² For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob,
yes,^[b] the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their vine branches.^(B)

³ The shields of his^[c] warriors are dyed red;
the valiant men are dressed in scarlet.^(C)
The fittings of the chariot flash like fire
on the day of its battle preparations,
and the spears are brandished.
⁴ The chariots dash madly through the streets;
they rush around in the plazas.
They look like torches;
they dart back and forth like lightning.
⁵ He gives orders to his officers;
they stumble as they advance.
They race to its wall;
the protective shield is set in place.
⁶ The river gates are opened,
and the palace erodes away.^(D)

⁷ Beauty^[d] is stripped,^[e]
she is carried away;
her ladies-in-waiting moan
like the sound of doves,^(E)
and beat their breasts.
⁸ Nineveh has been like a pool of water
from her first days,^[f]
but they are fleeing.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
⁹ “Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!”
There is no end to the treasure,
an abundance of every precious thing.^(F)
10 Desolation, decimation, devastation!
Hearts melt,^(G)
knees tremble,
loins shake,
every face grows pale!^(H)

¹¹ Where is the lions’ lair,^(I)
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?^(J)
12 The 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.^(K)
13 Beware, I am against you.^(L)
This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
I will make your chariots go up in smoke^[g]
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.