll do what is right for us.
He’ll bring us out into the light.
Then we’ll see him save us.
10 Our enemies will see it too.
And they will be put to shame.
After all, they said to us,
‘Where is the Lord your God?’
But we will see them destroyed.
Soon they will be stomped on
like mud in the streets.”
11 People of Jerusalem, the time will come
when your walls will be rebuilt.
Land will be added to your territory.
12 At that time your people will come back to you.
They’ll return from Assyria
and the cities of Egypt.
They’ll come from the countries
between Egypt and the Euphrates River.
They’ll return from the lands
between the seas.
They’ll come back from the countries
between the mountains.
13 But the rest of the earth will be deserted.
The people who live in it
have done many evil things.
Prayer and Praise
14 Lord, be like a shepherd to your people.
Take good care of them.
They are your flock.
They live by themselves
in the safety of a forest.
Rich grasslands are all around them.
Let them eat grass in Bashan and Gilead
just as they did long ago.
15 The Lord says to his people,
“I showed you my wonders
when you came out of Egypt long ago.
In the same way, I will show them to you again.”
16 When the nations see those wonders,
they will be put to shame.
All their power will be taken away from them.
They will be so amazed
that they won’t be able to speak or hear.
17 They’ll be forced to eat dust like a snake.
They’ll be like creatures
that have to crawl on the ground.
They’ll come out of their dens
trembling with fear.
They’ll show respect for the Lord our God.
They will also have respect for his people.
18 Lord, who is a God like you?
You forgive sin.
You forgive your people
when they do what is wrong.
You don’t stay angry forever.
Instead, you take delight in showing
your faithful love to them.
19 Once again you will show loving concern for us.
You will completely wipe out
the evil things we’ve done.
You will throw all our sins
into the bottom of the sea.
20 You will be faithful to Jacob’s people.
You will show your love
to Abraham’s children.
You will do what you promised to do for our people.
You made that promise long ago.
1 Here is a prophecy the Lord gave Nahum, who was from the town of Elkosh. The prophecy came in a vision and is written in a book. The prophecy is about Nineveh.
The Lord Is Angry With Nineveh
2 The Lord is a jealous God who punishes people.
He pays them back for the evil things they do.
He directs his anger against them.
The Lord punishes his enemies.
He holds his anger back
until the right time to use it.
3 The Lord is slow to get angry.
But he is very powerful.
The Lord will not let guilty people go
without punishing them.
When he marches out, he stirs up winds and storms.
Clouds are the dust kicked up by his feet.
4 He controls the seas. He dries them up.
He makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Mount Carmel dry up.
The flowers in Lebanon fade.
5 He causes the mountains to shake.
The hills melt away.
The earth trembles because he is there.
The world and all those who live in it also tremble.
6 Who can stand firm when his anger burns?
Who can live when he is angry?
His anger blazes out like fire.
He smashes the rocks to pieces.
7 The Lord is good.
When people are in trouble,
they can go to him for safety.
He takes good care of those
who trust in him.
8 But he will destroy Nineveh
with a powerful flood.
He will chase his enemies
into the place of darkness.
9 The Lord will put an end
to anything they plan against him.
He won’t allow Assyria to win the battle
over his people a second time.
10 His enemies will be tangled up among thorns.
Their wine will make them drunk.
They’ll be burned up like dry straw.
11 Nineveh, a king has marched out from you.
He makes evil plans against the Lord.
He thinks about how he can do what is wrong.
12 The Lord says,
“His army has many soldiers.
Other nations are helping them.
But they will be destroyed and pass away.
Judah, I punished you.
But I will not do it anymore.
13 Now I will break Assyria’s yoke off your neck.
I will tear off the ropes that hold you.”
14 Nineveh, the Lord has given an order concerning you.
He has said, “You will not have any children
to carry on your name.
I will destroy the wooden and metal statues
that are in the temple of your gods.
I will get your grave ready for you.
You are worthless.”
15 Look at the mountains of Judah!
I see a messenger running to bring good news!
He’s telling us that peace has come!
People of Judah, celebrate your feasts.
Carry out your promises.
The evil Assyrians won’t attack you again.
They’ll be completely destroyed.
The Lord Will Destroy Nineveh
2 Nineveh, armies are coming to attack you.
Guard the forts!
Watch the roads!
Get ready!
Gather all your strength!
2 Assyria once took everything of value from God’s people.
Its army destroyed all their vines.
But the Lord will bring back
the glory of Jacob’s people.
He’ll make Israel glorious again.
