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The shield of his mighty men is made red. The valiant men are in scarlet. The chariots flash with steel in the day of his preparation, and the pine spears are brandished. The chariots rage in the streets. They rush back and forth in the wide ways. Their appearance is like torches. They run like the lightnings. He summons his picked troops. They stumble on their way. They dash to its wall, and the protective shield is put in place. The gates of the rivers are opened, and the palace is dissolved. It is decreed: she is uncovered, she is carried away; and her servants moan as with the voice of doves, beating on their breasts. But Nineveh has been from of old like a pool of water, yet they flee away. “Stop! Stop!” they cry, but no one looks back. Take the plunder of silver. Take the plunder of gold, for there is no end of the store, the glory of all goodly furniture. 10 She is empty, void, and waste. The heart melts, the knees knock together, their bodies and faces have grown pale.

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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.[a]
The chariots race recklessly along the streets
    and rush wildly through the squares.
They flash like firelight
    and move as swiftly as lightning.
The king shouts to his officers;
    they stumble in their haste,
    rushing to the walls to set up their defenses.
The river gates have been torn open!
    The palace is about to collapse!
Nineveh’s exile has been decreed,
    and all the servant girls mourn its capture.
They moan like doves
    and beat their breasts in sorrow.
Nineveh is like a leaking water reservoir!
    The people are slipping away.
“Stop, stop!” someone shouts,
    but no one even looks back.
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.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:3 Greek and Syriac versions read into position, / the horses whipped into a frenzy.