16 (A)Send the lamb to the ruler of the land,
from (B)Sela, by way of the desert,
    to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
Like fleeing birds,
    like a scattered nest,
so are the daughters of Moab
    at (C)the fords of the Arnon.

“Give counsel;
    grant justice;
(D)make your shade like night
    at the height of noon;
shelter the outcasts;
    do not reveal the fugitive;
let (E)the outcasts of Moab
    sojourn among you;
be a shelter to them[a]
    from the destroyer.
When the oppressor is no more,
    and destruction has ceased,
and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,
(F)then a throne will be established in steadfast love,
    and on it will sit in faithfulness
    in the tent of David
one who judges and seeks justice
    and is swift to do righteousness.”

(G)We have heard of the pride of Moab—
    how proud he is!—
(H)of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence;
    in his idle boasting he is not right.
Therefore let Moab wail for Moab,
    (I)let everyone wail.
Mourn, utterly stricken,
    for the (J)raisin cakes of (K)Kir-hareseth.

For the fields of Heshbon languish,
    and (L)the vine of Sibmah;
the lords of the nations
    have struck down its branches,
which reached to Jazer
    and strayed to the desert;
its shoots spread abroad
    and passed over the sea.
Therefore (M)I weep with (N)the weeping of Jazer
    for the vine of Sibmah;
I drench you with my tears,
    O Heshbon and Elealeh;
for over (O)your summer fruit and your harvest
    the shout has ceased.
10 (P)And joy and gladness are taken away from (Q)the fruitful field,
and in the vineyards no (R)songs are sung,
    no cheers are raised;
no (S)treader treads out wine (T)in the presses;
    I have put an end to the shouting.
11 Therefore (U)my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab,
    and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth.

12 And when Moab presents himself, when (V)he wearies himself on (W)the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.

13 This is the word that the Lord spoke concerning Moab (X)in the past. 14 But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “In three years, (Y)like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be (Z)very few and feeble.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them

16 Send lambs as tribute
    to the ruler of the land,
from Sela, across the desert,
    to the mount of Daughter Zion.
Like fluttering birds
    pushed from the nest,
so are the women of Moab
    at the fords of the Arnon.

‘Make up your mind,’ Moab says.
    ‘Render a decision.
Make your shadow like night –
    at high noon.
Hide the fugitives,
    do not betray the refugees.
Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you;
    be their shelter from the destroyer.’

The oppressor will come to an end,
    and destruction will cease;
    the aggressor will vanish from the land.
In love a throne will be established;
    in faithfulness a man will sit on it –
    one from the house[a] of David –
one who in judging seeks justice
    and speeds the cause of righteousness.

We have heard of Moab’s pride –
    how great is her arrogance! –
of her conceit, her pride and her insolence;
    but her boasts are empty.
Therefore the Moabites wail,
    they wail together for Moab.
Lament and grieve
    for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth.
The fields of Heshbon wither,
    the vines of Sibmah also.
The rulers of the nations
    have trampled down the choicest vines,
which once reached Jazer
    and spread towards the desert.
Their shoots spread out
    and went as far as the sea.[b]
So I weep, as Jazer weeps,
    for the vines of Sibmah.
Heshbon and Elealeh,
    I drench you with tears!
The shouts of joy over your ripened fruit
    and over your harvests have been stilled.
10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;
    no one sings or shouts in the vineyards;
no one treads out wine at the presses,
    for I have put an end to the shouting.
11 My heart laments for Moab like a harp,
    my inmost being for Kir Hareseth.
12 When Moab appears at her high place,
    she only wears herself out;
when she goes to her shrine to pray,
    it is to no avail.

13 This is the word the Lord has already spoken concerning Moab. 14 But now the Lord says: ‘Within three years, as a servant bound by contract would count them, Moab’s splendour and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble.’

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 16:5 Hebrew tent
  2. Isaiah 16:8 Probably the Dead Sea

16 Send ye the lambs for the ruler of the land from [a]Selah to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. For it shall be that, as wandering birds, as a scattered nest, so shall the daughters of Moab be at the fords of the Arnon. Give counsel, execute justice; make thy shade as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; betray not the fugitive. Let mine outcasts dwell with thee; as for Moab, be thou a covert to him from the face of the destroyer. For [b]the extortioner is brought to nought, destruction ceaseth, [c]the oppressors are consumed out of the land. And a throne shall be established in lovingkindness; and one shall sit thereon in truth, in the tent of David, judging, and seeking justice, and swift to do righteousness.

