Attack against Nineveh

¹One who scatters is coming up against you.[#2:1 Ezk 29:12–13; 30:23,26]

Man the fortifications!

Watch the road!

Brace yourself!

Summon all your strength!

²For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob,[#2:2 Ps 47:4; Am 6:8; 8:7]

yes, the majesty of Israel,

though ravagers have ravaged them

and ruined their vine branches.

³The shields of his warriors are dyed red;[#2:3 = the army commander attacking Nineveh]

the valiant men are dressed in scarlet.

The fittings of the chariot flash like fire

on the day of its battle preparations,

and the spears are brandished.

⁴The chariots dash madly through the streets;

they rush around in the squares.

They look like torches;

they dart back and forth like lightning.

⁵He gives orders to his officers;

they stumble as they advance.

They race to its wall;

the protective shield is set in place.

⁶The river gates are opened,

and the palace erodes away.

⁷Beauty is stripped;[#2:7 Text emended; MT reads Huzzab; #2:7 Hb obscure]

she is carried away;

her ladies-in-waiting moan

like the sound of doves

and beat their breasts.

⁸Nineveh has been like a pool of water

from her first days,

but they are fleeing.

‘Stop! Stop! ’ they cry,

but no one turns back.

⁹‘Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! ’[#2:9 Ezk 38:13]

There is no end to the treasure,

an abundance of every precious thing.

¹⁰Desolation, decimation, devastation!

Hearts melt,

knees tremble,

insides churn,

every face grows pale!

¹¹Where is the lions’ lair,[#2:11 Is 2:15; 5:26–29; Jr 4:7; 5:6; 50:17; 51:38; Jl 1:6; Am 3:12]

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?

¹²The 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.

¹³Beware, I am against you.[#2:13 Jr 21:13; 23:30–32; 50:31; 51:25; Ezk 5:8; 13:8; 21:3; 26:3; 28:22; 29:3,10; 38:3; 39:1; Nah 3:5]

I will make your chariots go up in smoke,

and the sword will devour your young lions.

I will cut off your prey from the earth,

and the sound of your messengers

will never be heard again.