3 The shields of the soldiers are red.
The warriors are dressed in bright red uniforms.
The metal on their chariots flashes
when they are prepared for war.
Their spears made out of juniper are ready to use.
4 The chariots race through the main streets.
They rush back and forth through them.
They look like flaming torches.
They dart around like lightning.
5 Nineveh sends for their special troops.
But they trip and fall on their way.
They run toward the city wall.
They keep their shield in front of them.
6 The attackers open the gates that hold back
the waters of the river.
And the palace falls down.
7 The attackers order that Nineveh’s people
be taken away as prisoners.
The female slaves sound like doves as they mourn.
They beat their chests.
8 Nineveh is like a pool
whose water is draining away.
“Stop running away!” someone cries out.
But no one turns back.
9 “Steal the silver!” the attackers shout.
“Grab the gold!”
The supply is endless.
There is plenty of wealth
among all the city’s treasures.
10 Nineveh is destroyed, robbed and stripped!
Hearts melt away in fear.
Knees give way.
Bodies tremble with fear.
Everyone’s face turns pale.
11 Assyria is like a lion.
Where is the lions’ den now?
Where did they feed their cubs?
Where did all the lions go?
In their den they had nothing to fear.
12 The lion killed enough for his cubs to eat.
He choked what he caught for his mate.
He filled his home with what he had killed.
He brought to his dens what he had caught.
13 “Nineveh, I am against you,”
announces the Lord who rules over all.
“I will burn up your chariots with fire.
Your young lions will be killed by swords.
I will leave you nothing on earth to catch.
The voices of your messengers
will no longer be heard.”
The Lord Will Judge Nineveh
3 How terrible it will be for Nineveh!
It is a city of murderers!
It is full of liars!
It is filled with stolen goods!
The killing never stops!
2 Whips crack!
Wheels clack!
Horses charge!
Chariots rumble!
3 Horsemen attack!
Swords flash!
Spears gleam!
Many people die.
Dead bodies pile up.
They can’t even be counted.
People trip over them.
4 All of that was caused by the evil desires
of the prostitute Nineveh.
That woman who practiced evil magic
was very beautiful.
She used her sinful charms
to make slaves out of the nations.
She worshiped evil powers
in order to trap others.
5 “Nineveh, I am against you,”
announces the Lord who rules over all.
“I will pull your skirts up over your face.
I will show the nations your naked body.
Kingdoms will make fun of your shame.
6 I will throw garbage at you.
I will look down on you.
I will make an example out of you.
7 All those who see you will run away from you.
They will say, ‘Nineveh is destroyed.
Who will mourn over it?’
Where can I find someone
to comfort your people?”
8 Nineveh, are you better than Thebes
on the Nile River?
There was water all around that city.
The river helped to keep it safe.
The waters were like a wall around it.
9 Cush and Egypt gave it all the strength it needed.
Put and Libya also helped it.
10 But Thebes was captured anyway.
Its people were taken away as prisoners.
Its babies were smashed to pieces
at every street corner.
The Assyrian soldiers cast lots
for all its nobles.
They put them in chains
and made slaves out of them.
11 People of Nineveh, you too will get drunk.
You will try to hide from your enemies.
You will look for a place of safety.
12 All your forts are like fig trees
that have their first ripe fruit on them.
When the trees are shaken,
the figs fall into the mouths
of those who eat them.
13 Look at your troops.
All of them are weak.
The gates of your forts
are wide open to your enemies.
Fire has destroyed the bars that lock your gates.
14 Prepare for the attack by storing up water!
Make your walls as strong as you can!
Make some bricks out of clay!
Mix the mud to hold them together!
Use them to repair the walls!
15 In spite of all your hard work,
fire will burn you up inside your city.
Your enemies will cut you down with their swords.
They will destroy you
just as a swarm of locusts eats up crops.
Multiply like grasshoppers!
Increase your numbers like locusts!
16 You have more traders
than the number of stars in the sky.
But like locusts they strip the land.
Then they fly away.
17 Your guards are like grasshoppers.
Your officials are like swarms of locusts.
They settle in the walls on a cold day.
But when the sun appears, they fly away.
And no one knows where they go.
18 King of Assyria, your leaders are asleep.
Your nobles lie down to rest.
Your people are scattered on the mountains.
No one is left to gather them together.
19 Nothing can heal your wounds.
You will die of them.
All those who hear the news about you clap their hands.
That’s because you have fallen from power.
Is there anyone who has not suffered
because of how badly you treated them?
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