“ Assyria is there with its whole army. Its king is surrounded by the graves of all its people who were killed by swords.

“亚述和她的众民都在那里，她民的坟墓在她四围；他们都是被杀倒在刀下的。

“亚述和它的全军在那里，四围都是坟墓；他们全都是被杀倒在刀下的人。

“亚述和它的全军在那里，四围都是坟墓；他们全都是被杀倒在刀下的人。

“亚述和她的大军都在那里，她周围是她大军的坟墓。他们都是丧身刀下的人。

“亚述和它的军队都在那里；他们的坟墓在它周围；他们都是被杀死的，是倒在刀下的。

「亞述和她的眾民都在那裏，她民的墳墓在她四圍；他們都是被殺倒在刀下的。

「亞述和它的全軍在那裏，四圍都是墳墓；他們全都是被殺倒在刀下的人。

「亞述和它的全軍在那裏，四圍都是墳墓；他們全都是被殺倒在刀下的人。

「亞述和她的大軍都在那裡，她周圍是她大軍的墳墓。他們都是喪身刀下的人。

“亞述和它的軍隊都在那裡；他們的墳墓在它周圍；他們都是被殺死的，是倒在刀下的。

『在那裏有亞述和她一團的眾人；其墳墓在她四圍：他們都是被刺死、倒斃於刀下的；

亞述及其民眾在此、俱被戮而仆於刃者、其塚遍於四周、

在彼有亞述及其眾旅、俱亡以刃、下窀穸、入陰府、埃及眾庶素使人恐懼、今亡以刃、偃仆於側。

在彼有亞述、其群眾在其四周、俱見殺戮、殞亡於刃、

“ Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword.

“ Assyria is there, and all her company, its graves all around it, all of them slain, fallen by the sword,

“ Assyria lies there surrounded by the graves of its army, those who were slaughtered by the sword.

“ Assyria is there with her whole assembly; her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.

“ Assyria is there and all her company; her graves are all around her. All of them killed, fallen by the sword,

“ Assyria is there, and all her company, With their graves all around her, All of them slain, fallen by the sword.

Asshur is there and all her company; her graves are round about her; all of them slain, fallen by the sword;

Assyria is there with all her company; her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.

Asshur[ is] there and all her company: his graves[ are] about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:

“ Assyria is there with all her assembly around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword.

“ Asshur is there with all her company. Her graves are all around her. All of them slain, fallen by the sword;

“ Meshek and Tubal are also there. Their huge armies lie around the graves of their kings. None of them had been circumcised. They had spread their terror while they were alive. So they were killed by swords.

“ Elam is also there. Its huge armies lie around the grave of its king. All those who spread terror while they were alive are now dead. They were killed by swords. They had not been circumcised. They went down into the earth below. Their shame is like the shame of others who go down into the grave.

“ Edom is also there. So are its kings and all its princes. In spite of their power, they lie down with those who were killed by swords. They lie down with those who had not been circumcised. They are there with others who went down into the grave.“ All the princes of the north are there too. So are all the people of Sidon. They went down into the grave in dishonor. While they were alive, they used their power to spread terror. They had never been circumcised. But now they lie down there with those who were killed by swords. Their shame is like the shame of others who go down into the grave.

How terrible it will be for Nineveh! It is a city of murderers! It is full of liars! It is filled with stolen goods! The killing never stops!Whips crack! Wheels clack! Horses charge! Chariots rumble!Horsemen attack! Swords flash! Spears gleam! Many people die. Dead bodies pile up. They can’t even be counted. People trip over them.All of that was caused by the evil desires of the prostitute Nineveh. That woman who practiced evil magic was very beautiful. She used her sinful charms to make slaves out of the nations. She worshiped evil powers in order to trap others.“ Nineveh, I am against you,” announces the Lord who rules over all.“ I will pull your skirts up over your face. I will show the nations your naked body. Kingdoms will make fun of your shame.I will throw garbage at you. I will look down on you. I will make an example out of you.All those who see you will run away from you. They will say,‘ Nineveh is destroyed. Who will mourn over it?’ Where can I find someone to comfort your people?”Nineveh, are you better than Thebes on the Nile River? There was water all around that city. The river helped to keep it safe. The waters were like a wall around it.Cush and Egypt gave it all the strength it needed. Put and Libya also helped it.But Thebes was captured anyway. Its people were taken away as prisoners. Its babies were smashed to pieces at every street corner. The Assyrian soldiers cast lots for all its nobles. They put them in chains and made slaves out of them.People of Nineveh, you too will get drunk. You will try to hide from your enemies. You will look for a place of safety.All your forts are like fig trees that have their first ripe fruit on them. When the trees are shaken, the figs fall into the mouths of those who eat them.Look at your troops. All of them are weak. The gates of your forts are wide open to your enemies. Fire has destroyed the bars that lock your gates.Prepare for the attack by storing up water! Make your walls as strong as you can! Make some bricks out of clay! Mix the mud to hold them together! Use them to repair the walls!In spite of all your hard work, fire will burn you up inside your city. Your enemies will cut you down with their swords. They will destroy you just as a swarm of locusts eats up crops. Multiply like grasshoppers! Increase your numbers like locusts!You have more traders than the number of stars in the sky. But like locusts they strip the land. Then they fly away.Your guards are like grasshoppers. Your officials are like swarms of locusts. They settle in the walls on a cold day. But when the sun appears, they fly away. And no one knows where they go.King of Assyria, your leaders are asleep. Your nobles lie down to rest. Your people are scattered on the mountains. No one is left to gather them together.Nothing can heal your wounds. You will die of them. All those who hear the news about you clap their hands. That’s because you have fallen from power. Is there anyone who has not suffered because of how badly you treated them?

