Nahúm 3
Bible du Rabbinat (Zadoc Kahn)
1Malheur à toi, ville de sang, qui n'es que mensonge, qui es remplie de violence et ne cesses de faire des victimes!
2On entend le fouet qui claque, les roues qui tournent avec fracas, les chevaux qui galopent, et les chars qui bondissent.
3Les cavaliers s'élancent, les épées flamboient, les lances étincellent: une multitude de tués! Un monceau de cadavres! Des morts à perte de vue! On bute contre leurs corps!
4Voilà le fruit des nombreuses débauches de la courtisane, si séduisante de grâce, si experte en sorcelleries, qui perdait les peuples par ses débauches et les nations par ses magies!
5Voici, je m'apprête contre toi, dit l'Eternel-Cebaot, je vais rabattre la traîne de ta robe sur ton visage, montrant ainsi ta nudité aux nations, ta honte aux royaumes.
6Et je jetterai sur toi des ordures, je te rendrai méprisable et te donnerai en spectacle.
7Et il arrivera que quiconque te verra s'écartera de toi en disant: "Ninive est ruinée!" Qui te plaindra? Où trouver des consolateurs pour toi?
8Vaux-tu mieux que No-Ammon, qui trônait parmi les bras du Nil, entourée d'une ceinture d'eau et ayant une mer comme rempart, une mer pour mur de défense?
9L'Ethiopie ainsi que l'Egypte était pour elle une force immense, Pout et les Lybiens étaient ses auxiliaires.
10Pourtant, elle aussi a pris le chemin de l'exil, emmenée en captivité; elle aussi a vu ses petits enfants écrasés à tous les coins de rue, ses notables répartis par le sort, et tous ses grands chargés de chaînes.
11Toi également, tu seras atteinte par l'ivresse, prise de défaillance; toi également, tu chercheras un refuge contre l'ennemi.
12Toutes tes forteresses seront comme des figuiers chargés de primeurs: secouez-les et elles tombent dans la bouche de qui veut manger.
13Vois, les gens de guerre qui peuplent tes murs, ce sont des femmes; les portes de ton pays s'ouvrent comme d'elles-mêmes à tes ennemis, le feu consume tes verrous.
14Puise de l'eau en vue du siège! Renforce tes citadelles! Entre dans la terre glaise, piétine l'argile, consolide le four à briques!
15Là, le feu te consumera, le glaive en finira de toi, comme une nuée de hannetons il te dévorera, eusses-tu une population dense comme les hannetons, serrée comme les sauterelles.
16Tu possédais des marchands plus nombreux que les étoiles du ciel: ils disparaissent, tels les hannetons qui ouvrent les ailes et s’envolent.
17Tes seigneurs sont comme des sauterelles, tes officiers comme un essaim de locustes qui se posent dans les haies par un jour de froidure: le soleil darde ses rayons, elles déguerpissent, et personne ne connaît l'endroit où elles sont allées.
18Tes pâtres sommeillent, ô roi d'Achour, tes braves demeurent immobiles. Tes gens sont dispersés sur les montagnes, et personne pour les rassembler! 19 Il n'est point de calmant pour ta blessure, ton mal est incurable. Tous ceux qui apprennent ton sort battent des mains à ton sujet; car contre qui ta malice ne s'est-elle constamment donné carrière?
19—
Reina-Valera 1909
1¡AY de la ciudad de sangres, toda llena de mentira y de rapiña, sin apartarse de ella el pillaje!
2Sonido de látigo, y estruendo de movimiento de ruedas; y caballo atropellador, y carro saltador;
3Caballero enhiesto, y resplandor de espada, y resplandor de lanza; y multitud de muertos, y multitud de cadáveres; y de sus cadáveres no habrá fin, y en sus cadáveres tropezarán:
4A causa de la multitud de las fornicaciones de la ramera de hermosa gala, maestra de brujerías, que vende las gentes con sus fornicaciones, y los pueblos con sus hechizos.
5Heme aquí contra ti, dice Jehová de los ejércitos, y descubriré tus faldas en tu cara, y mostraré á las gentes tu desnudez, y á los reinos tu vergüenza.
6Y echaré sobre ti suciedades, y te afrentaré, y te pondré como estiércol.
7Y será que todos los que te vieren, se apartarán de ti, y dirán: Nínive es asolada: ¿quién se compadecerá de ella? ¿dónde te buscaré consoladores?
8¿Eres tú mejor que No-amón, que estaba asentada entre ríos, cercada de aguas, cuyo baluarte era la mar, y del mar su muralla?
9Etiopía era su fortaleza, y Egipto sin límite; Put y Libia fueron en tu ayuda.
10También ella fué llevada en cautiverio: también sus chiquitos fueron estrellados en las encrucijadas de todas las calles; y sobre sus varones echaron suertes, y todos sus magnates fueron aprisionados con grillos.
11Tú también serás embriagada, serás encerrada; tú también buscarás fortaleza á causa del enemigo.
12Todas tus fortalezas cual higueras con brevas; que si las sacuden, caen en la boca del que las ha de comer.
13He aquí, tu pueblo será como mujeres en medio de ti: las puertas de tu tierra se abrirán de par en par á tus enemigos: fuego consumirá tus barras.
14Provéete de agua para el cerco, fortifica tus fortalezas; entra en el lodo, pisa el barro, fortifica el horno.
15Allí te consumirá el fuego, te talará la espada, te devorará como pulgón: multiplícate como langosta, multiplícate como langosta.
16Multiplicaste tus mercaderes más que las estrellas del cielo: el pulgón hizo presa, y voló.
17Tus príncipes serán como langostas, y tus grandes como langostas de langostas que se sientan en vallados en día de frío: salido el sol se mudan, y no se conoce el lugar donde estuvieron.
18Durmieron tus pastores, oh rey de Asiria, reposaron tus valientes: tu pueblo se derramó por los montes, y no hay quien lo junte.
19No hay cura para tu quebradura; tu herida se encrudeció: todos los que oyeron tu fama, batirán las manos sobre ti, porque ¿sobre quién no pasó continuamente tu malicia?
King James Version
1Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
2The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
3The 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:
4Because 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.
5Behold, 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.
6And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.
7And 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?
8Art 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?
9Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10Yet 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.
11Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
12All 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.
13Behold, 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.
14Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.
15There 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.
16Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.
17Thy 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.
18Thy 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.
19There 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?
World English Bible
1Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery—no end to the prey.
2The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots,
3the horseman charging, and the flashing sword, the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble on their bodies
4because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.
5“Behold, I am against you,” says the LORD of Armies, “and I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.
6I will throw abominable filth on you and make you vile, and will make you a spectacle.
7It will happen that all those who look at you will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will mourn for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?”
8Are you better than No-Amon, who was situated among the rivers, who had the waters around her, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea?
9Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya were her helpers.
10Yet was she carried away. She went into captivity. Her young children also were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets, and they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
11You also will be drunken. You will be hidden. You also will seek a stronghold because of the enemy.
12All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs. If they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
13Behold, your troops among you are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars.
14Draw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.
15There the fire will devour you. The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust.
16You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips and flees away.
17Your guards are like the locusts, and your officials like the swarms of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day, but when the sun appears, they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
18Your shepherds slumber, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.
19There is no healing your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you, for who hasn’t felt your endless cruelty?