16 摩押人从西拉穿过旷野,来到锡安城的山,

把羊羔献给那里的掌权者。
在亚嫩河渡口,
摩押人[a]如同被赶离巢穴的飞鸟。
他们对犹大人说:“给我们出个主意,伸张正义吧!
请让你们的影子在正午如黑夜,
遮盖逃难的人,
不要出卖逃亡者。
让我们这些逃难的摩押人留在你们那里,
好躲避毁灭者。”
欺压和毁灭之事终必停止,
入侵者终必从地上消失。
那时,必有一个宝座在爱中坚立,
大卫家的人必坐在上面以信实治国,
秉公审判,速行公义。

我们听说摩押人心骄气傲、狂妄自大,
然而他们所夸耀的都是虚假的。
他们必为摩押哀哭,
人人都必哀哭,
为不再有吉珥·哈列设的美味葡萄饼而哀叹、悲伤。

因为希实本的农田荒废,
西比玛的葡萄树枯萎。
各国的君王都来践踏这些上好的葡萄树。
它们的枝子曾经伸展到雅谢和旷野,
嫩枝一直蔓延到死海。
因此,我像雅谢人一样为西比玛的葡萄树哀哭。
希实本和以利亚利啊,
我用眼泪来浇灌你们,
因为再无人为你们的果品和庄稼而欢呼了。
10 肥美的田园里听不到快乐的声音,
葡萄园里也无人歌唱欢呼,
榨酒池里无人榨酒。
我已经使欢呼声止息。
11 我的内心为摩押,
为吉珥·哈列设哀鸣,
好像凄凉的琴声。
12 摩押人上丘坛祭拜,
却落得筋疲力尽;
在庙宇里祷告,
却毫无用处。

13 以上是耶和华所说有关摩押的预言。 14 现在,耶和华说:“正如一个雇工的工作年限是三年,摩押的荣耀也必在三年之内消失,那里的人民必遭藐视,残存的人必寥寥无几、软弱无力。”

Footnotes

  1. 16:2 摩押人”希伯来文是“摩押的女子”。

16 Send ye a lamb [to] the ruler of the land, From Selah in the wilderness, Unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.

And it hath come to pass, As a wandering bird, a nest cast out, Are daughters of Moab, [at] fords of Arnon.

Bring ye in counsel, do judgment, Make as night thy shadow in the midst of noon, Hide outcasts, the wanderer reveal not.

Sojourn in thee do My outcasts, O Moab, Be a secret hiding-place to them, From the face of a destroyer, For ceased hath the extortioner, Finished hath been a destroyer, Consumed the treaders down out of the land.

And established in kindness is the throne, And [one] hath sat on it in truth, in the tent of David, Judging and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

We have heard of the pride of Moab -- very proud, His pride, and his arrogance, and his wrath, Not right [are] his devices.

Therefore howl doth Moab for Moab, all of it doth howl, For the grape-cakes of Kir-Hareseth it meditateth, Surely they are smitten.

Because fields of Heshbon languish, The vine of Sibmah, Lords of nations did beat her choice vines, Unto Jazer they have come, They have wandered in a wilderness, Her plants have spread themselves, They have passed over a sea.

Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer, The vine of Sibmah, I water thee [with] my tear, O Heshbon and Elealeh, For -- for thy summer fruits, and for thy harvest, The shouting hath fallen.

10 And removed have been gladness and joy from the fruitful field, And in vineyards they sing not, nor shout, Wine in the presses treadeth not the treader, Shouting I have caused to cease.

11 Therefore my bowels for Moab as a harp do sound, And mine inward parts for Kir-Haresh.

12 And it hath come to pass, when it hath been seen, That weary hath been Moab on the high place, And he hath come unto his sanctuary to pray, And is not able.

13 This [is] the word that Jehovah hath spoken unto Moab from that time,

14 And now hath Jehovah spoken, saying, `In three years, as years of an hireling, Lightly esteemed is the honour of Moab, With all the great multitude, And the remnant [is] little, small, not mighty!'

