Jeremiah 41-48

New International Version

41 In the seventh month Ishmael^(A) son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, ²Ishmael^(B) son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword,^(C) killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed^(D) as governor over the land.^(E) ³Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian^[a] soldiers who were there.

⁴The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, ⁵eighty men who had shaved off their beards,^(F) torn their clothes^(G) and cut^(H) themselves came from Shechem,^(I) Shiloh^(J) and Samaria,^(K) bringing grain offerings and incense^(L) with them to the house of the Lord.^(M) ⁶Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping^(N) as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”^(O) ⁷When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.^(P) ⁸But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.”^(Q) So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. ⁹Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa^(R) had made as part of his defense^(S) against Baasha^(T) king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.

¹⁰Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people^(U) who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters^(V) along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.^(W)

¹¹When Johanan^(X) son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, ¹²they took all their men and went to fight^(Y) Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool^(Z) in Gibeon. ¹³When all the people^(AA) Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. ¹⁴All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah^(AB) turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. ¹⁵But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped^(AC) from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.

Flight to Egypt

¹⁶Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers^(AD) who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived,^(AE) whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon. ¹⁷And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham^(AF) near Bethlehem^(AG) on their way to Egypt^(AH) ¹⁸to escape the Babylonians.^[b] They were afraid^(AI) of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah^(AJ) son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

42 Then all the army officers, including Johanan^(AK) son of Kareah and Jezaniah^[c] son of Hoshaiah,^(AL) and all the people from the least to the greatest^(AM) approached ²Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray^(AN) to the Lord your God for this entire remnant.^(AO) For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few^(AP) are left. ³Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”^(AQ)

⁴“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray^(AR) to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell^(AS) you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”^(AT)

⁵Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true^(AU) and faithful^(AV) witness^(AW) against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. ⁶Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well^(AX) with us, for we will obey^(AY) the Lord our God.”

⁷Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. ⁸So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers^(AZ) who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.^(BA) ⁹He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition,^(BB) says:^(BC) ¹⁰‘If you stay in this land,^(BD) I will build^(BE) you up and not tear you down; I will plant^(BF) you and not uproot you,^(BG) for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.^(BH) ¹¹Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon,^(BI) whom you now fear.^(BJ) Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save^(BK) you and deliver you from his hands.^(BL) ¹²I will show you compassion^(BM) so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’^(BN)

¹³“However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey^(BO) the Lord your God, ¹⁴and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt,^(BP) where we will not see war or hear the trumpet^(BQ) or be hungry for bread,’^(BR) ¹⁵then hear the word of the Lord,^(BS) you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, ¹⁶then the sword^(BT) you fear^(BU) will overtake you there, and the famine^(BV) you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.^(BW) ¹⁷Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague;^(BX) not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ ¹⁸This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath^(BY) have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,^(BZ) so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse^[d]^(CA) and an object of horror,^(CB) a curse^[e] and an object of reproach;^(CC) you will never see this place again.’^(CD)

¹⁹“Remnant^(CE) of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’^(CF) Be sure of this: I warn you today ²⁰that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’^(CG) ²¹I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you.^(CH) ²²So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine^(CI) and plague^(CJ) in the place where you want to go to settle.”^(CK)

43 When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them^(CL)— ²Azariah son of Hoshaiah^(CM) and Johanan^(CN) son of Kareah and all the arrogant^(CO) men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!^(CP) The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’^(CQ) ³But Baruch^(CR) son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,^[f] so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”^(CS)

⁴So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people^(CT) disobeyed the Lord’s command^(CU) to stay in the land of Judah.^(CV) ⁵Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.^(CW) ⁶They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women,^(CX) the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch^(CY) son of Neriah along with them. ⁷So they entered Egypt^(CZ) in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.^(DA)

⁸In Tahpanhes^(DB) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ⁹“While the Jews are watching, take some large stones^(DC) with you and bury them in clay in the brick^(DD) pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace^(DE) in Tahpanhes. ¹⁰Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant^(DF) Nebuchadnezzar^(DG) king of Babylon, and I will set his throne^(DH) over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy^(DI) above them. ¹¹He will come and attack Egypt,^(DJ) bringing death^(DK) to those destined^(DL) for death, captivity to those destined for captivity,^(DM) and the sword to those destined for the sword.^(DN) ¹²He will set fire^(DO) to the temples^(DP) of the gods^(DQ) of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.^(DR) As a shepherd picks^(DS) his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. ¹³There in the temple of the sun^[g]^(DT) in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars^(DU) and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”

