1 H e who dashes in pieces is come up before your face. Keep the fortress and ramparts manned, watch the road, gird your loins, collect and fortify all your strength and power mightily.

¶ The destroyer is risen up against thee: keep the fortress, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.

2 F or the Lord restores the excellency of Jacob as the excellency of Israel, for plunderers have plundered them and emptied them out and destroyed their vine branches.

For the LORD shall restore the glory of Jacob as the glory of Israel; for the emptiers have emptied them out and marred their vine branches.

3 T he shields of the mighty men are red; the valiant men are in dyed scarlet. The chariots blaze with fire of steel on the day of his preparation, and the officers’ horses prance like a cypress forest.

The shield of his valiant ones shall be red, the men of his army are in scarlet, the chariot as fire of torches in the day which shall be made ready; the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.

4 T he chariots rage in confusion in the streets; they run to and fro in the broad ways. They flash with steel; they rush like forked lightnings.

The chariots shall rage in the streets; they shall flow through the streets, their faces like torches; they shall run like the lightnings.

5 r emembers and summons his bravest men; they stumble in their march. They hasten to the city’s wall, and their movable defense shelter is prepared and set up.

He shall remember his valiant ones; they shall stumble in their walk when they make haste to their wall, and the covering shall be prepared.

6 T he gates or dams of the rivers are opened and the palace is dissolved and is in dismay.

The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be destroyed.

7 I t is decreed. She is stripped and removed, and her maids are lamenting and moaning like doves, beating upon their breasts.

And the queen shall be taken captive; they shall order her to go up, and her maids shall take her, mourning as with the voice of doves, beating upon their breasts.

8 A nd Nineveh, like a standing pool are her waters and are fleeing away! Stand! Stand, but no one looks back or causes them to return.

And Nineveh was of old like a pool of water; but now they flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but no one looks back.

9 T ake the spoil of silver; take the spoil of gold! For there is no end of the treasure, the glory and wealth of all the precious furnishings.

Take the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold, for there is no end of the riches; honour, more than all the desirable furniture.

10 E mptiness! Desolation! Utter waste! Hearts faint and knees smite together, and anguish is in all loins, and the faces of all grow pale!

She is empty and worn out and is in pieces, and the heart melted, the knees smite together, and much pain is in the kidneys, and the faces of them all gather blackness.

11 W here is the den of the lions which was the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?

¶ What of the dwelling of the lions and of the feeding place of the young lions where the lion and the lioness walked and the lion’s whelps, and no one made them afraid?

12 T he lion tore in pieces enough for his whelps and strangled for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with what he had seized and carried off.

The lion tore in pieces enough for his whelps and strangled for his lionesses and filled his holes with prey and his dens with robbery.

13 B ehold, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. And I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no more be heard.

Behold, I speak unto thee, saith the LORD of the hosts, and I will burn and reduce thy chariots into smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions; and I will cut off thy robbery from the earth, and the voice of thy ambassadors shall never be heard again.