1 He that dashethᵃ in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
2 For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israelᵇ: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarletᶜ: the chariots shall be with flaming torchesᵈ in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seemᵉ like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
5 He shall recount his worthiesᶠ: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.ᵍ
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolvedʰ.
7 And Huzzabⁱ shall be led awayʲ captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
8 But Nineveh is of oldᵏ like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look backˡ.
9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the storeᵐ and glory out of all the pleasant furnitureⁿ.
10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?
12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord 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.