Nehumi 3

1 Malaʻia ki he kolo pani toto! ʻOku pito kotoa pē ia ʻi he ngaahi loi mo e kaihaʻa; ʻoku ʻikai ke mahuʻi [mei ai ]ʻa ia kuo fakamālohia;

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 Ko e pā ʻoe meʻa tā, mo e longoaʻa mo e ngatata ʻoe ngaahi vaʻe saliote, pea mo e fanga hoosi, pea mo e hopohopo ʻae ngaahi saliote.

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 ‌ʻOku hiki hake ʻe he tangata heka hoosi ʻae heletā ngingila mo e tao ngingila foki; ʻoku tokolahi ʻaupito ʻae haʻanga, pea ʻoku tokolahi ʻae ʻangaʻanga; pea taʻefaʻalaua honau kakai mate; ʻoku nau humu ki honau ngaahi ʻangaʻanga:

[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 Koeʻuhi ko e ngaahi feʻauaki lahi ʻaupito ʻae muitau hoihoifua, ʻae fineʻeiki ʻoe ngaahi mana loi, ʻaia ʻoku fakatau ʻae ngaahi puleʻanga ʻi heʻene faʻa feʻauaki, mo e ngaahi faʻahinga kakai ʻi heʻene mana loi.

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 ‌ʻOku pehē ʻe Sihova ʻoe ngaahi kautau, “Vakai, ʻoku ou tuʻu kiate koe; pea te u fakahā ho ngaahi tapaʻi kofu ʻi ho mata, pea te u fakahā ho telefua ki he ngaahi faʻahinga kakai, mo ho mā ki he ngaahi puleʻanga.

[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 Pea te u lī ʻae meʻa fakalielia kiate koe, mo fakaʻuliʻi koe, pea fokotuʻu koe, ko e siofiaʻanga.

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 Pea ʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ʻilonga ʻakinautolu ʻoku sio kiate koe, te nau hola meiate koe, mo nau pehē, ‘Kuo fakalala ʻa Ninive: ko hai ʻe tēngihia ia?’ Te u kumi mei fē ha kau fakafiemālie kiate koe?”

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!”

8 ‌ʻOku ke lelei koā ʻia No, ʻaia naʻe kakai, pea naʻe tuʻu ʻi he lotolotonga ʻoe ngaahi vaitafe, ʻaia naʻe takatakai ʻe he ngaahi vai, ʻaia ko hono puke ko e tahi, mo hono ʻā naʻe mei he tahi?

Your city is certainly [RHQ] no safer than Thebes [city] was. [Thebes was an important city] beside the Nile [River]; the river was [like] [SIM] a wall that protected the city [DOU].

9 Ko hono mālohiʻanga ʻa ʻItiopea mo ʻIsipite, pea naʻe taʻefaʻalaua ia; ko ho kau tokoni ʻa Puti mo Lupimi.

[The rulers of] Ethiopia and Egypt helped Thebes; there was no limit to their power. [The governments of the nearby countries of] Put and Libya were also allies of Thebes.

10 Ka naʻe ʻave ia, naʻe ʻalu ia ki he pōpula: naʻe laiki foki ʻa ʻene fānau valevale ʻi he muʻa hala ʻoe ngaahi hala kotoa pē: pea naʻa nau talotalo ki heʻene kau mātuʻa, mo hono houʻeiki kotoa pē naʻe haʻi ʻaki ʻae ukamea fihifihi.

But Thebes was captured, and [its people were] (exiled/forced to go to other countries). Their babies were dashed to pieces in the streets [of the city]. [Enemy soldiers] (cast lots/threw small marked stones) to decide who would get each official in Thebes [to become his slave]. All the leaders of Thebes were fastened/tied by chains.

11 Ko koe foki te ke kona, ʻe fakafufū koe, ko koe foki te ke kumi mālohi koeʻuhi ko e fili.

You [people of Nineveh] will similarly become dazed and drunk, and you will search for places to hide [to escape] from your enemies.