The Lord is good. When people are in trouble, they can go to him for safety. He takes good care of those who trust in him.But he will destroy Nineveh with a powerful flood. He will chase his enemies into the place of darkness.The Lord will put an end to anything they plan against him. He won’t allow Assyria to win the battle over his people a second time.His enemies will be tangled up among thorns. Their wine will make them drunk. They’ll be burned up like dry straw.Nineveh, a king has marched out from you. He makes evil plans against the Lord. He thinks about how he can do what is wrong.The Lord says,“ His army has many soldiers. Other nations are helping them. But they will be destroyed and pass away. Judah, I punished you. But I will not do it anymore.

Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus. They will bring Ashur and Eber under their control. But they themselves will also be destroyed.”

Then the angel of the Lord went into the camp of the Assyrians. He put to death 185,000 soldiers there. The people of Jerusalem got up the next morning. They looked out and saw all the dead bodies.So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, took the army tents down. Then he left. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.One day Sennacherib was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok. His sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with their swords. Then they escaped to the land of Ararat. Esarhaddon became the next king after his father Sennacherib.

Even Assyria has joined them to give strength to the people of Moab and Ammon.Do to them what you did to the people of Midian. Do to them what you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.Sisera and Jabin died near the town of Endor. Their bodies were left on the ground like human waste.

Think about what happened to Assyria. Once it was like a cedar tree in Lebanon. It had beautiful branches that provided shade for the forest. It grew very high. Its top was above all the leaves.The waters fed it. Deep springs made it grow tall. Their streams flowed all around its base. They made their way to all the trees in the fields.So it grew higher than any other tree in the fields. It grew more limbs. Its branches grew long. They spread because they had plenty of water.All the birds in the sky made their nests in its limbs. All the wild animals had their babies under its branches. All the great nations lived in its shade.Its spreading branches made it majestic and beautiful. Its roots went down deep to where there was plenty of water.The cedar trees in my garden were no match for it. The juniper trees could not equal its limbs. The plane trees could not compare with its branches. No tree in my garden could match its beauty.I gave it many branches. They made it beautiful. All the trees in my Garden of Eden were jealous of it.’ ”So the Lord and King says,“ The great cedar tree grew very high. Its top was above all the leaves. It was proud of how tall it was.So I handed it over to the Babylonian ruler of the nations. I wanted him to punish it because it was so evil. I decided to get rid of it.The Babylonians cut it down and left it there. They did not show it any pity at all. Some of its branches fell on the mountains. Others fell in all the valleys. The branches lay broken in all the stream beds in the land. All the nations on earth came out from under its shade. And they went on their way.All the birds settled on the fallen tree. All the wild animals lived among its branches.So trees that receive plenty of water must never grow so high that it makes them proud. Their tops must never be above the rest of the leaves. No other trees that receive a lot of water must ever grow that high. They are appointed to die and go down into the earth below. They will join human beings, who go down to the place of the dead.”The Lord and King says,“ Assyria was like a cedar tree. But I brought it down to the place of the dead. On that day I dried up the deep springs of water and covered them. I held its streams back. I shut off its rich supply of water. Because of that, Lebanon was dressed in gloom as if it were clothes. All the trees in the fields dried up.I brought the cedar tree down to the place of the dead. It joined the other nations that go down there. I made the nations on earth shake because of the sound of its fall. Then all the trees of Eden were comforted in the earth below. That included the finest and best trees in Lebanon. And it included all the trees that received plenty of water.Others also went down along with the cedar tree into the place of the dead. They included those who had been killed by swords. They also included the armed men among the nations who lived in its shade.“ Which one of the trees of Eden can be compared with you? What tree is as glorious and majestic as you are? But you too will be brought down to the earth below. There you will join the trees of Eden. You will lie down with those who have not been circumcised. You will be among those who were killed by swords.“ That is what will happen to Pharaoh and his huge armies,” announces the Lord and King.

In the Valley of Ben Hinnom, Topheth has been prepared for a long time. It has been made ready for the king of Assyria. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide. It has plenty of wood for the fire. The breath of the Lord will be like a stream of burning sulfur. It will set the wood on fire.