1 WYC Wo to the citee of bloodis, al of leesyng, ful of to-reendyng; raueyn shal not go awei fro thee. BSB BSB: Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without prey.
2 WYC Vois of scourge, and vois of bire of wheel, and of hors makynge noise, and of foure horsid carte brennynge, and of kniyt stiynge vp, BSB BSB: The crack of the whip, the rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!
3 WYC and of schynynge swerd, and glesenynge spere, and of slayn multitude, and of greuouse fallyng, nether ther is eende of careyns. And thei schulen falle togidere in her bodies, BSB BSB: Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end—they stumble over their dead—
4 WYC for the multitude of fornicaciouns of the hoore fair and plesaunt, and hauynge witchecraftis; which seelde folkis in her fornicaciouns, and meynees in her enchauntementis, ether sorceries. BSB BSB: because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft.
5 WYC Lo! Y to thee, seith the Lord God of oostis; and Y schal schewe thi schameful thingis in thi face; and Y schal schewe to folkis thi nakidnesse, and to rewmes thin yuel fame. BSB BSB: “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms.
6 WYC And Y schal cast out on thee thin abhomynaciouns, and Y schal punysche thee with dispitis, and Y schal putte thee in to ensaumple. BSB BSB: I will pelt you with filth and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you.
7 WYC And it schal be, ech man that schal se thee, schal skippe awei fro thee, and schal seie, Nynyue is distried. Who schal moue heed on thee? wherof schal Y seke to thee a coumfortour? BSB BSB: Then all who see you will recoil from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated; who will grieve for her?’ Where can I find comforters for you?”
8 WYC Whether thou art betere than Alisaundre of puplis, that dwellith in floodis? Watris ben in cumpas therof, whos richessis is the see, watris ben wallis therof. BSB BSB: Are you better than Thebes, stationed by the Nile with water around her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall was the water?
9 WYC Ethiope is strengthe therof, and Egipt, and there is noon ende; Affrik and Libie weren in help therof. BSB BSB: Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were her allies.
10 WYC But and it in `passyng ouer is led in to caitifte; the litle children therof ben hurtlid doun in the heed of alle weies. And on the noble men therof thei kesten lot, and alle grete men therof ben set togidere in gyues. BSB BSB: Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in chains.
11 WYC And thou therfor schalt be drunkun, and schalt be dispisid, and thou schalt seke helpe of enemye. BSB BSB: You too will become drunk; you will go into hiding and seek refuge from the enemy.
12 WYC Al thi strengthis as a fige tree, with hise figis vnripe; if thei schulen be schakun, thei schulen falle in to the mouth of the etere. BSB BSB: All your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; when shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater!
13 WYC Lo! thi puple ben wymmen in the myddil of thee; the yatis of thi lond schulen be schewid to openyng to thin enemyes; fier schal deuoure thin herris. BSB BSB: Look at your troops—they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars.
14 WYC Drawe vp to thee water for asegyng, bilde thi strengthis; entre in fen, and trede, thou vndurgoynge holde a tiel stoon. BSB BSB: Draw your water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Work the clay and tread the mortar; repair the brick kiln!
15 WYC There fier schal ete thee, thou schalt perische bi swerd, it schal deuoure thee, as bruke doith; be thou gaderid togidere as a bruke, be thou multiplied as a locuste. BSB BSB: There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and consume you like a young locust. Make yourself many like the young locust; make yourself many like the swarming locust!
16 WYC Thou madist thi marchaundises mo than ben sterris of heuene; a bruke is spred abrood, and flei awei. BSB BSB: You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away.
17 WYC Thi keperis ben as locustis, and thi litle children ben as locustis of locustis, whiche sitten togidere in heggis in the dai of coold; the sun is risun, and thei fledden awei, and the place of hem is not knowun, where thei weren. BSB BSB: Your guards are like the swarming locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts that settle on the walls on a cold day. When the sun rises, they fly away, and no one knows where.
18 WYC Thi scheepherdis napten, thou kyng Assur, thi princes schulen be biried; thi puple ofte was hid in hillis, and ther is not that schal gadere. BSB BSB: O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them.
19 WYC Thi sorewe is not priuy, thi wounde is worst; alle men that herden thin heryng, pressiden togidere hond on thee, for on whom passide not thi malice euermore? BSB BSB: There is no healing for your injury; your wound is severe. All who hear the news of you applaud your downfall, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty?