Woe to Nineveh
1 Woe to the xbloody city,
all full of lies and plunder—
no end to the prey!
2 The crack of the whip, and rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse and bounding chariot!
3 Horsemen charging,
flashing sword and yglittering spear,
hosts of slain,
heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
they stumble over the bodies!
4 And all for the countless whorings of the zprostitute,
graceful and of deadly acharms,
who betrays nations with her whorings,
and peoples with her charms.
5 bBehold, I am against you,
declares the Lord of hosts,
and will clift up your skirts over your face;
and I will make nations look at your nakedness
and kingdoms at your shame.
6 I will throw filth at you
and treat you with contempt
and make you a spectacle.
7 And all who look at you will shrink from you and say,
“Wasted is Nineveh; dwho will grieve for her?”
Where shall I seek comforters for you?
8 eAre you better than fThebes1
that sat by the Nile,
with water around her,
her rampart a sea,
and water her wall?
9 Cush was her strength;
Egypt too, and that without limit;
Put and the Libyans were her2 helpers.
10 Yet gshe became an exile;
she went into captivity;
hher infants were dashed in pieces
at the head of every street;
for her honored men ilots were cast,
and all her great men were bound in chains.
11 You also will be drunken;
you will go into hiding;
you will seek a refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortresses are like fig trees
with jfirst-ripe figs—
if shaken they fall
into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold, your troops
are kwomen in your midst.
The lgates of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire has devoured your bars.
14 Draw water for the siege;
strengthen your forts;
go into the clay;
tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick mold!
15 There will the fire devour you;
the sword will cut you off.
It will devour you like the locust.
Multiply yourselves like the locust;
multiply like the grasshopper!
16 You increased your merchants
more than the stars of the heavens.
The locust spreads its wings and flies away.
17 Your princes3 are like grasshoppers,
your scribes4 like clouds of locusts
settling on the fences
in a day of cold—
when the sun rises, they fly away;
no one knows where they are.
18 Your shepherds are asleep,
O king of Assyria;
your nobles slumber.
mYour people are scattered on the mountains
with none to gather them.
19 There is no easing your hurt;
nyour wound is grievous.
All who hear the news about you
oclap their hands over you.
For upon whom has not come
your unceasing evil?
24 g“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant1 above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. hIf they have called the master of the house iBeelzebul, jhow much more will they malign2 those of his household.
Have No Fear
26 k“So have no fear of them, for lnothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather mfear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.3 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?4 And nnot one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who oacknowledges me before men, I also will packnowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever qdenies me before men, I also will rdeny before my Father who is in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword
34 s“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set ta man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 uWhoever loves vfather or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not wtake his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 xWhoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards
40 y“Whoever receives you receives me, and zwhoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And awhoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
