1 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery; the prey does not depart.2 The sound of a whip, and the sound of rattling of wheels, and galloping horses, and of bounding chariots.3 The horseman lifts up both the gleaming sword and the glittering spear, and many are slain, and there is a mass of dead bodies, and no end of corpses; they stumble over their dead bodies,4 because of the many harlotries of the seductive harlot, the mistress of sorceries who sells nations by her harlotries, and families by her sorceries.5 Behold, I am against you, declares Jehovah of Hosts, and I will uncover your skirts over your face, and I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.6 And I will cast detestable filth on you and will disgrace you. And I will set you as a spectacle.7 And it shall be that all those who look upon you shall flee from you and shall say, Nineveh is laid waste; who shall weep for her? From where shall I seek comforters for you?8 Are you better than populous No that dwelt among the rivers, waters surrounding her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall was the sea?9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and without end; Put and Lubim were your helpers.10 Yet she was carried away; she went into captivity. Also her young ones were dashed to pieces at the head of all the streets, and they cast lots for her honored ones, and all her great ones were bound in chains.11 You also shall be drunken; you shall be hidden; you also shall seek refuge from the enemy.12 All your fortresses are fig trees with the firstfruits; if they are shaken, then they shall fall into the mouth of the eater.13 Behold, your people in your midst are women; the gates of your land shall surely be opened to your enemies; the fire shall devour your bars.14 Draw your water for the siege. Strengthen your fortifications. Go into the clay and tread in the mortar. Make the mold strong.15 Fire will devour you there. The sword shall cut you off. It will eat you up like the caterpillar. Make yourself as many as the caterpillar; multiply yourself like the locusts.16 You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the heavens; the caterpillar shall strip off and fly away.17 Your princes are like the locusts, and your officials are a swarm of locusts that camp in the hedges in the cold day. When the sun rises and they flee, the place where they are is not known.18 Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; your nobles are lying down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and no one gathers them.19 There is no healing for your fracture; your wound is severe. All who hear the report of you shall clap their hands over you, for on whom has your wickedness not passed continually?

1 Wo to the citee of bloodis, al of leesyng, ful of to-reendyng; raueyn shal not go awei fro thee.2 Vois of scourge, and vois of bire of wheel, and of hors makynge noise, and of foure horsid carte brennynge, and of kniyt stiynge vp,3 and of schynynge swerd, and glesenynge spere, and of slayn multitude, and of greuouse fallyng, nether ther is eende of careyns. And thei schulen falle togidere in her bodies,4 for the multitude of fornicaciouns of the hoore fair and plesaunt, and hauynge witchecraftis; which seelde folkis in her fornicaciouns, and meynees in her enchauntementis, ether sorceries.5 Lo! Y to thee, seith the Lord God of oostis; and Y schal schewe thi schameful thingis in thi face; and Y schal schewe to folkis thi nakidnesse, and to rewmes thin yuel fame.6 And Y schal cast out on thee thin abhomynaciouns, and Y schal punysche thee with dispitis, and Y schal putte thee in to ensaumple.7 And it schal be, ech man that schal se thee, schal skippe awei fro thee, and schal seie, Nynyue is distried. Who schal moue heed on thee? wherof schal Y seke to thee a coumfortour?8 Whether thou art betere than Alisaundre of puplis, that dwellith in floodis? Watris ben in cumpas therof, whos richessis is the see, watris ben wallis therof.9 Ethiope is strengthe therof, and Egipt, and there is noon ende; Affrik and Libie weren in help therof.10 But and it in `passyng ouer is led in to caitifte; the litle children therof ben hurtlid doun in the heed of alle weies. And on the noble men therof thei kesten lot, and alle grete men therof ben set togidere in gyues.11 And thou therfor schalt be drunkun, and schalt be dispisid, and thou schalt seke helpe of enemye.12 Al thi strengthis as a fige tree, with hise figis vnripe; if thei schulen be schakun, thei schulen falle in to the mouth of the etere.13 Lo! thi puple ben wymmen in the myddil of thee; the yatis of thi lond schulen be schewid to openyng to thin enemyes; fier schal deuoure thin herris.14 Drawe vp to thee water for asegyng, bilde thi strengthis; entre in fen, and trede, thou vndurgoynge holde a tiel stoon.15 There fier schal ete thee, thou schalt perische bi swerd, it schal deuoure thee, as bruke doith; be thou gaderid togidere as a bruke, be thou multiplied as a locuste.16 Thou madist thi marchaundises mo than ben sterris of heuene; a bruke is spred abrood, and flei awei.17 Thi keperis ben as locustis, and thi litle children ben as locustis of locustis, whiche sitten togidere in heggis in the dai of coold; the sun is risun, and thei fledden awei, and the place of hem is not knowun, where thei weren.18 Thi scheepherdis napten, thou kyng Assur, thi princes schulen be biried; thi puple ofte was hid in hillis, and ther is not that schal gadere.19 Thi sorewe is not priuy, thi wounde is worst; alle men that herden thin heryng, pressiden togidere hond on thee, for on whom passide not thi malice euermore?