The Destruction of Nineveh
1 He who scatters has come up before your face.
Man the fort!
Watch the road!
Strengthenyourflanks!
Fortifyyourpower mightily.
2 For theLordwill restore the excellence of Jacob
Like the excellence of Israel,
For the emptiers have emptied them out
And ruined their vine branches.
3 The shields of his mighty menaremade red,
The valiant menarein scarlet.
The chariotscomewith flaming torches
In the day of his preparation,
And the spears are brandished.
4 The chariots rage in the streets,
They jostle one another in the broad roads;
They seem like torches,
They run like lightning.
5 He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their walk;
They make haste to her walls,
And the defense is prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers are opened,
And the palace is dissolved.
7 It is decreed:
She shall be led away captive,
She shall be brought up;
And her maidservants shall leadheras with the voice of doves,
Beating their breasts.
8 Though Nineveh of oldwaslike a pool of water,
Now they flee away.
“Halt! Halt!”theycry;
But no one turns back.
9 Take spoil of silver!
# Take spoil ofgold!
Thereisno end of treasure,
Or wealth of every desirable prize.
10 She is empty, desolate, and waste!
The heart melts, and the knees shake;
Much painisin every side,
And all their faces are drained of color.
11 Whereisthe dwelling of thelions,
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion walked, the lionessandlion’s cub,
And no one madethemafraid?
12 The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs,
Killed for his lionesses,
# Filled his caves with prey,
And his dens with flesh.
13 “Behold,Iamagainst you,” says theLordof hosts, “I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of yourmessengers shall be heard no more.”