Online Bible

The Overthrow of Nineveh

¹The one who ^ascatters has come up against ²you.Man the fortress, watch the road;³Strengthen your back, ⁴summon all your strength.2 For the LORD will restore the ^asplendor of Jacob^bLike the splendor of Israel,Even though devastators have devastated themAnd ^cdestroyed their vine branches.

3 The shields of ¹his mighty men are colored red,The warriors are dressed in ^ascarlet,The chariots are enveloped in ²flashing steel³When he is prepared to march,And the cypress ^bspears are brandished.4 The ^achariots race madly in the streets,They rush wildly in the ¹squares,Their appearance is like torches,They dash to and fro like lightning flashes.5 He remembers his ^anobles;They ^bstumble in their march,They hurry to her wall,And the ¹mantelet is set up.6 The gates of the rivers are openedAnd the palace is dissolved.7 It is fixed:She is stripped, she is carried away,And her handmaids are ^amoaning like the sound of doves,^bBeating on their ¹breasts.

8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,Now they are fleeing;“Stop, stop,”But ^ano one turns back.9 Plunder the silver!Plunder the ^agold!For there is no limit to the treasure—Wealth from every kind of desirable object.10 She is ^aemptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste!^bHearts are melting and knees knocking!Also anguish is in ¹the whole bodyAnd all their ^cfaces are grown pale!11 Where is the den of the lionsAnd the feeding place of the ^ayoung lions,Where the lion, lioness and lion’s cub prowled,With nothing to disturb them?12 The lion tore enough for his cubs,¹Killed enough for his lionesses,And filled his lairs with preyAnd his dens with torn flesh.

13 “Behold, ^aI am against you,” declares the LORD of hosts. “I will ^bburn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will ^ccut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”