The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,“ I punished the king of Assyria. In the same way, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land.

所以万军之耶和华以色列的神如此说：“我必罚巴比伦王和他的地，像我从前罚亚述王一样。

所以万军之耶和华—以色列的上帝如此说：“看哪，我必惩罚巴比伦王和他的地，像我从前惩罚亚述王一样。

所以万军之耶和华—以色列的神如此说：“看哪，我必惩罚巴比伦王和他的地，像我从前惩罚亚述王一样。

以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华说：“看啊，我要像惩罚亚述王一样惩罚巴比伦王和他的国家。

因此，万军之耶和华神这样说：“看哪！我必惩罚巴比伦王和他的国土，像我以前惩罚亚述王一样，

所以萬軍之耶和華－以色列的神如此說：「我必罰巴比倫王和他的地，像我從前罰亞述王一樣。

所以萬軍之耶和華－以色列的上帝如此說：「看哪，我必懲罰巴比倫王和他的地，像我從前懲罰亞述王一樣。

所以萬軍之耶和華－以色列的神如此說：「看哪，我必懲罰巴比倫王和他的地，像我從前懲罰亞述王一樣。

以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華說：「看啊，我要像懲罰亞述王一樣懲罰巴比倫王和他的國家。

因此，萬軍之耶和華神這樣說：“看哪！我必懲罰巴比倫王和他的國土，像我以前懲罰亞述王一樣，

故此萬軍之永恆主以色列之上帝這麼說：看吧，我必察罰巴比倫王和他的地，像察罰亞述王一樣。

故萬軍之耶和華、以色列之上帝曰、我必罰巴比倫王與其地、若罰亞述王然、

萬有之主、以色列族之上帝耶和華曰、昔我罰亞述王、後必罰巴比倫王、及其土地、亦若是。

故萬有之主以色列之天主如是云、我必罰巴比倫王與其地、如昔我罰亞述王、

Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“ I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.

Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, as I punished the king of Assyria.

Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:“ Now I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria.

Therefore, this is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am about to punish the king of Babylon and his land just as I punished the king of Assyria.

Therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:‘ Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria.

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:“ Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, As I have punished the king of Assyria.

Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.

Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says:“ I am about to punish the king of Babylon and his land just as I punished the king of Assyria.

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.

So I, the LORD God of Israel who rules over all, say:‘ I will punish the king of Babylon and his land just as I punished the king of Assyria.

Therefore Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says:“ Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.

The Lord will finish everything he has planned to do against Mount Zion and Jerusalem. Then he’ll say,“ Now I will punish the king of Assyria. I will punish him because his heart and his eyes are so proud.

Think about what happened to Assyria. Once it was like a cedar tree in Lebanon. It had beautiful branches that provided shade for the forest. It grew very high. Its top was above all the leaves.The waters fed it. Deep springs made it grow tall. Their streams flowed all around its base. They made their way to all the trees in the fields.So it grew higher than any other tree in the fields. It grew more limbs. Its branches grew long. They spread because they had plenty of water.All the birds in the sky made their nests in its limbs. All the wild animals had their babies under its branches. All the great nations lived in its shade.Its spreading branches made it majestic and beautiful. Its roots went down deep to where there was plenty of water.The cedar trees in my garden were no match for it. The juniper trees could not equal its limbs. The plane trees could not compare with its branches. No tree in my garden could match its beauty.I gave it many branches. They made it beautiful. All the trees in my Garden of Eden were jealous of it.’ ”So the Lord and King says,“ The great cedar tree grew very high. Its top was above all the leaves. It was proud of how tall it was.So I handed it over to the Babylonian ruler of the nations. I wanted him to punish it because it was so evil. I decided to get rid of it.The Babylonians cut it down and left it there. They did not show it any pity at all. Some of its branches fell on the mountains. Others fell in all the valleys. The branches lay broken in all the stream beds in the land. All the nations on earth came out from under its shade. And they went on their way.All the birds settled on the fallen tree. All the wild animals lived among its branches.So trees that receive plenty of water must never grow so high that it makes them proud. Their tops must never be above the rest of the leaves. No other trees that receive a lot of water must ever grow that high. They are appointed to die and go down into the earth below. They will join human beings, who go down to the place of the dead.”The Lord and King says,“ Assyria was like a cedar tree. But I brought it down to the place of the dead. On that day I dried up the deep springs of water and covered them. I held its streams back. I shut off its rich supply of water. Because of that, Lebanon was dressed in gloom as if it were clothes. All the trees in the fields dried up.I brought the cedar tree down to the place of the dead. It joined the other nations that go down there. I made the nations on earth shake because of the sound of its fall. Then all the trees of Eden were comforted in the earth below. That included the finest and best trees in Lebanon. And it included all the trees that received plenty of water.Others also went down along with the cedar tree into the place of the dead. They included those who had been killed by swords. They also included the armed men among the nations who lived in its shade.

The Lord will reach out his powerful hand against the north. He will destroy Assyria. He’ll leave Nineveh totally empty. It will be as dry as a desert.Flocks and herds will lie down there. So will creatures of every kind. Desert owls and screech owls will rest on its pillars. The sound of their hooting will echo through the windows. The doorways will be full of trash. The cedar beams will be showing.Nineveh was a carefree city. It lived in safety. It said to itself,“ I am the one! No one is greater than I am.” But it has been destroyed. Wild animals make their home there. All those who pass by laugh and shake their fists at it.

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 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.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.

Then the angel of the Lord went into the camp of the Assyrians. He put to death 185,000 soldiers there. The people of Jerusalem got up the next morning. They looked out and saw all the dead bodies.So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, took the army tents down. Then he left. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.One day Sennacherib was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok. His sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with their swords. Then they escaped to the land of Ararat. Esarhaddon became the next king after his father Sennacherib.