“Behold, I am against you,” says Yahweh of Armies, “and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions; and I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard.”
Nahum 2:11 Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion’s cubs, and no one made them afraid?
Nahum 2:12 The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with the kill, and his dens with prey.
Nahum 2:13 “Behold, I am against you,” says Yahweh of Armies, “and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions; and I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard.”
The verse centers on "behold", "against", "says", "yahweh", "armies", "burn", "chariots", and "smoke". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "against", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The prior verse says "The lion tore in pieces enough for...", giving immediate footing for "behold" and "against". In Nahum context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "behold" and "against" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.