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The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.
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He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
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Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him.
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Whatever they plot against the Lord he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.
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They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble.
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This is what the Lord says: “Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be destroyed and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, Judah, I will afflict you no more.
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Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away.”
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Nineveh to Fall
An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength!
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The Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines.
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The shields of the soldiers are red; the warriors are clad in scarlet. The metal on the chariots flashes on the day they are made ready; the spears of juniper are brandished.
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The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning.
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Nineveh summons her picked troops, yet they stumble on their way. They dash to the city wall; the protective shield is put in place.
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It is decreed that Nineveh be exiled and carried away. Her female slaves moan like doves and beat on their breasts.
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Nineveh is like a pool whose water is draining away. “Stop! Stop!” they cry, but no one turns back.
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Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures!
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She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale.
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The lion killed enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate, filling his lairs with the kill and his dens with the prey.
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“I am against you,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.”
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Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses—
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all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.
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“I am against you,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame.
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I will pelt you with filth, I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle.
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All who see you will flee from you and say, ‘Nineveh is in ruins—who will mourn for her?’ Where can I find anyone to comfort you?”
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Are you better than Thebes, situated on the Nile, with water around her? The river was her defense, the waters her wall.
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Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were among her allies.