We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud; even of his arrogancy, and his pride, and his wrath; his boastings are nought. Therefore shall Moab wail for Moab, every one shall wail: for the [d]raisin-cakes of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn, utterly stricken. For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; [e]the lords of the nations have broken down the choice branches thereof, which reached even unto Jazer, which wandered into the wilderness; its shoots were spread abroad, they passed over the sea. Therefore I will weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for upon thy summer fruits and upon thy harvest the battle shout is fallen. 10 And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the fruitful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither joyful noise: no treader shall tread out wine in the presses; I have made the vintage shout to cease. 11 Wherefore my heart soundeth like a harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir-heres. 12 And it shall come to pass, when Moab presenteth himself, when he wearieth himself upon the high place, and shall come to his sanctuary to pray, that he shall not prevail.

13 This is the word that Jehovah spake concerning Moab in time past. 14 But now Jehovah hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of a hireling, the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and of no account.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 16:1 Or, Petra
  2. Isaiah 16:4 Or, extortion
  3. Isaiah 16:4 Hebrew the treaders down.
  4. Isaiah 16:7 Or, foundations
  5. Isaiah 16:8 Or, its choice plants did break down the lords of nations

Judgment on Judah's Enemies

Gather together, yes, gather,
    O (A)shameless nation,
(B)before the decree takes effect[a]
    —before the day passes away (C)like chaff—
(D)before there comes upon you
    the burning anger of the Lord,
before there comes upon you
    the day of the anger of the Lord.
(E)Seek the Lord, (F)all you humble of the land,
    who do his just commands;[b]
(G)seek righteousness; seek humility;
    (H)perhaps (I)you may be hidden
    on the day of the anger of the Lord.
(J)For Gaza shall be deserted,
    and Ashkelon shall become a desolation;
Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon,
    and Ekron shall be uprooted.

Woe to (K)you inhabitants of the seacoast,
    you nation of (L)the Cherethites!
(M)The word of the Lord is against you,
    (N)O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
    and I will destroy you (O)until no inhabitant is left.
(P)And you, O seacoast, (Q)shall be pastures,
    with meadows[c] for shepherds
    and folds for flocks.
(R)The seacoast shall become the possession
    of (S)the remnant of the house of Judah,
    (T)on which they shall graze,
and in the houses of Ashkelon
    they shall lie down at evening.
For the Lord their God (U)will be mindful of them
    and (V)restore their fortunes.

“I have heard (W)the taunts of Moab
    and (X)the revilings of the Ammonites,
how they have taunted my people
    and made boasts (Y)against their territory.
Therefore, (Z)as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
    the God of Israel,
“Moab shall become (AA)like Sodom,
    and the Ammonites (AB)like Gomorrah,
a land possessed by nettles and salt pits,
    and a waste forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
    and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10 This shall be their lot in return (AC)for their pride,
    because they taunted and boasted
    against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome against them;
    (AD)for he will famish all the gods of the earth,
and (AE)to him shall bow down,
    each in its place,
    all (AF)the lands of the nations.

12 (AG)You also, O Cushites,
    shall be slain by my sword.

13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north
    (AH)and destroy Assyria,
and he (AI)will make Nineveh a desolation,
    a dry waste like the desert.
14 (AJ)Herds shall lie down in her midst,
    all kinds of beasts;[d]
(AK)even the owl and the hedgehog[e]
    shall lodge in her capitals;
a voice shall hoot in the window;
    devastation will be on the threshold;
    for (AL)her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the exultant city
    (AM)that lived securely,
that said in her heart,
    “I am, and there is no one else.”
What a desolation she has become,
    (AN)a lair for wild beasts!
(AO)Everyone who passes by her
    hisses and (AP)shakes his fist.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 2:2 Hebrew gives birth
  2. Zephaniah 2:3 Or who carry out his judgment
  3. Zephaniah 2:6 Or caves
  4. Zephaniah 2:14 Hebrew beasts of every nation
  5. Zephaniah 2:14 The identity of the animals rendered owl and hedgehog is uncertain

Judah and Jerusalem judged along with the nations

Judah summoned to repent

Gather together, gather yourselves together,
    you shameful nation,
before the decree takes effect
    and that day passes like windblown chaff,
before the Lord’s fierce anger
    comes upon you,
before the day of the Lord’s wrath
    comes upon you.
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
    you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness, seek humility;
    perhaps you will be sheltered
    on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Philistia

