² Hear the sound of whips
    and the ·noise [rumble; shaking] of the wheels.
Hear horses galloping
    and chariots bouncing along!
³ ·Horses [Cavalry; Horsemen] are charging,
    swords are ·shining [flashing],
    spears are gleaming!
Many are ·dead [slain];
    their bodies are piled up—
too many to count.
    People stumble over the dead bodies.
⁴ ·The city was like a prostitute [For her many acts of prostitution];
    she was ·charming [graceful] and a ·lover of magic [^Lmistress of sorceries].
She made nations slaves with her prostitution
    and her ·witchcraft [sorcery; charms].

⁵ “I am against ·you, Nineveh [^Lyou],” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts].
    “I will pull your dress up over your face
and show the nations your nakedness
    and the kingdoms your shame [^Cthe punishment of a prostitute in the ancient Near East].
⁶ I will throw filthy garbage on you
    and ·make a fool of you [treat you with contempt].
    I will make ·people stare at you [you a spectacle].
⁷ Everyone who sees you will ·run away [or turn away in disgust] and say,
    ‘Nineveh is in ruins. Who will ·cry [grieve; lament] for her?’
Nineveh, where will I find anyone to comfort you?”

⁸ You are no better than ·Thebes [^LNo Amon; ^Cmeaning “city of (the god) Amon”; This capital of Upper Egypt, thought to be impregnable, was destroyed by the Assyrians in 663 bc],
    who sits by the Nile River
    with water all around her.
The river was her ·defense [rampart];
    the waters were like a wall around her.
⁹ Cush [^Cancient Ethiopia or Nubia] and Egypt gave her endless strength;
    Put and Libya supported her [^Cneighboring countries allied with Egypt].
¹⁰ But Thebes was captured
    and went into ·captivity [exile].
Her ·small children [infants] were ·beaten to death [dashed to pieces]
    at every street corner.
Lots were thrown for her ·important men [nobles; ^Cparceled out as slaves],
    and all of her ·leaders [great ones] were put in chains.

¹¹ You [^CNineveh] will be drunk, too.
    You will hide;
    you will ·look for a place safe [seek refuge] from the enemy.
¹² All your ·defenses [fortresses] are like fig trees with ripe fruit.
    When the tree is shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater.
¹³ Look at your soldiers.
    They are all women [^Cmeaning helpless or physically weak]!
The gates of your land
    are wide open for your enemies;
fire has ·burned [consumed; devoured] the bars of your gates.

¹⁴ ·Get enough water before the long war begins [Draw water for the siege].
    Make your defenses strong!
Get mud,
    mix clay,
    ·make bricks [strengthen the brickwork]!
¹⁵ There the fire will ·burn you up [consume/devour you].
    The sword will ·kill you [cut you down];
    ·like grasshoppers eating crops, the battle will completely destroy you [it will devour you like locusts].
Grow in number like ·hopping [or young] locusts;
    grow in number like ·swarming [or flying] locusts!
¹⁶ Your ·traders [merchants] are more than the stars in the sky,
    but like locusts they ·strip the land [or shed their skin] and then fly away.
¹⁷ Your guards are like locusts.
    Your officers are like swarms of locusts
    that ·hang [settle; encamp] on the walls on a cold day.
When the sun comes up, they fly away,
    and no one knows where they have gone.
¹⁸ King of Assyria, your ·rulers [^Lshepherds] are asleep;
    your ·important men [nobles; officers] lie down ·to rest [or dead].
Your people have been scattered on the mountains [^Clike sheep],
    and there is no one to ·bring them back [gather them].
¹⁹ Nothing can heal your wound;
    your ·injury [wound] ·will not heal [is fatal].
Everyone who hears ·about you applauds [will clap their hands over you],
    because ·everyone has [^Lwho has not…?] felt your endless cruelty.