2:1 The one who scatters has come up against you. Man the fortress, watch the road; Strengthen your back, summon all your strength. |
2:2 For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob Like the splendor of Israel, Even though devastators have devastated them And destroyed their vine branches. |
2:3 The shields of his mighty men have a red color, The warriors dress in scarlet, The chariots have become enveloped in flashing steel When he prepares to march, And they brandish cypress spears. |
2:4 The chariots race madly in the streets, They rush wildly in the squares, Their appearance resemble torches, They dash to and fro like lightning flashes. |
2:5 He remembers his nobles; They stumble in their march, They hurry to her wall, And they set the mantelet up. |
2:6 The gates of the rivers open And the palace dissolves. |
2:7 It has become fixed: They strip her and carry away, And her handmaids moan like the sound of doves, Beating on their breasts. |
2:8 Though Nineveh resembled a pool of water throughout her days, Now they flee; "Stop, stop," But no one turns back. |
2:9 Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! For there seems no limit to the treasure-- Wealth from every kind of desirable object. |
2:10 She has emptied! Yes, she has become desolate and waste! Hearts melt and knees knock! Also anguish fills the whole body And all their faces grow pale! |
2:11 Where do we find the den of the lions And the feeding place of the young lions, Where the lion, lioness and lion's cub prowled, With nothing to disturb them? |
2:12 The lion tore enough for his cubs, Killed enough for his lionesses, And filled his lairs with prey And his dens with torn flesh. |
2:13 "Behold, I place myself against you," declares the LORD of hosts "I will burn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will they hear the voice of your messengers ." |