Gaza will be abandoned
    and Ashkelon left in ruins.
At midday Ashdod will be emptied
    and Ekron uprooted.
Woe to you who live by the sea,
    you Kerethite people;
the word of the Lord is against you,
    Canaan, land of the Philistines.
He says, ‘I will destroy you,
    and none will be left.’
The land by the sea will become pastures
    having wells for shepherds
    and sheepfolds for flocks.
That land will belong
    to the remnant of the people of Judah;
    there they will find pasture.
In the evening they will lie down
    in the houses of Ashkelon.
The Lord their God will care for them;
    he will restore their fortunes.[a]

Moab and Ammon

‘I have heard the insults of Moab
    and the taunts of the Ammonites,
who insulted my people
    and made threats against their land.
Therefore, as surely as I live,’
    declares the Lord Almighty,
    the God of Israel,
‘surely Moab will become like Sodom,
    the Ammonites like Gomorrah –
a place of weeds and salt pits,
    a wasteland for ever.
The remnant of my people will plunder them;
    the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.’

10 This is what they will get in return for their pride,
    for insulting and mocking
    the people of the Lord Almighty.
11 The Lord will be awesome to them
    when he destroys all the gods of the earth.
Distant nations will bow down to him,
    all of them in their own lands.

Cush

12 ‘You Cushites,[b] too,
    will be slain by my sword.’

Assyria

13 He will stretch out his hand against the north
    and destroy Assyria,
leaving Nineveh utterly desolate
    and dry as the desert.
14 Flocks and herds will lie down there,
    creatures of every kind.
The desert owl and the screech owl
    will roost on her columns.
Their hooting will echo through the windows,
    rubble will fill the doorways,
    the beams of cedar will be exposed.
15 This is the city of revelry
    that lived in safety.
She said to herself,
    ‘I am the one! And there is none besides me.’
What a ruin she has become,
    a lair for wild beasts!
All who pass by her scoff
    and shake their fists.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 2:7 Or will bring back their captives
  2. Zephaniah 2:12 That is, people from the upper Nile region

Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no [a]shame; before the decree bring forth, [b]before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah’s anger come upon you. Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth, that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah’s anger.

For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation; they shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of [c]the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea-coast shall be pastures, with [d]cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed their flocks thereupon; in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening; for Jehovah their God will visit them, and [e]bring back their captivity.

I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, wherewith they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. Therefore as I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of [f]nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall make a prey of them, and the remnant of my nation shall inherit them. 10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Jehovah of hosts. 11 Jehovah will be terrible unto them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the [g]isles of the nations.

12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword. 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness. 14 And herds shall lie down in the midst of her, [h]all the beasts of the nations: both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; their voice shall sing in the windows; [i]desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he hath laid bare the cedar-work. 15 This is the joyous city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 2:1 Or, longing
  2. Zephaniah 2:2 Or (the day passeth as the chaff)
  3. Zephaniah 2:5 Or, the region of the sea
  4. Zephaniah 2:6 Or, caves
  5. Zephaniah 2:7 Or, return to
  6. Zephaniah 2:9 Or, wild vetches
  7. Zephaniah 2:11 Or, coast-lands
  8. Zephaniah 2:14 Or, all beasts of every kind
  9. Zephaniah 2:14 Or, drought

Judgment on Moab

48 (A)Concerning Moab.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:

“Woe to (B)Nebo, for it is laid waste!
    (C)Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken;
the fortress is put to shame (D)and broken down;
    the renown of Moab is no more.
In (E)Heshbon they planned disaster against her:
    ‘Come, let us cut her off (F)from being a nation!’
You also, O (G)Madmen, shall be brought to silence;
    the sword shall pursue you.

“A voice! A cry from (H)Horonaim,
    ‘Desolation and great destruction!’
Moab is destroyed;
    her little ones have made a cry.
(I)For at the ascent of Luhith
    they go up weeping;[a]
for (J)at the descent of Horonaim
    they have heard the distressed cry[b] of destruction.
Flee! Save yourselves!
    You will be like (K)a juniper in the desert!
For, (L)because you trusted in your works and your treasures,
    you also shall be taken;
and (M)Chemosh (N)shall go into exile
    with (O)his priests and his officials.
(P)The destroyer shall come upon every city,
    and no city shall escape;
the valley shall perish,
    and (Q)the plain shall be destroyed,
    as the Lord has spoken.

“Give wings to Moab,
    for she would fly away;
her cities shall become a desolation,
    with no inhabitant in them.

