VerseAI

NIV

Nahum 2

  1. 1<pb/><t><f>[4]</f>An attacker advances against you, Nineveh.</t> <t>Guard the fortress,</t> <t>watch the road,</t> <t>brace yourselves,</t> <t>marshal all your strength! <pb/></t>
  2. 2<t>The LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob</t> <t>like the splendor of Israel,</t> <t>though destroyers have laid them waste</t> <t>and have ruined their vines. <pb/></t>
  3. 3<t>The shields of the soldiers are red;</t> <t>the warriors are clad in scarlet.</t> <t>The metal on the chariots flashes</t> <t>on the day they are made ready;</t> <t>the spears of juniper are brandished.<f>[5]</f></t>
  4. 4<t>The chariots storm through the streets,</t> <t>rushing back and forth through the squares.</t> <t>They look like flaming torches;</t> <t>they dart about like lightning. <pb/></t>
  5. 5<t>Nineveh summons her picked troops,</t> <t>yet they stumble on their way.</t> <t>They dash to the city wall;</t> <t>the protective shield is put in place.</t>
  6. 6<t>The river gates are thrown open</t> <t>and the palace collapses.</t>
  7. 7<t>It is decreed<f>[6]</f> that Nineveh</t> <t>be exiled and carried away.</t> <t>Her female slaves moan like doves</t> <t>and beat on their breasts.</t>
  8. 8<t>Nineveh is like a pool</t> <t>whose water is draining away.</t> <t>“Stop! Stop!” they cry,</t> <t>but no one turns back.</t>
  9. 9<t>Plunder the silver!</t> <t>Plunder the gold!</t> <t>The supply is endless,</t> <t>the wealth from all its treasures!</t>
  10. 10<t>She is pillaged, plundered, stripped!</t> <t>Hearts melt, knees give way,</t> <t>bodies tremble, every face grows pale. <pb/></t>
  11. 11<t>Where now is the lions’ den,</t> <t>the place where they fed their young,</t> <t>where the lion and lioness went,</t> <t>and the cubs, with nothing to fear?</t>
  12. 12<t>The lion killed enough for his cubs</t> <t>and strangled the prey for his mate,</t> <t>filling his lairs with the kill</t> <t>and his dens with the prey. <pb/></t>
  13. 13<t>“I am against you,”</t> <t>declares the LORD Almighty.</t> <t>“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,</t> <t>and the sword will devour your young lions.</t> <t>I will leave you no prey on the earth.</t> <t>The voices of your messengers</t> <t>will no longer be heard.”</t>