Nehumi 2

1 Ko ia ʻoku laiki kuo ʻalu hake ʻi ho ʻao: toʻo ʻae mahafu, leʻohi ʻae hala, nonoʻo ho kongaloto, fakalahi ʻaupito hoʻo mālohi.

[You people of] [APO] Nineveh, your enemies are coming to attack you. [So] place guards on the tops of the walls around the city! Guard the roads [into the city]! Get ready to fight! Gather your troops/soldiers [MTY] together!

2 He kuo liliu ʻe Sihova ʻae nāunau ʻo Sēkope, hangē ko e nāunau ʻo ʻIsileli: he kuo ohu kinautolu kituʻa ʻe he kau ohu, mo maumauʻi honau ngaahi vaʻa vaine.

Even though enemy soldiers have destroyed the descendants of [MTY] Jacob, Yahweh will cause them to be honored again. Israel is like a grapevine that has been ruined, but Israel will prosper again.

3 He kuo ngaohi ke kulokula ʻae pā ʻo ʻene kau tangata mālohi, ʻoku kofu kulaʻahoʻaho ʻa ʻene kau toʻa: ʻe ʻi ai ʻae ngaahi tūhulu vela, mo e ngaahi saliote ʻi he ʻaho ʻo ʻene teuteu, pea ʻe ngalulululu fakamanavahē ʻae ngaahi ʻakau ko e fea.

The shields of the enemy soldiers [who are coming to attack you] will shine red [as the sun shines on them], and they will wear bright red uniforms. The metal of their chariot [wheels] will flash when they line up [before the battle], and their soldiers will lift up their cypress/pine spears and wave them.

4 ‌ʻE ʻoho ʻae ngaahi saliote ʻi he ngaahi hala, te nau fepaki ʻae taha ki he taha, ʻi he ngaahi hala laulahi: te nau hā mai ʻo tatau mo e ngaahi tūhulu, te nau lele hangē ko e ʻuhila.

Their chariots will dash through the streets [of Nineveh] and rush furiously through the plazas. Going as quick as lightning, they will resemble flaming torches.

5 Te ne toe lau ʻene kau tangata tuʻu ki muʻa: te nau tōhumu ʻi heʻenau laka; te nau vave atu ki hono ʻā, pea ko e tali tau ʻe teuteu.

[Meanwhile], your king will summon his officers who will stumble as they [try to] come [quickly]. They will dash to the [city] wall, holding their shields to protect themselves.

6 ‌ʻE fakaava ʻae ngaahi matapā ʻoe ngaahi vaitafe, pea ʻe ʻauha ʻae fale fakaʻeiʻeiki.

But, the gates [of the dams] on the rivers will be thrown open [by enemy soldiers], and [the flood will cause] the palace to collapse.

7 Pea ʻe taki ʻa Husapi ki he pōpula, ʻe puke ia ʻo ʻomi, pea ʻe taki ia ʻe heʻene kau kaunanga, kae tangi ʻo hangē ʻae fanga lupe, mo tasipi ki honau fatafata.

The queen will have her clothes stripped off her [by enemy soldiers], and her slave girls will moan like doves and beat their breasts [to show that they are very sad].

8 Ka e talu mei muʻa mo e tatau ʻa Ninive mo e anovai, ka te nau hola atu. Te nau kalanga, “Tuʻu, tuʻu;” ka e ʻikai ha tokotaha ʻe sio ki mui.

[The people will rush from] Nineveh like [SIM] water rushes from a broken dam. [The officials] will shout, “Stop! Stop!” but the people will not even look back [as they run away].

9 Mou ʻave ʻae ngaahi meʻa vetekina, ko e siliva, mou ʻave ʻae ngaahi meʻa vetekina, ko e koula: he ʻoku ʻikai hono ngata ʻoe koloa mo e nāunau mei he ngaahi meʻa teuteu matamatalelei.

[The enemy attackers say to each other, ] “Seize the silver! Grab the gold! There is a huge amount of very valuable things in this city, more valuable things than anyone can count!”

10 ‌ʻOku ne ʻatā, mo ngaongao mo lala: pea ʻoku vaivai ʻae loto, pea ʻoku fehapeaki ʻae ongo tui, pea ʻoku lahi ʻae langa ʻi he ngaahi kongaloto kotoa pē, pea ʻoku ʻuliʻuli honau mata kotoa pē.

[Soon everything valuable in the city] will be seized or ruined. People will be trembling, with the result that they will not be able to fight. Their faces will all become pale.

11 Ko faʻa ʻae potu nofoʻanga ʻoe fanga laione, mo e keinangaʻanga ʻoe fanga laione mui, ʻaia naʻe ʻalu ai ʻae laione, ʻio, ʻae laione motuʻa mo e ʻuhikiʻi laione, pea naʻe ʻikai fakamanavahēʻi kinautolu ʻe ha niʻihi?

[After that happens, people will say, ] “What happened to [RHQ] that [great city of Nineveh]? [It was like] [MET] a den [full] of young lions, where the male and female lions lived and fed the young ones.

12 Naʻe haehae ʻe he laione ke taau mo ʻene fānau, pea ne sisinaʻi maʻa hono fanga laione fefine, pea naʻe fakapito hono ngaahi luo ʻi he meʻakai, mo hono ngaahi ʻana ʻaki ʻae meʻa kuo fakamālohia.

[The soldiers in Nineveh were like] [MET] lions that killed or strangled [other animals] [and brought the meat] to their dens.”

13 ‌ʻOku pehē ʻe Sihova ʻoe ngaahi kautau, “Vakai, ʻoku ou tuʻu kiate koe, pea te u tutu ʻa ʻene ngaahi saliote ʻi he ʻahu, pea ʻe fakaʻauha ʻe he heletā ʻae fanga laione mui: pea te u motuhi hoʻo meʻakai mei māmani, pea ko e leʻo ʻo ho kau talafekau ʻe ʻikai ha toe fanongo ki ai.”

The Commander of the armies of angels says [to the people of Nineveh], “I am opposed to you; I will cause your chariots to [be burned in fires and] go up in smoke. Your young men will be killed with swords. [Your soldiers] will never again conquer [other nations] and seize their valuable possessions. Your messengers will never again take messages [to other nations, demanding that their armies surrender to them].”