10 (R)“Cursed is he who does (S)the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth
    and has (T)settled on his dregs;
he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
    nor has he gone into exile;
so his taste remains in him,
    and his scent is not changed.

12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his[c] jars in pieces. 13 Then (U)Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as (V)the house of Israel was ashamed of (W)Bethel, their confidence.

14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes
    and mighty men of war’?
15 The destroyer of (X)Moab and his cities has come up,
    and the choicest of his young men have (Y)gone down to slaughter,
    declares (Z)the King, (AA)whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
    and his affliction hastens swiftly.
17 (AB)Grieve for him, all you who are around him,
    and all who know his name;
say, (AC)‘How the mighty scepter is broken,
    the glorious staff.’

18 (AD)“Come down from your glory,
    and sit on the parched ground,
    O inhabitant of (AE)Dibon!
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you;
    he has destroyed your strongholds.
19 (AF)Stand by the way (AG)and watch,
    O inhabitant of (AH)Aroer!
Ask him who flees and her who escapes;
    say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken;
    (AI)wail and cry!
Tell it beside (AJ)the Arnon,
    that (AK)Moab is laid waste.

21 “Judgment has come upon (AL)the tableland, upon Holon, and (AM)Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and (AN)Dibon, and (AO)Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and (AP)Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and (AQ)Beth-meon, 24 and (AR)Kerioth, and (AS)Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 (AT)The horn of Moab is cut off, and (AU)his arm is broken, declares the Lord.

26 (AV)“Make him drunk, (AW)because he magnified himself against the Lord, so that Moab shall (AX)wallow in his vomit, (AY)and he too shall be held in derision. 27 (AZ)Was not Israel a derision to you? (BA)Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him (BB)you wagged your head?

28 (BC)“Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock,
    O inhabitants of Moab!
Be (BD)like the dove that nests
    in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.
29 (BE)We have heard of the pride of Moab—
    he is very proud—
of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance,
    and the haughtiness of his heart.
30 I know his insolence, declares the Lord;
    (BF)his boasts are false,
    his deeds are false.
31 (BG)Therefore I wail for Moab;
    I cry out for all Moab;
    for the men of (BH)Kir-hareseth I mourn.
32 More than for (BI)Jazer I weep for you,
    (BJ)O vine of (BK)Sibmah!
(BL)Your branches passed over the sea,
    reached to the Sea of (BM)Jazer;
on your summer fruits and your grapes
    the destroyer has fallen.
33 (BN)Gladness and joy have been taken away
    from the fruitful land of Moab;
I have made the wine cease from the winepresses;
    no one treads them with shouts of joy;
    the shouting is not the shout of joy.

34 (BO)“From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to (BP)Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the Lord, him who offers sacrifice in (BQ)the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of (BR)Kir-hareseth. (BS)Therefore the riches they gained have perished.

37 (BT)“For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. (BU)On all the hands are gashes, and (BV)around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like (BW)a vessel for which no one cares, declares the Lord. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! (BX)How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab (BY)has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.”

40 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, (BZ)one shall fly swiftly like an eagle
    (CA)and spread his wings against Moab;
41 (CB)the cities shall be taken
    and the strongholds seized.
(CC)The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day
    like the heart of (CD)a woman in her birth pains;
42 Moab shall be (CE)destroyed and be no longer a people,
    because (CF)he magnified himself against the Lord.
43 (CG)Terror, pit, and snare
    are before you, O inhabitant of Moab!
declares the Lord.
44 He who flees from the terror
    shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
    shall be caught in the snare.
(CH)For I will bring these things upon Moab,
    the year of their punishment,
declares the Lord.

45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
    fugitives stop without strength,
for fire came out from Heshbon,
    flame from the house of Sihon;
it has destroyed (CI)the forehead of Moab,
    the crown of (CJ)the sons of tumult.
46 (CK)Woe to you, O Moab!
    The people of (CL)Chemosh are undone,
for your sons have been taken captive,
    and your daughters into captivity.
47 (CM)Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
    in the latter days, declares the Lord.”
Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping
  2. Jeremiah 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry
  3. Jeremiah 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their

A message about Moab

48 Concerning Moab:

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

‘Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined.
    Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured;
    the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.
Moab will be praised no more;
    in Heshbon[b] people will plot her downfall:
    “Come, let us put an end to that nation.”
You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced;
    the sword will pursue you.
Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,
    cries of great havoc and destruction.
Moab will be broken;
    her little ones will cry out.[d]
They go up the hill to Luhith,
    weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaim
    anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
Flee! Run for your lives;
    become like a bush[e] in the desert.
Since you trust in your deeds and riches,
    you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh will go into exile,
    together with his priests and officials.
The destroyer will come against every town,
    and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
    and the plateau destroyed,
    because the Lord has spoken.
Put salt on Moab,
    for she will be laid waste;[f]
her towns will become desolate,
    with no one to live in them.

