“So I declared on oath in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”^[b](C)

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts.”^[d](G)

21 In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
    that he channels toward all who please him.^(A)

² A person may think their own ways are right,
    but the Lord weighs the heart.^(B)

³ To do what is right and just
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.^(C)

⁴ Haughty eyes^(D) and a proud heart—
    the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

⁵ The plans of the diligent lead to profit^(E)
    as surely as haste leads to poverty.

⁶ A fortune made by a lying tongue
    is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.^[a](F)

⁷ The violence of the wicked will drag them away,^(G)
    for they refuse to do what is right.

⁸ The way of the guilty is devious,^(H)
    but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

⁹ Better to live on a corner of the roof
    than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.^(I)

¹⁰ The wicked crave evil;
    their neighbors get no mercy from them.

¹¹ When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
    by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.^(J)

¹² The Righteous One^[b] takes note of the house of the wicked
    and brings the wicked to ruin.^(K)

¹³ Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
    will also cry out^(L) and not be answered.^(M)

¹⁴ A gift given in secret soothes anger,
    and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.^(N)

¹⁵ When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
    but terror to evildoers.^(O)

¹⁶ Whoever strays from the path of prudence
    comes to rest in the company of the dead.^(P)

14 The Lord will have compassion^(A) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(B) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(C)
Foreigners^(D) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
² Nations will take them
    and bring^(E) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(F)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(G) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(H)

How the oppressor^(N) has come to an end!
    How his fury^[a] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(O) of the wicked,^(P)
    the scepter^(Q) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(R)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(S) nations
    with relentless aggression.^(T)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(U)
    they break into singing.^(V)
8 Even the junipers^(W) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”^(X)

⁹ The realm of the dead^(Y) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed^(Z) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders^(AA) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.^(AB)
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”^(AC)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^(AD)
    along with the noise of your harps;^(AE)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms^(AF) cover you.^(AG)

¹² How you have fallen^(AH) from heaven,
    morning star,^(AI) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!^(AJ)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend^(AK) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(AL)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(AM)
    on the utmost heights^(AN) of Mount Zaphon.^[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(AO)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”^(AP)
15 But you are brought down^(AQ) to the realm of the dead,^(AR)
    to the depths^(AS) of the pit.^(AT)

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:^(AU)
“Is this the man who shook^(AV) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,^(AW)
    who overthrew^(AX) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”^(AY)

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.^(AZ)
19 But you are cast out^(BA) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,^(BB)
    with those pierced by the sword,^(BC)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.^(BD)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
²⁰     you will not join them in burial,^(BE)
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring^(BF) of the wicked^(BG)
    never be mentioned^(BH) again.
²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(BI)
    for the sins of their ancestors;^(BJ)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up^(BK) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(BL) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,^(BM)”
declares the Lord.
²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(BN)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(BO)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(BP)

“Surely, as I have planned,^(BR) so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.^(BS)
25 I will crush the Assyrian^(BT) in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke^(BU) will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.^(BV)”

²⁶ This is the plan^(BW) determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand^(BX) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(BY) and who can thwart him?
    His hand^(BZ) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(CA)

²⁹ Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(CE)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(CF)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(CG)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy^(CH) will lie down in safety.^(CI)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(CJ)
    it will slay^(CK) your survivors.^(CL)

³¹ Wail,^(CM) you gate!^(CN) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!^(CO)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(CP)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(CQ)
32 What answer shall be given
    to the envoys^(CR) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,^(CS)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(CT)”

Ar^(CX) in Moab is ruined,^(CY)
    destroyed in a night!
Kir^(CZ) in Moab is ruined,
    destroyed in a night!
² Dibon^(DA) goes up to its temple,
    to its high places^(DB) to weep;
    Moab wails^(DC) over Nebo^(DD) and Medeba.
Every head is shaved^(DE)
    and every beard cut off.^(DF)
3 In the streets they wear sackcloth;^(DG)
    on the roofs^(DH) and in the public squares^(DI)
they all wail,^(DJ)
    prostrate with weeping.^(DK)
4 Heshbon^(DL) and Elealeh^(DM) cry out,
    their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.^(DN)
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
    and their hearts are faint.

⁵ My heart cries out^(DO) over Moab;^(DP)
    her fugitives^(DQ) flee as far as Zoar,^(DR)
    as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the hill to Luhith,
    weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim^(DS)
    they lament their destruction.^(DT)
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up^(DU)
    and the grass is withered;^(DV)
the vegetation is gone^(DW)
    and nothing green is left.^(DX)
7 So the wealth they have acquired^(DY) and stored up
    they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.
⁸ Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;
    their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
    their lamentation as far as Beer^(DZ) Elim.
⁹ The waters of Dimon^[c] are full of blood,
    but I will bring still more upon Dimon^[d]—
a lion^(EA) upon the fugitives of Moab^(EB)
    and upon those who remain in the land.

16 Send lambs^(EC) as tribute^(ED)
    to the ruler of the land,
from Sela,^(EE) across the desert,
    to the mount of Daughter Zion.^(EF)
2 Like fluttering birds
    pushed from the nest,^(EG)
so are the women of Moab^(EH)
    at the fords^(EI) of the Arnon.^(EJ)

³ “Make up your mind,” Moab says.
    “Render a decision.
Make your shadow like night—
    at high noon.
Hide the fugitives,^(EK)
    do not betray the refugees.
⁴ Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you;
    be their shelter^(EL) from the destroyer.”

The oppressor^(EM) will come to an end,
    and destruction will cease;^(EN)
    the aggressor will vanish from the land.
⁵ In love a throne^(EO) will be established;^(EP)
    in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
    one from the house^[e] of David^(EQ)—
one who in judging seeks justice^(ER)
    and speeds the cause of righteousness.

⁶ We have heard of Moab’s^(ES) pride^(ET)—
    how great is her arrogance!—
of her conceit, her pride and her insolence;
    but her boasts are empty.
⁷ Therefore the Moabites wail,^(EU)
    they wail together for Moab.
Lament and grieve
    for the raisin cakes^(EV) of Kir Hareseth.^(EW)
8 The fields of Heshbon^(EX) wither,^(EY)
    the vines of Sibmah^(EZ) also.
The rulers of the nations
    have trampled down the choicest vines,^(FA)
which once reached Jazer^(FB)
    and spread toward the desert.
Their shoots spread out^(FC)
    and went as far as the sea.^[f](FD)
9 So I weep,^(FE) as Jazer weeps,
    for the vines of Sibmah.
Heshbon and Elealeh,^(FF)
    I drench you with tears!^(FG)
The shouts of joy^(FH) over your ripened fruit
    and over your harvests^(FI) have been stilled.
¹⁰ Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;^(FJ)
    no one sings or shouts^(FK) in the vineyards;
no one treads^(FL) out wine at the presses,^(FM)
    for I have put an end to the shouting.
¹¹ My heart laments for Moab^(FN) like a harp,^(FO)
    my inmost being^(FP) for Kir Hareseth.
¹² When Moab appears at her high place,^(FQ)
    she only wears herself out;
when she goes to her shrine^(FR) to pray,
    it is to no avail.^(FS)