[1] The destroyer is coming to attack you, Nineveh. Guard the defenses. Watch the road. Get ready. Gather all your strength! [2] Destroyers have destroyed God's people and ruined their vines, but the LORD will bring back Jacob's greatness like Israel's greatness. [3] The shields of his soldiers are red; the army is dressed in red. The metal on the chariots flashes like fire when they are ready to attack; their horses are excited. [4] The chariots race through the streets and rush back and forth through the city squares. They look like torches; they run like lightning. [5] He calls his officers, but they stumble on the way. They hurry to the city wall, and the shield is put into place. [6] The river gates are thrown open, and the palace is destroyed. [7] It has been announced that the people of Nineveh will be captured and carried away. The slave girls moan like doves and beat their breasts, because they are sad. [8] Nineveh is like a pool, and now its water is draining away. "Stop! Stop!" the people yell, but no one turns back. [9] Take the silver! Take the gold! There is no end to the treasure- piles of wealth of every kind. [10] Nineveh is robbed, ruined, and destroyed. The people lose their courage, and their knees knock. Stomachs ache, and everyone's face grows pale. [11] Where is the lions' den and the place where they feed their young? Where did the lion, lioness, and cubs go without being afraid? [12] The lion killed enough for his cubs, enough for his mate. He filled his cave with the animals he caught; he filled his den with meat he had killed. [13] "I am against you, Nineveh," says the LORD All-Powerful. "I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will kill your young lions. I will stop you from hunting down others on the earth, and your messengers' voices will no longer be heard."
