Read the Bible

¹ Woe to ^(a)the bloody city,
    all full of lies and plunder—
    ^(b)no end to the prey!
² The crack of the whip, and ^(c)rumble of the wheel,
    ^(d)galloping horse and ^(e)bounding chariot!
³ Horsemen charging,
    flashing sword and ^(f)glittering spear,
^(g)hosts of slain,
    heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
    they stumble over the bodies!
⁴ And all for the countless whorings of the ^(h)prostitute,
    ⁽ⁱ⁾graceful and of deadly charms,
who betrays nations with her whorings,
    and peoples with her charms.

^5 (j)Behold, I am against you,
    declares the Lord of hosts,
    and ^(k)will lift up your skirts over your face;
and I will make nations look at ^(l)your nakedness
    and kingdoms at your shame.
⁶ I will throw filth at you
    and ^(m)treat you with contempt
    and make you ⁽ⁿ⁾a spectacle.
⁷ And all who look at you ^(o)will shrink from you and say,
"Wasted is ^(p)Nineveh; ^(q)who will grieve for her?"
    ^(r)Where shall I seek comforters for you?

^8 (s)Are you better than ^(t)Thebes^[a]
    that sat ^(u)by the Nile,
with water around her,
    her rampart a sea,
    and water her wall?
^9 (v)Cush was her strength;
    Egypt too, and that without limit;
    ^(w)Put and the ^(x)Libyans were her^[b] helpers.

^10 (y)Yet she became an exile;
    she went into captivity;
^(z)her infants were dashed in pieces
    at the head of every street;
for her honored men ^(aa)lots were cast,
    ^(ab)and all her great men were bound in chains.
^11 (ac)You also will be drunken;
    you will go into hiding;
^(ad)you will seek a refuge from the enemy.
¹² All your fortresses are ^(ae)like fig trees
    with first-ripe figs—
if shaken they fall
    into the mouth of the eater.
¹³ Behold, your troops
    ^(af)are women in your midst.
The gates of your land
    are wide open to your enemies;
    fire has devoured your bars.

^14 (ag)Draw water for the siege;
    ^(ah)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 ^(ai)devour you ^(aj)like the locust.
Multiply yourselves ^(ak)like the locust;
    multiply ^(al)like the grasshopper!
¹⁶ You increased ^(am)your merchants
    more than the stars of the heavens.
    ^(an)The locust spreads its wings and flies away.

¹⁷ Your ^(ao)princes are ^(ap)like grasshoppers,
    ^(aq)your scribes^[c] 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 ^(ar)are asleep,
    O king of Assyria;
    ^(as)your nobles slumber.
Your people ^(at)are scattered on the mountains
    with none to gather them.
¹⁹ There is no easing your hurt;
    ^(au)your wound is grievous.
All who hear the news about you
    ^(av)clap their hands over you.
For ^(aw)upon whom has not come
    your unceasing evil?