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.

He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your 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 will restore the excellence of Jacob Like the excellence of Israel, For the emptiers have emptied them out And ruined 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 shields of his mighty men are made red, The valiant men are in scarlet. The chariots come with flaming torches In the day of his preparation, And the spears are brandished.

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 rage in the streets, They jostle one another in the broad roads; They seem like torches, They run like lightning.

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 remembers his nobles; They stumble in their walk; They make haste to her walls, And the defense is 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 are opened, And the palace is dissolved.

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

It is decreed: She shall be led away captive, She shall be brought up; And her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves, Beating 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.

Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water, Now they flee away. “Halt! Halt!” they cry; But no one turns 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 spoil of silver! Take spoil of gold! There is no end of treasure, Or wealth of every desirable prize.

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, desolate, and waste! The heart melts, and the knees shake; Much pain is in every side, And all their faces are drained of color.

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?

Where is the dwelling of the lions, And the feeding place of the young lions, Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub, 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 cubs, Killed for his lionesses, Filled his caves with prey, And his dens with flesh.

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 am against you,” says the Lord of 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 your messengers shall be heard no more.”