CHAPTER 2
1 He went up, that shall scatter before thee, that shall keep [the] besieging; behold thou the way, comfort thou loins, strengthen thou virtue greatly.
2 For as the Lord yielded the pride of Jacob, so the pride of Israel; for destroyers scattered them, and destroyed the generations of them.
3 The shields of strong men of him be fiery, men of the host be in red clothes; reins of fire of [the] chariots, in the day of his making ready; and the leaders thereof be asleep.
4 In ways they be troubled together, carts of four horses be hurtled together in streets; the sight of them as lamps, as lightnings running about.
5 He shall bethink of his strong men, they shall fall in their ways; and swiftly they shall go up on the walls thereof, and shadowing place shall be made ready.
6 Gates of floods be opened, and the temple is broken down to [the] earth.
7 And a knight is led away captive, and the handmaids thereof shall be driven sorrowing as culvers, grutching in their hearts.
8 And Nineveh, as a cistern of waters the waters thereof; forsooth they fled; Stand ye, stand ye, and there is not that shall turn again.
9 Ravish ye silver, ravish ye gold; and there is none end of riches, of all desirable vessels.
10 It is destroyed, and cut, and rent, or torn, and heart failing, and unknitting of small knees, and failing in all reins; and the face of all be as blackness of a pot.
11 Where is the dwelling of lions, and [the] pastures of whelps of lions? To which city the lion went, that the whelp of the lion should enter thither, and there is not that shall make afeared.
12 The lion took enough to his whelps, and slew to his lionesses; and filled their dens with prey, and his couch with raven.
13 Lo! I to thee, saith the Lord God of hosts; and I shall burn thy carts of four horses till to the highest, and sword shall eat thy small lions; and I shall destroy thy prey from the land, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.