1 He¹ who scatters has come up before your face.
Man the fort!
Watch the road!
Strengthen your flanks!
Fortify your power mightily. ‡

2 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 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,
And¹ the spears are brandished. ‡

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

5 He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their walk;
They make haste to her walls,
And the defense is prepared.

6 The gates of the rivers are opened,
And the palace is dissolved.

7 ¹It 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 Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,
Now they flee away.
¹“Halt! Halt!” they cry;
But no one turns back. ‡

9 ¹Take spoil of silver!
Take spoil of ^agold!
There is no end of treasure,
Or wealth of every desirable prize. ‡

10 She is empty, desolate, and waste!
The heart melts, and the knees shake;
Much pain is in every side,
And all their faces¹ are drained of color. ‡

11 Where is the dwelling of the ^alions,
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 The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs,
¹Killed for his lionesses,
^aFilled his caves with prey,
And his dens with¹ flesh.  ‡

13 “Behold, ^aI am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn¹ 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 ^bmessengers shall be heard no more.” ‡