2:13 The Lord ¹  will attack the north ² 

and destroy Assyria.

He will make Nineveh a heap of ruins;

it will be as barren ³  as the desert.

2:14 Flocks and herds ⁴  will lie down in the middle of it,

as well as every kind of wild animal. ⁵ 

Owls ⁶  will sleep in the tops of its support pillars;

they will hoot through the windows. ⁷ 

Rubble will cover the thresholds; ⁸ 

even the cedar work ⁹  will be exposed to the elements. ¹⁰ 

2:15 This is how the once-proud city will end up ¹¹  –

the city that was so secure. ¹² 

She thought to herself, ¹³  “I am unique! No one can compare to me!” ¹⁴ 

What a heap of ruins she has become, a place where wild animals live!

Everyone who passes by her taunts her ¹⁵  and shakes his fist. ¹⁶