Attack against Nineveh

2 One who scatters is coming up against you. h

Man the fortifications!

Watch the road!

Brace i yourself!

Summon all your strength! j

2 For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob, k

yes, l the majesty of Israel,

though ravagers have ravaged them m

and ruined their vine branches. n

3 The shields of his o warriors are dyed red;

the valiant men are dressed in scarlet. p

The fittings of the chariot flash like fire q

on the day of its battle preparations,

and the spears are brandished.

4 The chariots dash madly through the streets;

they rush around in the plazas.

They look like torches;

they dart back and forth like lightning.

5 He gives orders to his officers;

they stumble as they advance.

They race to its wall;

the protective shield is set in place.

6 The river gates are opened,

and the palace erodes away. r

7 Beauty s is stripped, t

she is carried away;

her ladies-in-waiting moan

like the sound of doves, u

and beat their breasts. v

8 Nineveh has been like a pool of water

from her first days, w

but they are fleeing.

“Stop! Stop!” they cry,

but no one turns back.

9 “Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!” x

There is no end to the treasure,

an abundance of every precious thing. y

10 Desolation, decimation, devastation!

Hearts melt, z

knees tremble, a

loins shake, b

every face grows pale! c

11 Where is the lions’ lair, d

or the feeding ground of the young lions,

where the lion and lioness prowled,

and the lion’s cub,

with nothing to frighten them away? e

12 The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed

and strangled prey for its lionesses.

It filled up its dens with the kill,

and its lairs with mauled prey. f

13 Beware, I am against you. g

This is the declaration of the Lord of * Hosts.

I will make your chariots go up in smoke h

and the sword will devour your young lions. i

I will cut off your prey from the earth,

and the sound of your messengers

will never be heard again. j