1 Um destruidor avança contra ti: guarda a fortaleza vigia o caminho, fortifica os teus rins, reúne todo o teu vigor,

2 porque o Senhor restaura o esplendor de Jacó, assim como o esplendor de Israel, depois que os saqueadores despojaram e destruíram seus sarmentos.

3 Os combatentes trazem escudo vermelho, os guerreiros estão vestidos de púrpura, os carros de aço cintilantes avançam no dia em que são postos em linha; e são brandidas as lanças.

4 Os carros se precipitam pelas ruas, saltando através das praças. Ao vê-los, dir-se-ia serem tochas ardentes; correm como relâmpagos.

5 Ele se lembra de seus guerreiros valentes, mas estes tropeçam em sua marcha. Precipitam-se para a muralha e preparam o teto protetor.

6 As portas dos rios são abertas, o palácio cai arruinado.

7 Ela é desnudada e deportada; suas servas gemem como pombas, e batem no peito.

8 Nínive é semelhante a um tanque desde a sua origem. Eles fogem. Parai! Parai! Mas ninguém volta para trás.

9 Saqueai a prata, saqueai o ouro, porque há inumeráveis tesouros e montes de objetos preciosos.

10 Roubo, pilhagem, devastação! O coração desfalece; os joelhos tremem, a dor oprime todos os rins, todos os rostos estão lívidos.

11 Onde está agora o retiro dos leões, o pasto dos leõezinhos, onde se recolhiam o leão, a leoa e os leõezinhos, sem haver quem os inquietasse?

12 O leão despedaçava para os seus pequenos, e estrangulava para as suas leoas; enchia de presas os seus antros, e de despojos as suas cavernas,

13 Eis que venho agora contra ti - oráculo do Senhor dos exércitos -; vou incendiar teus carros e reduzi-los a fumaça, a espada vai devorar os teus leõezinhos; porei fim às tuas rapinas na terra, não se ouvirá mais a voz dos teus mensageiros.

1 \1:15\See on the mountains the feet of him who comes with good news, giving word of peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah, give effect to your oaths: for the good-for-nothing man will never again go through you; he is completely cut off.

2 \2:1\A crusher has come up before your face: keep a good look-out, let the way be watched, make yourself strong, let your power be greatly increased.

3 \2:2\For the Lord will make good the vine of Jacob, as well as the vine of Israel: for the wasters have made them waste and sent destruction on the branches of their vine.

4 \2:3\The body-covers of his fighting men have been made red, the men of war are clothed in bright red: the war-carriages are like flames of fire in the day when he gets ready, the horses are shaking.

5 \2:4\The war-carriages are rushing through the streets, pushing against one another in the wide ways, looking like burning lights, running like thunder-flames.

6 \2:5\He takes the record of his great men: they go falling on their way; they go quickly to the wall, the cover is made ready.

7 \2:6\The river doorways are forced open, and the king's house is flowing away.

8 \2:7\And the queen is uncovered, she is taken away and her servant-girls are weeping like the sound of doves, hammering on their breasts.

9 \2:8\But Nineveh is like a pool of water whose waters are flowing away; Keep your place, they say; but no one is turning back.

10 \2:9\Take silver, take gold; for there is no end to the store; take for yourselves a weight of things to be desired.

11 \2:10\Everything has been taken from her, all is gone, she has nothing more: the heart is turned to water, the knees are shaking, all are twisted in pain, and colour has gone from all faces.

12 \2:11\Where is the lions' hole, the place where the young lions got their food, where the lion and the she-lion were walking with their young, without cause for fear?

13 \2:12\Food enough for his young and for his she-lions was pulled down by the lion; his hole was full of flesh and his resting-place stored with meat.

14 \2:13\See, I am against you, says the Lord of armies, and I will have your war-carriages burned in the smoke, and your young lions will be food for the sword: you will no longer get your food by force on the earth, and the voice of your she-lions will be stopped for ever.