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1 Thys is the heuy burthen of Niniue, whych Nahum of Elchos dyd write as he sawe it.

2 The Lorde is a gelous God, & a taker of vengeaunce is the Lorde, and wrothfull. The Lorde taketh vengeaunce of his enemyes, and reserueth displeasure for his aduersaries.

3 The Lord suffreth longe, he is of great power, & so innocent that he leaueth no man fautlesse before him. The Lord goeth forth in tempest & stormy wether, the cloudes are the dust of his fete.

4 When he reproueth the see, he dryeth it vp, & turneth all the floudes to drie lande Basan is desolate, Charmel & the pleasure of Lybanus wasteth awaye.

5 The mountaynes tremble for him, the hylles consume. At the sight of him, the earth quaketh: yee, the whole world, and all that dwell therin.

6 Who maye endure before hys wrath? Or who is able to abide his gryme displeasure? His anger taketh on lyke fyre, and the harde rockes are clouen in sunder before him.

7 Full gracious is the Lord, and a stronge holde in the time of trouble, he knoweth them that put their trust in hym:

8 when the floude renneth ouer, and destroyeth the place, and when the darcknesse foloweth styll vpon his enemyes.

9 What do ye Imagin then agaynst the Lord on this maner? (Tush, when he hath once made an ende, there shall come nomore trouble.)

10 For like as the thornes that stike together, and as the drie strawe, so shall the dronckardes be consumed together, euen when they be full.

11 There come oute of the soch as Imagin myschefe, & geue vngracious councell agaynst the Lorde.

12 Therfore thus sayeth the Lord: Let them be as well prepared: yee, & as many as they can, yet shall they be hewen downe, and passe awaye. And as for the, I will vexe the, but not vtterly destroye the.

13 And now wil I breake his rodde from thy backe, & burst thy bondes in sonder.

14 But the Lorde hath geuen a commaundement concernynge the, that there shall come nomore sede of thy name. The carued & casten Images will I rote out of the house of thy God. Thy graue shal I prepare for the, and thou shalt be confounded.

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2 b) The scaterer shall come vp agaynst the, & laye sege to the castell. Loke thou well to the stretes, make thy loynes stronge, arme thy self with all thy myght:

3 for the Lord shal restore againe the glory of Iacob, lyke as the glory of Israel. The destroyers haue broken them downe, & marred the wyne braunches.

4 The shilde of his gyauntes glystereth, hys men of warre are clothed in purple. His charettes are as fyre, when he maketh him forward, & his spere shaftes are soked in venim

5 The charettes rolle vpon the stretes, & welter in the hye wayes. They are to loke vpon lyke cressettes of fyre, & go swyftly, as the lyghteninge.

6 When he doth but warne his giauntes, they fall in their araye, & hastely they clymme vp the walles: yee, the engins of the warre are prepared all ready.

7 The water portes shall be opened, and the kynges palace shall fall.

8 The quene her selfe shall be led awaye captiue, and her gentyl wemen shal mourne as the doues, & grone within their hertes.

9 Niniue is like a pole full of water, but then shal they be fayne to fle. Stand, stande, (shal they crie) & there shall not one turne backe.

10 Awaye wt the syluer, awaye with the golde for here is no ende of treasure. There shalbe a multitude of all maner of costly ornamentes

11 Thus must she be spoyled, emptied & clene striped out: that their hertes may be melted awaye, their knees tremble, all their loynes be weake, & their faces blacke as a pot.

12 Where is now the dwellyng of the lyons, & the pasture of the lyons whelpes? where the lyon & the lyonesse went wt the whelpes, & no man frayed them awaye?

13 But the lyon spoyled ynough for hys yonge ones, & deuoured for his lyonesse: he filled his dennes wt his praye, & his dwelling place wt that he had rauished.Nah

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1 Wo to the bloudthursty citie, which is all full of lyes & robbery, & wyll not leaue of from rauisshing.

2 There a man maye heare scourging, russhynge, the noyse of the wheles, the cryenge of the horses, and the rollinge of the charettes.

3 There the horse men get vp wt naked swerdes, & glysteringe speares: there lyeth a multitude slayne, & a greate heape of deed bodyes: there is no ende of deed coarses: yee, men fall vpon their bodyes,

4 And that for the greate and manyfolde whordome, of the fayre & beutyfull harlot: which is a mastresse of witchcraft: yee, and selleth the people thorow her whordome, & the nacyons thorow her witchcraft.

5 Beholde, I will vpon the (sayeth the Lord of hostes) and will pull thy clothes ouer thy head: that I maye shewe thy nakednes amonge the Heathen, and thy shame amonge the kyngdomes.

6 I will cast dyrte vpon the, to make the be abhorred, & a gasynge stocke:

7 Yee, all they that loke vpon the, shall starte backe, and saye: Niniue is destroyed. Who will haue pitie vpon the? where shal I seke one to comforte the?

8 Art thou better then the greate cite of Alexandria? that laye in the waters, and had the waters rounde aboute it: which was strongly fenced & walled with the see?

9 Ethiopia & Egipte were her strength & that exceading great, aboue measure. Aphrica & Lybia were her helpers,

10 yet was she dryuen awaye, & brought into captiuite, her yonge chyldren were smitten downe at the head of euery strete, the lottes were cast for the most auncyent men in her, & all her myghtye men were bounde in chaines.

11 Euen so shalt thou also be droncken, & hyde thy selfe, and seke some helpe agaynst thyne enemy.

12 All thy stronge cities shalbe lyke fygetrees with ripe figges: whych when a man shaketh, they shall fall into the mouth of the eater.

13 Beholde, thy people within the, are but wemen: the portes of thy lande shalbe opened vnto thyne enemyes, and the fyre shall deuoure thy barres.

14 Drawe water now agaynst thou be beseged, make vp thy strong holdes go into the claye, tempre the morter, make strong brick:

15 yet the fyre shal consume the, the swerde shal destroye the: yee, as the locuste doth, so shal it eate the vp. It shal fal heuely vpon the as the locustes: yee, ryght heuely shall it fall vpon the, euen as the greshoppers.

16 Thy marchauntes haue bene nombred wt the starres of heauen: but now shal they sprede abrode as the locustes & fle their waye:

17 Thy lordes are as the greshoppers, & thy captaynes as the multitude of greshoppers: whych when they be colde, remayne in the hedges: but when the Sunne is vp, they fle awaye, & no man can tel where they are become.

18 Thy shepherdes are a slepe (O kyng of Assur) thy worthyes are layed downe, thy people is scatred abrode vpon the mountaynes, & no man gathereth them together agayne.

19 Thy wounde cannot be hyd, thy plage is so sore. All they that heare this of the, shal clappe their handes ouer the. For what is he, to whom thou hast not alwaye bene doyng hurte?