Nahum 1
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The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2 God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.
5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.
6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
9 What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.
11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor.
12 Thus saith the Lord; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.
13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.
14 And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Nahum 1:1-15
1An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.
God’s Wrath Against Nineveh
2The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies.
3The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.
His way is in whirlwind and storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
he dries up all the rivers;
Bashan and Carmel wither;
the bloom of Lebanon withers.
5The mountains quake before him;
the hills melt;
the earth heaves before him,
the world and all who dwell in it.
6Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.
7The Lord is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him.
8But with an overflowing flood
he will make a complete end of the adversaries,
and will pursue his enemies into darkness.
9What do you plot against the Lord?
He will make a complete end;
trouble will not rise up a second time.
10For they are like entangled thorns,
like drunkards as they drink;
they are consumed like stubble fully dried.
11From you came one
who plotted evil against the Lord,
a worthless counselor.
12Thus says the Lord,
“Though they are at full strength and many,
they will be cut down and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more.
13And now I will break his yoke from off you
and will burst your bonds apart.”
14The Lord has given commandment about you:
“No more shall your name be perpetuated;
from the house of your gods I will cut off
the carved image and the metal image.
I will make your grave, for you are vile.”
15 Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him
who brings good news,
who publishes peace!
Keep your feasts, O Judah;
fulfill your vows,
for never again shall the worthless pass through you;
he is utterly cut off.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Nahum 1:1-15
1A prophecy concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh
2The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
and vents his wrath against his enemies.
3The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet.
4He rebukes the sea and dries it up;
he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither
and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
5The mountains quake before him
and the hills melt away.
The earth trembles at his presence,
the world and all who live in it.
6Who can withstand his indignation?
Who can endure his fierce anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire;
the rocks are shattered before him.
7The Lord is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,
8but with an overwhelming flood
he will make an end of Nineveh;
he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.
9Whatever they plot against the Lord
he will bring to an end;
trouble will not come a second time.
10They will be entangled among thorns
and drunk from their wine;
they will be consumed like dry stubble.
11From you, Nineveh, has one come forth
who plots evil against the Lord
and devises wicked plans.
12This is what the Lord says:
“Although they have allies and are numerous,
they will be destroyed and pass away.
Although I have afflicted you, Judah,
I will afflict you no more.
13Now I will break their yoke from your neck
and tear your shackles away.”
14The Lord has given a command concerning you, Nineveh:
“You will have no descendants to bear your name.
I will destroy the images and idols
that are in the temple of your gods.
I will prepare your grave,
for you are vile.”
15Look, there on the mountains,
the feet of one who brings good news,
who proclaims peace!
Celebrate your festivals, Judah,
and fulfill your vows.
No more will the wicked invade you;
they will be completely destroyed.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
One hundred years before the book of Nahum, Jonah preached repentance for Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and they repented. This time, it was different. This time Nahum has the job of forecasting the destruction of an empire that predates the Babylonians. We know the stories of Daniel and the exile well; here is God showing up before the prophetic timeline of Daniel. When Nahum was written, the Assyrians had already conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and were oppressing them. Unlike the response to Jonah’s warning, now there is no repentance.
This first chapter focuses on God's power, majesty, and control over the situation. We see throwbacks to that famous description of God's character in Exodus 34:6. A reminder that even though God hasn’t done something yet, we can praise Him for the work that He will be doing and is doing. It reminds us that if we feel God is silent in our lives, He is still working for us. From the Exodus to Nahum and from Nahum to now, God is the same, and we can rejoice that He is always in the business of saving us.
Justin Boyd
Youth Pastor and Chaplain, Greater Sydney Conference, Australia (as of this writing)
