Soldiers rush to defend Nineveh’s walls
1Watch out, Nineveh, [1] here comes Destruction. [2]Double the guard and scout the roads.
Mobilize your entire force,
Then brace yourself for what’s coming.
2The LORD is restoring Jacob’s pride.
Israel’s glory will rise and shine,
Though invaders tore you apart,
And snapped branches off your family tree.
Soldiers attack Nineveh
3Blood red, the shields of Nineveh’s enemy.Crimson, the uniforms they wear.
Metallic light flashes from polished chariots
On the day the campaign begins.
4Chariots charge through Nineveh’s streets
From city center to squares around town.
Reflected light flashes like lightning
As they travel at the speed of the flash.
5Nineveh orders its army into action.
They stumble unprepared in their rush.
They race to walls
And set their siege defenses.
6But someone tore open the river gates,
Flooding the palace of the king. [3]
Nineveh defeated
7Exile is the order for Nineveh’s people.Slavery for women as they leave.
They walk as they moan like mourning doves,
Beating their chests while they grieve.
8Flooded Nineveh becomes a pool of people
Pulsing away like water in a stream.
“Stop, come back!” someone yells.
No one does.
9Pile on the plunder,
Silver and gold.
Treasures too much to count,
Precious, every last one.
Decimated Nineveh
10Nineveh’s defeated, destroyed, and desolate.Hearts sink, knees rattle, muscles tremble.
And the skin drains color to ashen.
11What happened to the fearless town?
This den of lions [4] and lion cubs,
No one dared disturb?
12This lion once shredded prey for his cubs,
Tenderized meat for his lioness pride.
He decorated his den with dying prey,
And served a buffet of pulled meat.
13This is me at work against you,
says the LORD of everyone on earth.
I’ll burn your armored chariots
And watch them go up in smoke.
I’ll destroy your lions,
They’ll kill no more.
I’ll silence your messengers for good.
