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His picked troops are called,
    ranks break at their charge;
To the wall they rush,
    their screen[a] is set up.
The river gates[b] are opened,
    the palace is washed away.
The mistress is led forth captive,
    and her maidservants[c] led away,
Moaning like doves,
    beating their breasts.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:6 Their screen: that is, a mantelet, a movable military shelter protecting the besiegers.
  2. 2:7 River gates: a network of canals brought water into Nineveh from the Tigris and Khosr Rivers on which the city was located.
  3. 2:8 Mistress…and her maidservants: either the queen of Nineveh with the ladies of her court, or the city of Nineveh itself, pictured as a noblewoman (3:4).