Nineveh will be punished

3 Terrible things will happen to Nineveh,

that city that is full of people who murder [MTY] and lie.

The city is full of things that were seized from other countries by their soldiers;

their armies continually [LIT] have acted brutally towards people whom they conquered.

2 But now listen to the enemy soldiers coming to attack Nineveh;

listen to them cracking their whips,

and listen to the rattle of their chariot wheels!

Listen to their galloping horses

and their chariots as they bounce along!

3  Look at their flashing swords and glittering spears

as the horsemen race forward!

Many people of Nineveh will be killed;

there will be piles of corpses,

with the result that people will stumble over them.

4 All that will happen because Nineveh is like [MET] a beautiful prostitute

who lures men to where they will be ruined;

Nineveh is a beautiful city

which has attracted/enticed people of other nations to come there.

The people of Nineveh taught those people of other nations rituals of magic,

and caused them to become their slaves.

5  So the Commander of the armies of angels says to the people of Nineveh:

“I am your enemy,

and I will cause the people in other nations to see you completely humiliated

like [MET] women who have committed adultery are humiliated by having their skirts lifted high,

with the result that people can see their naked bodies.

6 I will cause rubbish/garbage to be thrown at you;

I will show others that I despise you very much,

and I will cause you to be publicly ridiculed.

7 All those who see you will turn their backs to you and say,

‘Nineveh is ruined,

but absolutely no one [RHQ] will mourn for it.’

No one will regret Nineveh being destroyed!”