One who scatters advances against you, (O Nineveh). Guard the fortress ! Watch the road ! Brace yourselves ... ! Summon all your strength !
For the LORD - will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel , though destroyers have laid them waste and ruined the branches of their vine.
The shields of his mighty men are red ; the valiant warriors ... are dressed in scarlet. The fittings of the chariots flash like fire on the day they are prepared , and the spears of cypress have been brandished.
The chariots dash through the streets ; they rush around the plazas , appearing like torches , darting about like lightning.
He summons his nobles ; they stumble as they advance. They race to its wall ; the protective shield is set in place.
The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses.
It is decreed that (the city) be exiled and carried away ; her maidservants moan like doves , and beat upon their breasts.
Nineveh has been like a pool of water throughout her days , but now it is draining away. “ Stop ! Stop!” they cry , but no one turns back.
“ Plunder the silver ! Plunder the gold ! ” There is no end to the treasure , an abundance of every precious thing.
She is emptied ! Yes , she is desolate and laid waste ! Hearts melt , knees knock , bodies tremble , and every face ... grows pale ... !
Where is the lions’ lair or the feeding ground ... of the young lions , where the lion and lioness ... prowled with (their) cubs , with nothing to frighten them away ?
The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill , and its lairs with mauled prey.
“ Behold , I am against you , ” declares the LORD of Hosts. “ I will send your chariots up in smoke , and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth , and the voices of your messengers will no longer be heard -. ”