16 Send the king of the land
    the payment he demands.

Send a lamb from Sela through the desert
    to the mountain of Jerusalem.
The women of Moab
    try to cross the river Arnon.
They are like little birds
    that have fallen from their nest.

They say: “Help us.
    Tell us what to do.
Protect us from our enemies
    as shade protects us from the noon sun.
Hide us because we are running for safety!
    Don’t give us to our enemies.
Let those of us who were forced out of Moab live in your land.
    Hide us from our enemies.”

The robbing of Moab will stop.
    The enemy will be defeated.
    The men who hurt others will disappear from the land.
Then a new loyal king will come.
    This faithful king will be from the family of David.
He will judge fairly.
    He wants to do what is right.

We have heard that the people of Moab are proud
    and very conceited.
They are very proud and angry.
    But their bragging means nothing.
So the people of Moab will cry.
    They will all be sad.
They will moan and groan
    for the raisin cakes they had in Kir Hareseth.
But the fields of Heshbon and the vines of Sibmah cannot grow grapes.
    Foreign rulers have destroyed the grapevines.
The grapevines once spread as far as the city of Jazer and into the desert.
    They had spread as far as the sea.
I cry with the people of Jazer
    for the grapevines of Sibmah.
I will cry with the people of Heshbon and Elealeh.
There will be no shouts of joy,
    because there will be no harvest or ripe fruit.
10 There will be no joy and happiness in the orchards.
    There will be no songs or shouts of joy in the vineyards.
No one makes wine in the winepresses.
    I have put an end to shouts of joy.
11 My heart cries for Moab like a harp playing a funeral song.
    I am very sad for Kir Hareseth.
12 The people of Moab will go to their places of worship.
    They will try to pray.
But when they go to their temple to pray,
    they will not be able.

13 The Lord said these things about Moab before. 14 And now the Lord says, “In three years all those people and what they are proud of will be hated. (This is three years as a hired helper would count time.) There will be a few people left, but they will be weak.”

16 Send lambs(A) as tribute(B)
    to the ruler of the land,
from Sela,(C) across the desert,
    to the mount of Daughter Zion.(D)
Like fluttering birds
    pushed from the nest,(E)
so are the women of Moab(F)
    at the fords(G) of the Arnon.(H)

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

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

We have heard of Moab’s(Q) pride(R)
    how great is her arrogance!—
of her conceit, her pride and her insolence;
    but her boasts are empty.
Therefore the Moabites wail,(S)
    they wail together for Moab.
Lament and grieve
    for the raisin cakes(T) of Kir Hareseth.(U)
The fields of Heshbon(V) wither,(W)
    the vines of Sibmah(X) also.
The rulers of the nations
    have trampled down the choicest vines,(Y)
which once reached Jazer(Z)
    and spread toward the desert.
Their shoots spread out(AA)
    and went as far as the sea.[b](AB)
So I weep,(AC) as Jazer weeps,
    for the vines of Sibmah.
Heshbon and Elealeh,(AD)
    I drench you with tears!(AE)
The shouts of joy(AF) over your ripened fruit
    and over your harvests(AG) have been stilled.
10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;(AH)
    no one sings or shouts(AI) in the vineyards;
no one treads(AJ) out wine at the presses,(AK)
    for I have put an end to the shouting.
11 My heart laments for Moab(AL) like a harp,(AM)
    my inmost being(AN) for Kir Hareseth.
12 When Moab appears at her high place,(AO)
    she only wears herself out;
when she goes to her shrine(AP) to pray,
    it is to no avail.(AQ)

13 This is the word the Lord has already spoken concerning Moab. 14 But now the Lord says: “Within three years,(AR) as a servant bound by contract(AS) would count them,(AT) Moab’s splendor and all her many people will be despised,(AU) and her survivors will be very few and feeble.”(AV)

Footnotes

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