Disaster Because of Idolatry

44 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt^(DV)—in Migdol,^(DW) Tahpanhes^(DX) and Memphis^(DY)—and in Upper Egypt:^(DZ) ²“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster^(EA) I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.^(EB) Today they lie deserted and in ruins^(EC) ³because of the evil^(ED) they have done. They aroused my anger^(EE) by burning incense^(EF) to and worshiping other gods^(EG) that neither they nor you nor your ancestors^(EH) ever knew. ⁴Again and again^(EI) I sent my servants the prophets,^(EJ) who said, ‘Do not do this detestable^(EK) thing that I hate!’ ⁵But they did not listen or pay attention;^(EL) they did not turn from their wickedness^(EM) or stop burning incense^(EN) to other gods.^(EO) ⁶Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out;^(EP) it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins^(EQ) they are today.

⁷“Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster^(ER) on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women,^(ES) the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?^(ET) ⁸Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made,^(EU) burning incense^(EV) to other gods in Egypt,^(EW) where you have come to live?^(EX) You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse^[h] and an object of reproach^(EY) among all the nations on earth. ⁹Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors^(EZ) and by the kings^(FA) and queens^(FB) of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives^(FC) in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?^(FD) ¹⁰To this day they have not humbled^(FE) themselves or shown reverence,^(FF) nor have they followed my law^(FG) and the decrees^(FH) I set before you and your ancestors.^(FI)

¹¹“Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty,^(FJ) the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster^(FK) on you and to destroy all Judah. ¹²I will take away the remnant^(FL) of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest,^(FM) they will die by sword or famine.^(FN) They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.^(FO) ¹³I will punish^(FP) those who live in Egypt with the sword,^(FQ) famine and plague,^(FR) as I punished Jerusalem. ¹⁴None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”^(FS)

¹⁵Then all the men who knew that their wives^(FT) were burning incense^(FU) to other gods, along with all the women^(FV) who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt,^(FW) said to Jeremiah, ¹⁶“We will not listen^(FX) to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord!^(FY) ¹⁷We will certainly do everything we said we would:^(FZ) We will burn incense^(GA) to the Queen of Heaven^(GB) and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials^(GC) did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.^(GD) At that time we had plenty of food^(GE) and were well off and suffered no harm.^(GF) ¹⁸But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings^(GG) to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.^(GH)”

¹⁹The women added, “When we burned incense^(GI) to the Queen of Heaven^(GJ) and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands^(GK) know that we were making cakes^(GL) impressed with her image^(GM) and pouring out drink offerings to her?”

²⁰Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, ²¹“Did not the Lord remember^(GN) and call to mind the incense^(GO) burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem^(GP) by you and your ancestors,^(GQ) your kings and your officials and the people of the land?^(GR) ²²When the Lord could no longer endure^(GS) your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse^(GT) and a desolate waste^(GU) without inhabitants, as it is today.^(GV) ²³Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him or followed^(GW) his law or his decrees^(GX) or his stipulations, this disaster^(GY) has come upon you, as you now see.”^(GZ)

²⁴Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,^(HA) “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.^(HB) ²⁵This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives^(HC) have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’^(HD)

“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!^(HE) ²⁶But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt:^(HF) ‘I swear^(HG) by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign^(HH) Lord lives.”^(HI) ²⁷For I am watching^(HJ) over them for harm,^(HK) not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish^(HL) by sword and famine^(HM) until they are all destroyed.^(HN) ²⁸Those who escape the sword^(HO) and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.^(HP) Then the whole remnant^(HQ) of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand^(HR)—mine or theirs.^(HS)

²⁹“‘This will be the sign^(HT) to you that I will punish^(HU) you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’^(HV) ³⁰This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh^(HW) Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah^(HX) king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’”^(HY)

A Message to Baruch

45 When Baruch^(HZ) son of Neriah^(IA) wrote on a scroll^(IB) the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(IC) son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: ²“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: ³You said, ‘Woe^(ID) to me! The Lord has added sorrow^(IE) to my pain;^(IF) I am worn out with groaning^(IG) and find no rest.’^(IH) ⁴But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot^(II) what I have planted,^(IJ) throughout the earth.^(IK) ⁵Should you then seek great^(IL) things for yourself? Do not seek them.^(IM) For I will bring disaster^(IN) on all people,^(IO) declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape^(IP) with your life.’”^(IQ)

A Message About Egypt

46 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:^(IR)

²Concerning Egypt:^(IS)

This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho^(IT) king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish^(IU) on the Euphrates^(IV) River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(IW) son of Josiah king of Judah:

³“Prepare your shields,^(IX) both large and small,
    and march out for battle!
⁴Harness the horses,
    mount the steeds!
Take your positions
    with helmets on!
Polish^(IY) your spears,
    put on your armor!^(IZ)
⁵What do I see?
    They are terrified,
they are retreating,
    their warriors are defeated.
They flee^(JA) in haste
    without looking back,
    and there is terror^(JB) on every side,”
declares the Lord.
⁶“The swift cannot flee^(JC)
    nor the strong escape.
In the north by the River Euphrates^(JD)
    they stumble and fall.^(JE)

⁷“Who is this that rises like the Nile,
    like rivers of surging waters?^(JF)
⁸Egypt rises like the Nile,^(JG)
    like rivers of surging waters.
She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;
    I will destroy cities and their people.’^(JH)
⁹Charge, you horses!
    Drive furiously, you charioteers!^(JI)
March on, you warriors—men of Cush^[i]^(JJ) and Put who carry shields,
    men of Lydia^(JK) who draw the bow.
¹⁰But that day^(JL) belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty—
    a day of vengeance^(JM), for vengeance on his foes.
The sword will devour^(JN) till it is satisfied,
    till it has quenched its thirst with blood.^(JO)
For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice^(JP)
    in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.^(JQ)

¹¹“Go up to Gilead and get balm,^(JR)
    Virgin^(JS) Daughter Egypt.
But you try many medicines in vain;
    there is no healing^(JT) for you.
¹²The nations will hear of your shame;
    your cries will fill the earth.
One warrior will stumble over another;
    both will fall^(JU) down together.”

¹³This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(JV) to attack Egypt:^(JW)

¹⁴“Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;
    proclaim it also in Memphis^(JX) and Tahpanhes:^(JY)
‘Take your positions and get ready,
    for the sword devours^(JZ) those around you.’
¹⁵Why will your warriors be laid low?
    They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.^(KA)
¹⁶They will stumble^(KB) repeatedly;
    they will fall^(KC) over each other.
They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back
    to our own people^(KD) and our native lands,
    away from the sword of the oppressor.’^(KE)
¹⁷There they will exclaim,
    ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;^(KF)
    he has missed his opportunity.^(KG)’

¹⁸“As surely as I live,” declares the King,^(KH)
    whose name is the Lord Almighty,
“one will come who is like Tabor^(KI) among the mountains,
    like Carmel^(KJ) by the sea.
¹⁹Pack your belongings for exile,^(KK)
    you who live in Egypt,
for Memphis^(KL) will be laid waste^(KM)
    and lie in ruins without inhabitant.

²⁰“Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
    but a gadfly is coming
    against her from the north.^(KN)
²¹The mercenaries^(KO) in her ranks
    are like fattened calves.^(KP)
They too will turn and flee^(KQ) together,
    they will not stand their ground,
for the day^(KR) of disaster is coming upon them,
    the time^(KS) for them to be punished.
²²Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent
    as the enemy advances in force;
they will come against her with axes,
    like men who cut down trees.^(KT)
²³They will chop down her forest,”
declares the Lord,
    “dense though it be.
They are more numerous than locusts,^(KU)
    they cannot be counted.
²⁴Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,
    given into the hands of the people of the north.^(KV)”

²⁵The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,^(KW) on Pharaoh,^(KX) on Egypt and her gods^(KY) and her kings, and on those who rely^(KZ) on Pharaoh. ²⁶I will give them into the hands^(LA) of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king^(LB) of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited^(LC) as in times past,” declares the Lord.

²⁷“Do not be afraid,^(LD) Jacob^(LE) my servant;^(LF)
    do not be dismayed, Israel.
I will surely save you out of a distant place,
    your descendants from the land of their exile.^(LG)
Jacob will again have peace and security,
    and no one will make him afraid.
²⁸Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant,
    for I am with you,”^(LH) declares the Lord.
“Though I completely destroy^(LI) all the nations
    among which I scatter you,
    I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
    I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”

A Message About the Philistines

47 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines^(LJ) before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:^(LK)

²This is what the Lord says:

“See how the waters are rising in the north;^(LL)
    they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
    the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
    all who dwell in the land will wail^(LM)
³at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,
    at the noise of enemy chariots^(LN)
    and the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not turn to help their children;
    their hands will hang limp.^(LO)
⁴For the day has come
    to destroy all the Philistines
and to remove all survivors
    who could help Tyre^(LP) and Sidon.^(LQ)
The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines,^(LR)
    the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.^[j]^(LS)
⁵Gaza will shave^(LT) her head in mourning;
    Ashkelon^(LU) will be silenced.
You remnant on the plain,
    how long will you cut^(LV) yourselves?

