¹ Teško gradu krvničkom, pun je laži, prepun grabeža, s pljačkanjem on ne prestaje!

² Slušajte! Pucaju bičem! Slušajte! Štropot točkova! Konji upropanj, kola poskakuju.

³ Konjanici u stremenu, mačevi sjaju, koplja sijevaju ... gomile ranjenih, snopovi mrtvih, trupla unedogled, svuda se o truplo spotiče!

⁴ Eto plaće za razvrat bludnice, ljupke ljubaznice, vješte čarobnice koja je zavodila narode svojim razvratom i plemena svojim čaranjima.

⁵ "Evo me! Tebi!" - riječ je Jahve nad Vojskama. "Na tvoje lice podignut ću skute tvoje haljine, tvoju golotinju pokazat ću narodima, tvoju sramotu kraljevstvima.

⁶ Bacit ću na tebe smeće, osramotit ću te, izložiti na stup sramote.

⁷ Svaki koji te vidi, bježat će od tebe. Reći će: 'Niniva! Kakva razvalina!' Tko je može požaliti? Gdje joj naći tješitelje?"

⁸ Jesi li tvrđa od Tebe Amonove koja sjedi na rukavima Rijeke? Njezino predziđe bilo je more, njezini bedemi bile su vode.

⁹ Njezina snaga bila je Etiopija, Egipat; nije imala granica. Narodi Puta i Libije bili su joj pomoćnici.

¹⁰ A i ona je otišla u progonstvo, morala je ići u sužanjstvo; njezina nejaka djeca bila su razmrskana po svim raskršćima; za ugledne ljude njezine bacali su ždrijeb, svi njezini velikani okovani su lancima.

¹¹ Tako ćeš i ti biti slomljena, bit ćeš svladana; tako ćeš i ti morati tražiti utočište pred dušmaninom.

¹² Tvoje utvrde sve su kao smokvino stablo s urodom mladih smokava; kad se potrese stablo, smokve padaju u usta svakome koji ih želi jesti.

¹³ Gledaj svoj narod: sve je žensko u domu tvome; vrata tvoje zemlje širom se otvaraju neprijatelju; oganj je sažgao tvoje prijevornice.

¹⁴ Nacrpi vode za opsadu, utvrdi svoje bedeme, gnječi blato, gazi ilovaču, uzmi kalup za opeku.

¹⁵ A ipak će te oganj sažeći i mač potamaniti. Namnoži se kao kukci, namnoži se kao skakavci;

¹⁶ [16a] umnoži svoje trgovce da ih bude više nego zvijezda na nebu,

¹⁷ [17a] tvoje posade neka bude kao skakavaca, a tvojih pisara kao kobilica. Borave po zidovima kad je hladan dan. Sunce grane: [16b] kukci razvijaju krilašca i lete, [17b] i odlaze tko zna kamo.

¹⁸ Jao! Kako su zaspali tvoji pastiri, kralju asirski? Tvoji izabrani vojnici drijemaju, narod se tvoj raspršio po gorama, nitko ga više ne može sakupiti.

¹⁹ Tvojoj rani nema lijeka! Neizlječiva je tvoja ozljeda. Svi koji to saznaju plješću tvojoj razvalini. Tko nije bez sanka i prestanka osjećao na sebi tvoju okrutnost?

¹ Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;

² The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.

³ The 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:

⁴ Because 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.

⁵ Behold, 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.

⁶ And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.

⁷ And 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?

⁸ Art 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?

⁹ Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.

¹⁰ Yet 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.

¹¹ Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.

¹² All 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.

¹³ Behold, 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.

¹⁴ Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.

¹⁵ There 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.

¹⁶ Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.

¹⁷ Thy 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.

¹⁸ Thy 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.

¹⁹ There 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?