Nahum 2

1 One who scatters [a destroyer, the one who dashes in pieces] advances against you, O Nineveh [the capital city of Assyria]. Guard [keep, watch over] the fortress [the munition, strongholds]! Watch [be vigilant, observe] the road [the way, path]! Brace [strengthen, make strong] yourselves [your loins, your power]! Summon [fortify, increase] all your strength [power, might]! word study 2 For the LORD [the supreme God, Yehovah] will restore [return to a former state, revive] the splendor [excellence, glory] of Jacob [the people of Israel, God’s chosen] like the splendor [pride, honor] of Israel, though destroyers [emptiers, spoilers] have laid them waste [emptied them out, ruined] and ruined [marred, destroyed] the branches [vines, shoots] of their vine. word study 3 The shields [body-covers, protective armor] of his mighty men [chief soldiers, valiant warriors] are red [made red, like fire]; the valiant warriors [men of might, brave fighters] are dressed in scarlet [bright red, crimson]. The fittings [reins, metal] of the chariots [war-carriages] flash [shine, glow] like fire [flaming torches, flames] on the day they are prepared [in the day of his preparation, as he gets ready], and the spears [pine spears] of cypress [fir trees, wooden shafts] have been brandished [held up, shaken]. word study 4 The chariots [rushing to and fro, dashing] dash through the streets; they rush [jostling one against another, racing] around the plazas [broad ways, town squares], appearing [seeming, looking] like torches [lamps, burning lights], darting [running, rushing] about like lightning [flashes of lightning]. word study 5 He summons [calls to gather, remembers] his nobles [valiant men, strong warriors]; they stumble [fall, trip] as they advance [march, go]. They race [hasten, make haste] to its wall [fortification, defense]; the protective shield [covering, defense] is set [prepared, put] in place [position, location]. word study 6 The river gates [of the dams, opened by enemy soldiers] are thrown open [dissolved, melted away] and the palace [the king’s house, the temple] collapses [is thrown down to the ground, washes away]. word study 7 It is decreed [established, ordained] that the city [Nineveh, the capital] be exiled [led away captive, stripped] and carried away [removed, taken into exile]; her maidservants [handmaids, servant-girls] moan [mourn, lament] like doves [with the voice of doves], and beat [beating, smiting] upon their breasts [hearts, inner being]. word study 8 Nineveh has been like a pool [leaky, overflowing] of water throughout her days, but now it is draining [fleeing, flowing] away. “Stop [stand, wait]! Stop!” they cry, but no one turns [looks, gazes] back. word study 9 “Plunder [seize, take as spoil] the silver! Plunder [loot, grab] the gold!” There is no end [none, nothing] to the treasure [riches, wealth], an abundance [a huge amount, endless supply] of every precious [desirable, valuable] thing [vessel, furniture]. word study 10 She is emptied [completely desolate, void and waste]! Yes, she is desolate [laid waste, destroyed] and laid waste [emptied, void]! Hearts [the seat of emotions, the inner being] melt [are turned to water, faint], knees knock [smite together, tremble], bodies [the physical form, the outer self] tremble [are twisted in pain], and every face [the outward appearance, the countenance] grows pale [gathers blackness, becomes discolored]! word study 11 Where is the lions’ lair [dwelling, den] or the feeding ground [pasture, place] of the young lions, where the lion [old lion, male lion] and lioness [female lion] prowled [walked, roamed] with their cubs [young ones, lion’s whelp], with nothing [no one] to frighten them away [make them afraid, trouble them]? word study 12 The lion mauled enough for its cubs [young lions, whelps] and strangled prey [killed and seized] for the lioness [a fierce lioness]. It filled its dens [habitations, homes] with the kill [prey, spoils], and its lairs [caves, resting places] with mauled prey [torn and ravaged flesh]. word study 13 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD [the supreme Commander] of Hosts [the heavenly armies]. “I will send your chariots [war vehicles, instruments of battle] up in smoke, and the sword [the instrument of judgment] will devour your young lions [cubs]. I will cut off your prey [spoils of war, that which is torn apart] from the earth, and the voices of your messengers [ambassadors, representatives] will no longer be heard [silenced, stopped].” word study