10 ‘A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!
    A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!

11 ‘Moab has been at rest from youth,
    like wine left on its dregs,
not poured from one jar to another –
    she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
    and her aroma is unchanged.
12 But days are coming,’
    declares the Lord,
‘when I will send men who pour from pitchers,
    and they will pour her out;
they will empty her pitchers
    and smash her jars.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh,
    as Israel was ashamed
    when they trusted in Bethel.

14 ‘How can you say, “We are warriors,
    men valiant in battle”?
15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
    her finest young men will go down in the slaughter,’
    declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
16 ‘The fall of Moab is at hand;
    her calamity will come quickly.
17 Mourn for her, all who live around her,
    all who know her fame;
say, “How broken is the mighty sceptre,
    how broken the glorious staff!”

18 ‘Come down from your glory
    and sit on the parched ground,
    you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,
for the one who destroys Moab
    will come up against you
    and ruin your fortified cities.
19 Stand by the road and watch,
    you who live in Aroer.
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
    ask them, “What has happened?”
20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
    Wail and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon
    that Moab is destroyed.
21 Judgment has come to the plateau –
    to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,
22     to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23     to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24     to Kerioth and Bozrah –
    to all the towns of Moab, far and near.
25 Moab’s horn[g] is cut off;
    her arm is broken,’
declares the Lord.

26 ‘Make her drunk,
    for she has defied the Lord.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;
    let her be an object of ridicule.
27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?
    Was she caught among thieves,
that you shake your head in scorn
    whenever you speak of her?
28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,
    you who live in Moab.
Be like a dove that makes its nest
    at the mouth of a cave.

29 ‘We have heard of Moab’s pride –
    how great is her arrogance! –
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
    and the haughtiness of her heart.
30 I know her insolence but it is futile,’
declares the Lord,
    ‘and her boasts accomplish nothing.
31 Therefore I wail over Moab,
    for all Moab I cry out,
    I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.
32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps,
    you vines of Sibmah.
Your branches spread as far as the sea[h];
    they reached as far as[i] Jazer.
The destroyer has fallen
    on your ripened fruit and grapes.
33 Joy and gladness are gone
    from the orchards and fields of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses;
    no one treads them with shouts of joy.
Although there are shouts,
    they are not shouts of joy.

34 ‘The sound of their cry rises
    from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz,
from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah,
    for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.
35 In Moab I will put an end
    to those who make offerings on the high places
    and burn incense to their gods,’
declares the Lord.
36 ‘So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe;
    it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.
    The wealth they acquired is gone.
37 Every head is shaved
    and every beard cut off;
every hand is slashed
    and every waist is covered with sackcloth.
38 On all the roofs in Moab
    and in the public squares
there is nothing but mourning,
    for I have broken Moab
    like a jar that no one wants,’
declares the Lord.
39 ‘How shattered she is! How they wail!
    How Moab turns her back in shame!
Moab has become an object of ridicule,
    an object of horror to all those around her.’

40 This is what the Lord says:

‘Look! An eagle is swooping down,
    spreading its wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth[j] will be captured
    and the strongholds taken.
In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors
    will be like the heart of a woman in labour.
42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation
    because she defied the Lord.
43 Terror and pit and snare await you,
    you people of Moab,’
declares the Lord.
44 ‘Whoever flees from the terror
    will fall into a pit,
whoever climbs out of the pit
    will be caught in a snare;
for I will bring on Moab
    the year of her punishment,’
declares the Lord.

45 ‘In the shadow of Heshbon
    the fugitives stand helpless,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
    a blaze from the midst of Sihon;
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
    the skulls of the noisy boasters.
46 Woe to you, Moab!
    The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
    and your daughters into captivity.

47 ‘Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
    in days to come,’
declares the Lord.

