Into the Fire

An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;

   the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.

The Lord takes vengeance on his foes

   and maintains his wrath against his enemies.

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power;

   he will not leave the guilty unpunished.

His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,

   and clouds are the dust of his feet. 

He rebukes the sea and dries it up;

   he makes all the rivers run dry.

Bashan and Carmel wither

   and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. 

The mountains quake before him

   and the hills melt away.

The earth trembles at his presence,

   the world and all who live in it.

Who can withstand his indignation?

   Who can endure his fierce anger?

His wrath is poured out like fire;

   the rocks are shattered before him.

Nahum 1:1-6 (NIV)