1. Here is a message the Lord gave Nahum in a vision about Nineveh. It is written on a scroll. Nahum was from the town of Elkosh. Here is what he said.
2. The Lord is a jealous God who punishes people. He pays them back for the evil things they do. His anger burns against them. The Lord punishes his enemies. He holds his anger back until the right time to use it.
3. The Lord is slow to get angry. He is very powerful. The Lord will not let guilty people go without punishing them. When he marches out, he stirs up winds and storms. Clouds are the dust kicked up by his feet.
4. He controls the seas. He dries them up. He makes all of the rivers run dry. Bashan and Mount Carmel dry up. The flowers in Lebanon fade.
5. He causes the mountains to shake. The hills melt away. The earth trembles because he is there. So do the world and all those who live in it.
6. Who can stand firm when his anger burns? Who can live when he is angry? His anger blazes out like fire. He smashes the rocks to pieces.