Nahum 2:1-10

2¹ Your enemy is coming to crush you, Nineveh. Man the ramparts! Watch the roads! Prepare your defenses! Call out your forces! ² Even though the destroyer has destroyed Judah, the Lord will restore its honor. Israel's vine has been stripped of branches, but he will restore its splendor. ³ Shields flash red in the sunlight! See the scarlet uniforms of the valiant troops! Watch as their glittering chariots move into position, with a forest of spears waving above them. ⁴ The chariots race recklessly along the streets and rush wildly through the squares. They flash like firelight and move as swiftly as lightning. ⁵ The king shouts to his officers; they stumble in their haste, rushing to the walls to set up their defenses. ⁶ The river gates have been torn open! The palace is about to collapse! ⁷ Nineveh's exile has been decreed, and all the servant girls mourn its capture. They moan like doves and beat their breasts in sorrow. ⁸ Nineveh is like a leaking water reservoir! The people are slipping away. "Stop, stop!" someone shouts, but no one even looks back. ⁹ Loot the silver! Plunder the gold! There's no end to Nineveh's treasures- its vast, uncounted wealth. ¹⁰ Soon the city is plundered, empty, and ruined. Hearts melt and knees shake. The people stand aghast, their faces pale and trembling.