Here ends the judgment on Moab.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab
  2. Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.
  3. Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.
  4. Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar
  5. Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer
  6. Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away
  7. Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolises strength.
  8. Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea
  9. Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of
  10. Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities

48 Of Moab. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe unto Nebo! for it is laid waste; Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; [a]Misgab is put to shame and [b]broken down. The praise of Moab is no more; in Heshbon they have devised evil against her: Come, and let us cut her off from being a nation. Thou also, O Madmen, shalt be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue thee. The sound of a cry from Horonaim, desolation and great destruction! Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. For by the ascent of Luhith with continual weeping shall they go up; for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distress of the cry of destruction. Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness. For, because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou also shalt be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his princes together. And the destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed; as Jehovah hath spoken. Give wings unto Moab, [c]that she may fly and get her away: and her cities shall become a desolation, without any to dwell therein. 10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of Jehovah [d]negligently; and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.

11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remaineth in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will send unto him them that [e]pour off, and they shall [f]pour him off; and they shall empty his vessels, and break their [g]bottles in pieces. 13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence. 14 How say ye, We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war? 15 Moab is laid waste, and [h]they are gone up into his cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is Jehovah of hosts. 16 The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast. 17 All ye that are round about him, bemoan him, and all ye that know his name; say, How is the strong [i]staff broken, the beautiful rod! 18 O thou daughter that [j]dwellest in Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the destroyer of Moab is come up against thee, he hath destroyed thy strongholds. 19 O [k]inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and watch: ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth; say, What hath been done? 20 Moab is put to shame; for it is [l]broken down: wail and cry; tell ye it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 And judgment is come upon the plain country, upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath, 22 and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim, 23 and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon, 24 and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith Jehovah.

26 Make ye him drunken; for he magnified himself against Jehovah: and Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision. 27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for as often as thou speakest of him, thou waggest the head. 28 O ye inhabitants of Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock; and be like the dove that maketh her nest over the mouth of the abyss. 29 We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud; his loftiness, and his pride, and his arrogancy, and the haughtiness of his heart. 30 I know his wrath, saith Jehovah, that it is nought; his boastings have wrought nothing. 31 Therefore will I wail for Moab; yea, I will cry out for all Moab: for the men of Kir-heres shall they mourn. 32 With more than the weeping of Jazer will I weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah: thy branches passed over the sea, they reached even to the sea of Jazer: upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage the destroyer is fallen. 33 And gladness and joy is taken away from the fruitful field and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to cease from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; the shouting shall be no shouting. 34 From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, even unto Jahaz have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, [m]to Eglath-shelishiyah: for the waters of Nimrim also shall become [n]desolate. 35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith Jehovah, him that offereth in the high place, and him that burneth incense to his gods.

36 Therefore my heart soundeth for Moab like pipes, and my heart soundeth like pipes for the men of Kir-heres: therefore the abundance that he hath gotten is perished. 37 For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the streets thereof there is lamentation every where; for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein none delighteth, saith Jehovah. 39 How is it broken down! [o]how do they wail! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab become a derision and a terror to all that are round about him. 40 For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab. 41 [p]Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are seized, and the heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. 42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against Jehovah. 43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith Jehovah. 44 He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon him, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith Jehovah.

45 [q]They that fled stand without strength under the shadow of Heshbon; [r]for a fire is gone forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and hath devoured the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones. 46 Woe unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh is undone; for thy sons are taken away captive, and thy daughters into captivity. 47 Yet will I [s]bring back the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith Jehovah. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 48:1 Or, the high fort
  2. Jeremiah 48:1 Or, dismayed
  3. Jeremiah 48:9 Or, for she must fly: and her cities etc.
  4. Jeremiah 48:10 Or, deceitfully
  5. Jeremiah 48:12 Hebrew tilt (a vessel).
  6. Jeremiah 48:12 Hebrew tilt (a vessel).
  7. Jeremiah 48:12 Or, jars
  8. Jeremiah 48:15 Or, his cities are gone up in smoke
  9. Jeremiah 48:17 Or, sceptre
  10. Jeremiah 48:18 Or, art seated
  11. Jeremiah 48:19 Hebrew inhabitress.
  12. Jeremiah 48:20 Or, dismayed
  13. Jeremiah 48:34 Or, as a heifer three years old
  14. Jeremiah 48:34 Hebrew desolations.
  15. Jeremiah 48:39 Or, wail ye!
  16. Jeremiah 48:41 Or, The cities are taken
  17. Jeremiah 48:45 Or, Fleeing because of the force, they stand under
  18. Jeremiah 48:45 Or, but
  19. Jeremiah 48:47 Or, return to