Nahúm 2

1Está ya delante de ti el devastador; guarda la plaza fuerte, observa los caminos; fortalece tus lomos, aumenta mucho tus fuerzas.

2Pues Yahvé restaura la gloria de Jacob, así como la gloria de Israel; porque los saquearon saqueadores que destruyeron sus vástagos.

3Los escudos de sus guerreros están teñidos de rojo, sus valientes vestidos de púrpura; sus carros centellean como acero en el día de la reseña, y vibran sus lanzas.

4Los carros se precipitan por las calles, atraviesan veloces las plazas; parecen antorchas, corren como relámpagos.

5Él (rey) llama a sus valientes, que se precipitan por los caminos y corren presurosos al muro; se prepara la defensa.

6Pero ya se abren las puertas de los ríos, y cae el palacio.

7Ha sido llevado a cabo; es llevada (al cautiverio); sus criadas gimen, como con voz de paloma, y se golpean los pechos.

8Nínive es desde la antigüedad como un estanque de aguas, las cuales se van. ¡Deteneos, deteneos! pero nadie vuelve.

9¡Saquead la plata! ¡Saquead el oro! no tienen fin los tesoros, es inmenso el peso de toda suerte de objetos preciosos.

10Queda vacía, devastada y desolada; se desmayan los corazones y tiemblan las rodillas; se quebrantan todos los lomos, y palidecen los rostros de todos.

11¿Dónde está la guarida de los leones, el lugar de pasto de los leoncillos? ¿Adónde se han retirado el león, la leona y el cachorro, sin que nadie los espantase?

12el león que destrozaba lo que necesitaba para sus cachorros, y ahogaba para sus leonas; llenaba sus cubiles de presa y sus guaridas de rapiña.

13Heme aquí contra ti, dice Yahvé de los ejércitos; reduciré a humo tus carros, y la espada devorará a tus leoncillos; exterminaré de la tierra tu rapiña, y no será oída más la voz de tus embajadores.

1[Ascendit qui dispergat coram te, qui custodiat obsidionem: contemplare viam, conforta lumbos, robora virtutem valde.

2Quia reddidit Dominus superbiam Jacob, sicut superbiam Israël; quia vastatores dissipaverunt eos, et propagines eorum corruperunt.

3Clypeus fortium ejus ignitus, viri exercitus in coccineis; igneæ habenæ currus in die præparationis ejus, et agitatores consopiti sunt.

4In itineribus conturbati sunt; quadrigæ collisæ sunt in plateis: aspectus eorum quasi lampades, quasi fulgura discurrentia.

5Recordabitur fortium suorum; ruent in itineribus suis: velociter ascendent muros ejus, et præparabitur umbraculum.

6Portæ fluviorum apertæ sunt, et templum ad solum dirutum.

7Et miles captivus abductus est, et ancillæ ejus minabantur gementes ut columbæ, murmurantes in cordibus suis.

8Et Ninive quasi piscina aquarum aquæ ejus; ipsi vero fugerunt. State, state ! et non est qui revertatur.

9Diripite argentum, diripite aurum: et non est finis divitiarum ex omnibus vasis desiderabilibus.

10Dissipata est, et scissa, et dilacerata; et cor tabescens, et dissolutio geniculorum, et defectio in cunctis renibus, et facies omnium eorum sicut nigredo ollæ.

11Ubi est habitaculum leonum, et pascua catulorum leonum, ad quam ivit leo ut ingrederetur illuc catulus leonis, et non est qui exterreat?

12Leo cepit sufficienter catulis suis, et necavit leænis suis, et implevit præda speluncas suas, et cubile suum rapina.

13Ecce ego ad te, dicit Dominus exercituum, et succendam usque ad fumum quadrigas tuas, et leunculos tuos comedet gladius, et exterminabo de terra prædam tuam, et non audietur ultra vox nuntiorum tuorum.]

1He is come up that shall destroy before thy face, that shall keep the siege: watch the way, fortify thy loins, strengthen thy power exceedingly.

2For the Lord hath rendered the pride of Jacob, as the pride of Israel: because the spoilers have laid them waste, and have marred their vine branches.

3The shield of his mighty men is like fire, the men of the army are clad in scarlet, the reins of the chariot are flaming in the day of his preparation, and the drivers are stupefied.

4They are in confusion in the ways, the chariots jostle one against another in the streets: their looks are like torches, like lightning running to and fro.

5He will muster up his valiant men, they shall stumble in their march: they shall quickly get upon the walls thereof: and a covering shall be prepared.

6The gates of the rivers are opened, and the temple is thrown down to the ground.

7And the soldier is led away captive: and her bondwomen were led away mourning as doves, murmuring in their hearts.

8And as for Ninive, her waters are like a great pool, but the men flee away. They cry: Stand, stand, but there is none that will return back.

9Take ye the spoil of the silver, take the spoil of the gold: for there is no end of the riches of all the precious furniture.

10She is destroyed, and rent, and torn: the heart melteth, and the knees fail, and all the loins lose their strength: and the faces of them all are as the blackness of a kettle.

11Where is now the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, to which the lion went, to enter in thither, the young lion, and there was none to make them afraid?

12The lion caught enough for his whelps, and killed for his lionesses: and he filled his holes with prey, and his den with rapine.

13Behold I come against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn thy chariots even to smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey out of the land, and the voice of thy messengers shall be heard no more.