12 ‌ʻE tatau hoʻo ngaahi potu mālohi mo e ngaahi ʻakau ko e fiki ʻi hoʻo ʻuluaki toʻukai; ka lulululu, ʻe tō, ʻio, ki he ngutu ʻo ia ʻoku kai.

[Your enemies will cause] the walls around your city to fall down like [SIM] the first figs that fall from fig trees [each year]. [Your city will be captured easily, like] [MET] [figs that fall] into the mouths [HYP] of those who shake the fig trees.

13 Vakai ko hoʻo kakai ʻoku ʻiate koe, ko e kau fefine; ʻe fakaava ʻaupito ʻae ngaahi matapā ʻo ho fonua ki ho ngaahi fili; ʻe kai ʻe he afi ʻa ho ngaahi songo.

Look at your soldiers! They will be [as weak/helpless as] [MET] women! The gates of your city will be opened wide [to allow] your enemies [to enter them], [and then] the bars of those gates will be burned.

14 Utu hoʻo vai ki he tau, teuteu hoʻo ngaahi kolo tau: ʻalu ki he ʻumea, pea malaki ʻae lahe, ngaohi ke mālohi ʻae taʻoʻanga ʻumea.

Store up water [now to use when] your enemies surround the city! Repair the forts! Dig up clay and trample it [to make it soft], and put it into molds to make bricks [to repair the walls]!

15 ‌ʻE kai koe ʻe he afi ʻi ai; ʻe motuhi koe ʻe he heletā, te ne kai koe ke ʻosi hangē ko e ʻunufe; fakatokolahi koe ʻo hangē ko e ʻunufe, fakatokolahi koe ke hangē ko e heʻe.

[Nevertheless, your enemies] will burn your [city]; they will kill you with their swords; they will kill you like [SIM] locusts [destroy crops].

16 Ko hoʻo kau tangata fakatau kuo ke fakatokolahi ʻi he ngaahi fetuʻu ʻoe langi: ʻoku fai ʻae maumau ʻe he ʻunufe, pea ne puna atu.

In your [city] there are now very many merchants; [it seems that] there are more of them than there are stars. But [when your city is being destroyed, those merchants will take the valuable things and disappear] [like] [SIM] locusts that strip the leaves from plants and [then] fly away.

17 ‌ʻOku tatau ho ngaahi tuʻi mo e fanga heʻe, mo hoʻo kau pule mo e fanga heʻe lalahi, ʻaia ʻoku nofo ʻi he ngaahi ʻā ʻi he ʻaho momoko, ka ka hopo hake ʻae laʻā ʻoku nau puna atu, pea ʻoku ʻikai ke kei ʻilo ʻa honau potu pe ʻoku nau ʻi fē.

Your leaders are [also] like a swarm of [SIM] locusts [DOU] that crowd together on the stone fences/walls on a cold day, and [then] fly away when the sun comes up, and no one knows where they have gone.

18 ‌ʻOku mohe hoʻo kau tauhi, ʻe tuʻi ʻo ʻAsilia: ʻe nofo hoʻo ngaahi houʻeiki ʻi he efu: kuo movetevete ʻa hoʻo kakai ʻi he ngaahi moʻunga, pea ʻoku ʻikai ha tangata ʻoku ne tānaki kinautolu.

O King of Assyria, your officials will [all] be dead [EUP]; your important people will lie down and rest [forever]. Your people will be scattered over the mountains, and there will no one to gather them [together].

19 ‌ʻOku ʻikai ha fakamoʻui ki ho volu; ʻoku lahi ho lavea; ko kinautolu kotoa pē ʻe fanongo ki hoʻo ongoongo, te nau pasi nima kiate koe: he ko hai ʻakinautolu naʻe ʻikai ke hoko ki ai hoʻo angahala maʻuaipē?

You [are like someone who] has a wound that cannot be healed; [it will be] a wound that causes him to die. And all those who hear about what has happened to you will clap their hands [joyfully]. [They will say, ] “Everyone has [RHQ] suffered because he continually was [very] cruel to us.”