1“Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and rapine; the prey departs not. 2Hark! The whip! And hark! The rattling of the wheels; and prancing horses, and bounding chariots; 3the horseman charging, and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear; and a multitude of slain, and a heap of carcases; and there is no end of the corpses, and they stumble upon their corpses; 4because of the multitude of the harlotries of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that sells nations through her harlotries, and families through her witchcrafts. 5Behold, I am against you, says יהוה Tzeva’ot, and I will uncover your skirts upon your face, and I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame. 6And I will cast detestable things upon you, and make you vile, and will make you as dung. 7And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon you shall flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste; who will bemoan her? From where shall I seek comforters for you?’ 8Are you better than Noh Amon, that was situated among the rivers, that had the waters round about her; whose rampart was the sea, and of the sea her wall? 9Kush and Mitzrayim were your strength, and it was infinite; Put and Luvim were your 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 shall be drunk, you shall swoon; you also shall seek a refuge because of the enemy. 12All your fortresses shall be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs, ‘if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater’. 13Behold, your people in the midst of you are women; the gates of your land are set wide open unto your enemies; the fire has devoured your bars. 14Draw yourself water for the siege, strengthen your fortresses; go into the clay, and tread the mortar, lay hold of the brickmould. 15There shall the fire devour you; the sword shall cut you off, it shall devour you like the canker-worm; make yourself many as the canker-worm, make yourself many as the locusts. 16You have multiplied your merchants above the stars of heaven; the canker-worm spreads itself, and flies away. 17Your crowned are as the locusts, and your marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, which camp in the walls in the cold day, but when the sun arises they flee away, and their place is not known where they are. 18Your shepherds slumber, O king of Ashur, your worthy ones are at rest; your people are scattered upon the mountains, and there is none to gather them. 19There is no assuaging of your hurt, your wound is grievous; all that hear the report of you clap the hands over you; for upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?”
אהוֹי עִיר דָּמִים; כֻּלָּהּ כַּחַשׁ פֶּרֶק מְלֵאָה לֹא יָמִישׁ טָרֶף. בקוֹל שׁוֹט וְקוֹל רַעַשׁ אוֹפָן; וְסוּס דֹּהֵר וּמֶרְכָּבָה מְרַקֵּדָה. גפָּרָשׁ מַעֲלֶה וְלַהַב חֶרֶב וּבְרַק חֲנִית וְרֹב חָלָל וְכֹבֶד פָּגֶר; וְאֵין קֵצֶה לַגְּוִיָּה יכשלו (וְכָשְׁלוּ) בִּגְוִיָּתָם. דמֵרֹב זְנוּנֵי זוֹנָה טוֹבַת חֵן בַּעֲלַת כְּשָׁפִים; הַמֹּכֶרֶת גּוֹיִם בִּזְנוּנֶיהָ וּמִשְׁפָּחוֹת בִּכְשָׁפֶיהָ. ההִנְנִי אֵלַיִךְ נְאֻם יהוה צְבָאוֹת וְגִלֵּיתִי שׁוּלַיִךְ עַל פָּנָיִךְ; וְהַרְאֵיתִי גוֹיִם מַעְרֵךְ וּמַמְלָכוֹת קְלוֹנֵךְ. ווְהִשְׁלַכְתִּי עָלַיִךְ שִׁקֻּצִים וְנִבַּלְתִּיךְ; וְשַׂמְתִּיךְ כְּרֹאִי. זוְהָיָה כָל רֹאַיִךְ יִדּוֹד מִמֵּךְ וְאָמַר שָׁדְּדָה נִינְוֵה מִי יָנוּד לָהּ; מֵאַיִן אֲבַקֵּשׁ מְנַחֲמִים לָךְ. חהֲתֵיטְבִי מִנֹּא אָמוֹן הַיֹּשְׁבָה בַּיְאֹרִים מַיִם סָבִיב לָהּ אֲשֶׁר חֵיל יָם מִיָּם חוֹמָתָהּ. טכּוּשׁ עָצְמָה וּמִצְרַיִם וְאֵין קֵצֶה; פּוּט וְלוּבִים הָיוּ בְּעֶזְרָתֵךְ. יגַּם הִיא לַגֹּלָה הָלְכָה בַשֶּׁבִי גַּם עֹלָלֶיהָ יְרֻטְּשׁוּ בְּרֹאשׁ כָּל חוּצוֹת; וְעַל נִכְבַּדֶּיהָ יַדּוּ גוֹרָל וְכָל גְּדוֹלֶיהָ רֻתְּקוּ בַזִּקִּים. יאגַּם אַתְּ תִּשְׁכְּרִי תְּהִי נַעֲלָמָה; גַּם אַתְּ תְּבַקְשִׁי מָעוֹז מֵאוֹיֵב. יבכָּל מִבְצָרַיִךְ תְּאֵנִים עִם בִּכּוּרִים; אִם יִנּוֹעוּ וְנָפְלוּ עַל פִּי אוֹכֵל. יגהִנֵּה עַמֵּךְ נָשִׁים בְּקִרְבֵּךְ לְאֹיְבַיִךְ פָּתוֹחַ נִפְתְּחוּ שַׁעֲרֵי אַרְצֵךְ; אָכְלָה אֵשׁ בְּרִיחָיִךְ. ידמֵי מָצוֹר שַׁאֲבִי לָךְ חַזְּקִי מִבְצָרָיִךְ; בֹּאִי בַטִּיט וְרִמְסִי בַחֹמֶר הַחֲזִיקִי מַלְבֵּן. טושָׁם תֹּאכְלֵךְ אֵשׁ תַּכְרִיתֵךְ חֶרֶב תֹּאכְלֵךְ כַּיָּלֶק; הִתְכַּבֵּד כַּיֶּלֶק הִתְכַּבְּדִי כָּאַרְבֶּה. טזהִרְבֵּית רֹכְלַיִךְ מִכּוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם; יֶלֶק פָּשַׁט וַיָּעֹף. יזמִנְּזָרַיִךְ כָּאַרְבֶּה וְטַפְסְרַיִךְ כְּגוֹב גֹּבָי; הַחוֹנִים בַּגְּדֵרוֹת בְּיוֹם קָרָה שֶׁמֶשׁ זָרְחָה וְנוֹדַד וְלֹא נוֹדַע מְקוֹמוֹ אַיָּם. יחנָמוּ רֹעֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר יִשְׁכְּנוּ אַדִּירֶיךָ; נָפֹשׁוּ עַמְּךָ עַל הֶהָרִים וְאֵין מְקַבֵּץ. יטאֵין כֵּהָה לְשִׁבְרֶךָ נַחְלָה מַכָּתֶךָ; כֹּל שֹׁמְעֵי שִׁמְעֲךָ תָּקְעוּ כַף עָלֶיךָ כִּי עַל מִי לֹא עָבְרָה רָעָתְךָ תָּמִיד.
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 