⁶“‘Alas, sword^(LW) of the Lord,
    how long till you rest?
Return to your sheath;
    cease and be still.’^(LX)
⁷But how can it rest
    when the Lord has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
    to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”^(LY)

A Message About Moab^(LZ)

48 Concerning Moab:^(MA)

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

“Woe to Nebo,^(MB) for it will be ruined.
    Kiriathaim^(MC) will be disgraced and captured;
    the stronghold^[k] will be disgraced and shattered.
²Moab will be praised^(MD) no more;
    in Heshbon^[l]^(ME) people will plot her downfall:
    ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’^(MF)
You, the people of Madmen,^[m] will also be silenced;
    the sword will pursue you.
³Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,^(MG)
    cries of great havoc and destruction.
⁴Moab will be broken;
    her little ones will cry out.^[n]
⁵They go up the hill to Luhith,^(MH)
    weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaim^(MI)
    anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
⁶Flee!^(MJ) Run for your lives;
    become like a bush^[o] in the desert.^(MK)
⁷Since you trust in your deeds and riches,^(ML)
    you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh^(MM) will go into exile,^(MN)
    together with his priests and officials.^(MO)
⁸The destroyer^(MP) will come against every town,
    and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
    and the plateau^(MQ) destroyed,
    because the Lord has spoken.
⁹Put salt^(MR) on Moab,
    for she will be laid waste^[p];^(MS)
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^(MT) from bloodshed!^(MU)

¹¹“Moab has been at rest^(MV) from youth,
    like wine left on its dregs,^(MW)
not poured from one jar to another—
    she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
    and her aroma is unchanged.
¹²But 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.
¹³Then Moab will be ashamed^(MX) of Chemosh,^(MY)
    as Israel was ashamed
    when they trusted in Bethel.^(MZ)

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

¹⁸“Come down from your glory
    and sit on the parched ground,^(NI)
    you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,^(NJ)
for the one who destroys Moab
    will come up against you
    and ruin your fortified cities.^(NK)
¹⁹Stand by the road and watch,
    you who live in Aroer.^(NL)
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
    ask them, ‘What has happened?’
²⁰Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
    Wail^(NM) and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon^(NN)
    that Moab is destroyed.
²¹Judgment has come to the plateau^(NO)—
    to Holon,^(NP) Jahzah^(NQ) and Mephaath,^(NR)
²²    to Dibon,^(NS) Nebo^(NT) and Beth Diblathaim,
²³    to Kiriathaim,^(NU) Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,^(NV)
²⁴    to Kerioth^(NW) and Bozrah^(NX)—
    to all the towns^(NY) of Moab, far and near.
²⁵Moab’s horn^[q]^(NZ) is cut off;
    her arm^(OA) is broken,”
declares the Lord.

²⁶“Make her drunk,^(OB)
    for she has defied^(OC) the Lord.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;^(OD)
    let her be an object of ridicule.^(OE)
²⁷Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?^(OF)
    Was she caught among thieves,^(OG)
that you shake your head^(OH) in scorn^(OI)
    whenever you speak of her?
²⁸Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,
    you who live in Moab.
Be like a dove^(OJ) that makes its nest
    at the mouth of a cave.^(OK)

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

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

⁴⁰This is what the Lord says:

“Look! An eagle is swooping^(PM) down,
    spreading its wings^(PN) over Moab.
⁴¹Kerioth^[t]^(PO) will be captured
    and the strongholds taken.
In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors^(PP)
    will be like the heart of a woman in labor.^(PQ)
⁴²Moab will be destroyed^(PR) as a nation^(PS)
    because she defied^(PT) the Lord.
⁴³Terror^(PU) and pit and snare^(PV) await you,
    you people of Moab,”
declares the Lord.
⁴⁴“Whoever flees^(PW) 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^(PX) 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;^(PY)
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
    the skulls^(PZ) of the noisy boasters.
⁴⁶Woe to you, Moab!^(QA)
    The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
    and your daughters into captivity.

⁴⁷“Yet I will restore^(QB) the fortunes of Moab
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

Here ends the judgment on Moab.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 41:3 Or Chaldean
Jeremiah 41:18 Or Chaldeans
Jeremiah 42:1 Hebrew; Septuagint (see also 43:2) Azariah
Jeremiah 42:18 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed.
Jeremiah 42:18 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed.
Jeremiah 43:3 Or Chaldeans
Jeremiah 43:13 Or in Heliopolis
Jeremiah 44:8 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed; also in verse 12; similarly in verse 22.
Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile region
Jeremiah 47:4 That is, Crete
Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab
Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.
Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.
Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar
Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer
Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away
Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.
Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea
Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of
Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities