The Overthrow of Nineveh 1 UST You people of Nineveh, your enemies are coming to attack you. So place guards on the tops of the walls around the city! Guard the roads into the city! Get ready to fight! Gather all of your troops together! BSB BSB: One who scatters advances against you, O Nineveh. Guard the fortress! Watch the road! Brace yourselves! Summon all your strength!
2 UST Even though soldiers have pillaged the people of Jacob and destroyed their vineyards, Yahweh will cause other nations to honor them again. Yes, Jacob and Israel will be majestic again. BSB BSB: For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and ruined the branches of their vine.
3 UST The shields of Yahweh’ s soldiers are red, and they will wear bright red uniforms. The metal of their chariot wheels will flash like fire when they prepare them for battle. The spears will look like{ a forest of} quivering cypress trees{ as the soldiers raise them}. BSB BSB: The shields of his mighty men are red; the valiant warriors are dressed in scarlet. The fittings of the chariots flash like fire on the day they are prepared, and the spears of cypress have been brandished.
4 UST Their chariots dash through the streets of Nineveh and rush furiously through the plazas. Appearing to move as quickly as lightning, they look like flaming torches. BSB BSB: The chariots dash through the streets; they rush around the plazas, appearing like torches, darting about like lightning.
5 UST The{ attacking} commander calls to his officers and they come to him so quickly that they stumble. They run up to the city wall{ to attack it}; they set up a large wooden shield{ above the soldiers to protect them}. BSB BSB: He summons his nobles; they stumble as they advance. They race to its wall; the protective shield is set in place.
6 UST Soldiers open the floodgates that hold back the rivers, and the palace collapses. BSB BSB: The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses.
7 UST Yahweh decrees that soldiers will take the inhabitants of Nineveh away as captives. The women of Nineveh moan like doves and beat their breasts{ to show that they are very sad}. BSB BSB: It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away; her maidservants moan like doves, and beat upon their breasts.
8 UST The people of Nineveh used to be as calm as a pool of water, but now they are running away.{ The officials shout,}“Stop! Stop!” But the people will not even look back{ as they run away}. BSB BSB: Nineveh has been like a pool of water throughout her days, but now it is draining away. “Stop! Stop!” they cry, but no one turns back.
9 UST { The attackers say to each other,}“Seize the silver! Grab the gold! There is a huge amount{ of very valuable things in the city}; there are many wonderful things of all kinds!” BSB BSB: “Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!” There is no end to the treasure, an abundance of every precious thing.
10 UST Soldiers have completely looted and destroyed{ the city of Nineveh}. The people of Nineveh are afraid, trembling, and deeply sorrowful. Their faces have all become pale{ with fear}. BSB BSB: She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale!
11 UST { After that happens, people will say,}“Nineveh used to be full of great and powerful people! It was like a den full of lions, where the male and female lions lived with their cubs, where they fed the young ones, where the inhabitants were afraid of nothing. BSB BSB: Where is the lions’ lair or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away?
12 UST The officials in Nineveh were like lions that killed animals for their cubs, strangled others for their lionesses, and kept killing more to fill their dens with prey.” BSB BSB: The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.
13 UST Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says to the people of Nineveh,“I am your enemy; I will burn up your chariots. I will cause soldiers to kill your young men. I will make sure that your soldiers will never again conquer other nations and seize their valuable possessions. Your messengers will never again disturb the people of other nations.” BSB BSB: “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will reduce your chariots to cinders, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.”