Nahum 2

¹He that dasheth in pieces is come up against thee: keep the fortress, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.

²For Jehovah restoreth the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel; for the emptiers have emptied them out, and destroyed their vine-branches.

³The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots flash with steel in the day of his preparation, and the cypress spears are brandished.

⁴The chariots rage in the streets; they rush to and fro in the broad ways: the appearance of them is like torches; they run like the lightnings.

⁵He remembereth his nobles: they stumble in their march; they make haste to the wall thereof, and the mantelet is prepared.

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

⁷And it is decreed: she is uncovered, she is carried away; and her handmaids moan as with the voice of doves, beating upon their breasts.

⁸But Nineveh hath been from of old like a pool of water: yet they flee away. Stand, stand, they cry; but none looketh back.

⁹Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold; for there is no end of the store, the glory of all goodly furniture.

¹⁰She is empty, and void, and waste; and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and anguish is in all loins, and the faces of them all are waxed pale.

¹¹Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding-place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?

¹²The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with prey, and his dens with ravin.

¹³Behold, I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions; and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.

Nahum 2

¹Come up hath a scatterer to thy face, Keep the bulwark, watch the way, Strengthen the loins, strengthen power mightily.

²For turned back hath Jehovah to the excellency of Jacob, As to the excellency of Israel, For emptied them out have emptiers, And their branches they have marred.

³The shield of his mighty ones is become red, Men of might are in scarlet, With fiery torches is the chariot in a day of his preparation, And the firs have been caused to tremble.

⁴In out-places shine do the chariots, They go to and fro in broad places, Their appearances are like torches, As lightnings they run.

⁵He doth remember his honourable ones, They stumble in their goings, They hasten to its wall, and prepared is the covering.

⁶Gates of the rivers have been opened, And the palace is dissolved.

⁷And it is establishedshe hath removed, She hath been brought up, And her handmaids are leading as the voice of doves, Tabering on their hearts.

⁸And Nineveh is as a pool of waters, From of old it is and they are fleeing! `Stand ye, stand;' and none is turning!

⁹Seize ye silver, seize ye gold, And there is no end to the prepared things, To the abundance of all desirable vessels.

¹⁰She is empty, yea, emptiness and waste, And the heart hath melted, And the knees have smitten together, And great pain is in all loins, And the faces of all of them have gathered paleness.

¹¹Where is the habitation of lionesses? And a feeding-place it is for young lions Where walked hath a lion, an old lion, A lion's whelp, and there is none troubling.

¹²The lion is tearing parts for his whelps, And is strangling for his lionesses, And he doth fill with prey his holes, And his habitations with rapine.

¹³Lo, I am against thee, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And I have burned in smoke its chariot, And thy young lions consume doth a sword, And I have cut off from the land thy prey, And not heard any more is the voice of thy messengers!