at: and ye shall bear the reproach of my people.
(Micah)
Chapter 7
Few pious people are to be found.

Alas, I am as one that lieth down in the vineyard, when there are no grapes to eat, and yet would gladly have the best of the fruit.

The righteous are gone out of this land, and the just are no more among the people. They all lie in wait for blood: every one hunteth after another to destroy him, 3. And think they do well when they do evil. What the prince wills, the judge saith, that he may do him service again. The mighty counsel according to their wantonness to do harm, and turn it as they will.

The best of them is as a thorn, and the most upright as a hedge. But when the day of thy preachers shall come, when thou shalt be visited, then shall they not know from whence.

No one believes his neighbor, no one relies on princes! Keep the door of your mouth from her who sleeps in your arms!

For the son despiseth his father, the daughter setteth herself against her mother, the cord is against her husband’s wife: and a man’s enemies are his own household.

But I will look unto the LORD, and wait upon the God of my salvation: my God shall hear me.

Rejoice not, O mine enemy, that I am fallen down. I shall arise again. Though I sit in darkness, yet the LORD is my light.

I will bear the LORD’S wrath, because I have sinned against him, until he execute my cause, and do me justice. He shall bring me to the light, that I may see my delight in his mercy.

My enemy shall see it, and shall stand in all her shame, which saith unto me now, Where is the LORD thy God? My eyes shall see, and she shall be trodden down as dung in the street.

In that day thy walls shall be built, and the word of God shall go forth far.

And in that day shall they come unto thee from Assyria, and from strong cities, from strong cities unto the sea, from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.

For the land shall be desolate for the inhabitants thereof, for the fruit of their works.

And thou shalt feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine inheritance, which dwell in the forest by themselves, and in the field: let them feed in Bashan and in Gilead, as of old.

I will make them see wonders, as when they came out of the land of Egypt, 16. That the heathen may see, and all their mighty men be ashamed, and lay their hand upon their mouth, and stop their ears.

They shall lick dust like serpents, and tremble in their holes like the creeping things of the earth. They shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall be terrified of thee.

Where is such a God as thou art? who forgiveth sin, and remitteth iniquity unto the remnant of his inheritance; who keepeth not his wrath for ever: for he is merciful.

he will have mercy on us again, and will subdue our iniquity, and cast all our sins into the depth of the sea.

Thou wilt keep faith with Jacob, and grace with Abraham, as thou swarest unto our fathers before.
Text of the unrevised Luther Bible 1545:
DeepL English Translation
[Processed by BackToLuther. German text published here.]
The prophet Nahum ^
Chapter 1
God’s majesty against tyrants.

This is the burden of Nineveh, and the book of the prophecy of Nahum of Elkos.

The LORD is a zealous God, and a revenger; yea, a revenger is the LORD, and angry: the LORD is a revenger against his adversaries, and he will not forget his enemies.

The LORD is patient, and of great strength, before whom no man is innocent: he is the LORD
whose ways are in the weather and in the storm, and under whose feet is thick dust, 4. Who hath chastened the sea, and made it dry, and dried up all the waters. Bashan and Carmel languish, and that which flourisheth in mount Lebanon languisheth.

The mountains shall tremble at his presence, and the hills shall melt: the earth shall shake at his presence, and the world, and all that dwell therein.

Who can stand before his wrath, and who can abide before his fury? His wrath burneth as fire, and the rocks cleave before him.

The LORD is good, and a strong hold in time of trouble, and knoweth them that trust in him.

When the flood overflows, he putteth an end to it: but his enemies he pursueeth with darkness.

What think ye against the LORD? He will make an end of it; the calamity will not come twice.

For as when the thorns, which are yet growing together, and are in the best of sap, are burned as dry straw,

So shall be the counsel that cometh from thee, and thinketh evil against the LORD.

Thus saith the LORD; They come armed and mighty as they will, but they shall be cut down, and go away. I have humbled thee; but I will not humble thee again.

Then will I break his yoke that thou bearest, and rend thy bands.

But against thee hath the LORD commanded, that the seed of thy name should no more remain. From the house of thy God will I cut thee off; the idols and graven images will I make thy grave: for thou art destroyed.
Behold, upon the mountains come the feet of a good messenger preaching peace: Keep thy feast days, Judah, and pay thy vows. For the mischief shall no more come upon thee; it is utterly cut off.
(Nahum)
Chapter 2
Destruction of the city of Nineveh.

The destroyer shall come up against thee, and shall besiege the stronghold. But, yea, make ready the road, and nest thyself in the best, and strengthen thyself in the most mighty.

For the LORD will recompense the pride of Jacob, as he recompensed the pride of Israel: for the reckoners shall count them out, and the reckoners shall destroy them.

The shields of his mighty men are red; his host looketh like purple; his chariots shine like fire when he striketh; their spears quake.

The chariots roll in the streets, and rattle in the highways; they look like torches, and pass among themselves like lightnings.

And he shall remember his mighty men: but they shall fall where they go out, and shall haste to the wall, and to the screen, where they shall be safe.

But the gates of the waters shall be opened, and the palace shall go down.

The queen shall be led away captive: and her virgins shall groan as doves, and beat upon her breast.

For Nineveh is like a pool of water; but the same shall flow away. Stand, stand! (they will shout), but no one will turn back.

Rob ye now silver, rob ye gold. For here is no end of treasures, and the multitude of all
precious gems.

But now she shall be purely picked and plundered, and her heart shall be troubled, and her knees shall shake, and her loins shall tremble, and her face shall look as pale as a pot.

Where then is the dwelling place of the lions, and the pasture of the young lions, when the lion and the lioness walked with the young lions, and no man was permitted to drive them out?

But the lion robbed enough for his young, and choked his lionesses; he filled his dens with spoil, and his habitation with that which he had torn.

Behold, I will be with thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and will burn thy chariots with smoke; and the sword shall devour thy young lions; and I will make an end of thy spoilings upon the earth, and thy messengers’ voices shall be heard no more.
(Nahum)
Chapter 3
Sins of the City of Nineveh.
Woe to the murderous city, which is full of lies and robbery, and will not cease from its robbery!

For then shall the scourges be heard to clatter, and the wheels to rattle, and the horses to cry, and the chariots to roll.

He bringeth up horsemen with shining swords, and with shining spears. There lie many slain, and great heaps of dead bodies, so that there is no number of them, and one must fall over their dead bodies.

All this for the sake of the great whoredom of the beautiful whore of love, which dealeth in sorcery, which by her whoredom hath bought the heathen, and by her sorcery the land and the people.

Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts. I will uncover thy righteousness under thy face; and I will shew thy nakedness unto the heathen, and thy shame unto the kingdoms.

I will make thee all abominable, and will ravish thee, and make thee an abomination, 7. That all they which see thee should flee from thee, and say: Nineveh is desolate: who shall have compassion on her? and where shall I seek comfort for thee?

Thinkest thou that thou art better than the city of No of the rulers, which was by the waters, and had waters round about, whose walls and strong holds were the sea?

Moors and Egypt was their innumerable power, Put and Libya were thy help.

And she was driven out, and went away captive, and her children were slain in every street; and the lot was cast for her nobles, and all her mighty men were put in chains and fetters.

So shalt thou also be drunken, and hide thyself, and seek a stronghold from the enemy.

All thy strong cities are as fig trees with ripe figs, when they are shaken to fall into the mouth of him that will eat them.

Behold, thy people shall become