¹³ And he will stretch out his hand against the north
    and destroy Assyria,
and he will make Nineveh a desolation,
    a dry waste like the desert.^(A)
14 Herds shall lie down in it,
    every wild animal of the earth;^[a]
the desert owl^[b] and the screech owl^[c]
    shall lodge on its capitals;
the owl^[d] shall hoot at the window,
    the raven^[e] croak on the threshold,
    for its cedar work will be laid bare.^(B)
15 Is this the exultant city
    that lived secure,
that said to itself,
    “I am, and there is no one else”?
What a desolation it has become,
    a lair for wild animals!
Everyone who passes by it
    hisses and shakes the fist.^(C)

¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord:
If you turn back, I will take you back,
    and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious and not what is worthless,
    you shall serve as my mouth.
It is they who will turn to you,
    not you who will turn to them.^(A)
20 And I will make you to this people
    a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
    but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
    to save you and deliver you,
            says the Lord.^(B)
21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked
    and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.^(C)