³ The shields of his warriors are red;
        his soldiers are dressed in crimson.
The ironwork of the chariots flashes like fire
        on the day he has prepared;
            the horses quiver.
⁴ The chariots race wildly through the streets;
        they rush back and forth through the squares.
        They look like flaming torches;
                they dart like bolts of lightning.
⁵ He musters his officers;
            they stumble as they press forward.
        They hurry to the city wall,
            and the portable shield is set up.
⁶ The gates of the rivers are opened;
        the palace melts.
⁷ It is decreed:^[a] She is sent into exile, carried away,
    while her female servants moan like doves, beating their breasts.
⁸ Nineveh has been like a pool of water.
        Such are its waters,^[b] and others are fleeing.
            “Stop, stop!”—but no one can turn them back.
⁹ Plunder silver! Plunder gold!
        There is no end to the supplies,
            an abundance of precious objects!
¹⁰ Destruction and devastation;
        the city is laid waste!
    The heart grows faint and knees buckle;
        there is anguish in every groin;
            all the faces grow pale.