God and “Them” and “Us”

^[1] An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength! ^[2] The LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines. ^[3] 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. ^[4] The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning. ^[5] Nineveh summons her picked troops, yet they stumble on their way. They dash to the city wall; the protective shield is put in place. ^[6] The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses. ^[7] It is decreed that Nineveh be exiled and carried away. Her female slaves moan like doves and beat on their breasts. ^[8] Nineveh is like a pool whose water is draining away. “Stop! Stop!” they cry, but no one turns back. ^[9] Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures! ^[10] She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale. ^[11] Where now is the lions’ den, the place where they fed their young, where the lion and lioness went, and the cubs, with nothing to fear? ^[12] 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. ^[13] “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.”

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.