An Oracle against Moab

15 An oracle against Moab:(A)

Ar in Moab is devastated,(B)
destroyed in a night.
Kir in Moab is devastated,
destroyed in a night.
Dibon went up to its temple
to weep at its high places.
Moab wails on Nebo and at[a] Medeba.
Every head is shaved;
every beard is cut off.
In its streets they wear sackcloth;
on its rooftops and in its public squares everyone wails,
falling down and weeping.
Heshbon and Elealeh cry out;
their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz.(C)
Therefore the soldiers of Moab cry out,
and they tremble.[b]
My heart cries out over Moab,
whose fugitives flee as far as Zoar,(D)
to Eglath-shelishiyah;
they go up the slope of Luhith weeping;
they raise a cry of destruction
on the road to Horonaim.
The waters of Nimrim(E) are desolate;
the grass is withered, the foliage is gone,
and the vegetation has vanished.
So they carry their wealth and belongings
over the Wadi of the Willows.(F)
For their cry echoes
throughout the territory of Moab.
Their wailing reaches Eglaim;
their wailing reaches Beer-elim.
The waters of Dibon[c] are full of blood,(G)
but I will bring on Dibon[d] even more than this—
a lion for those who escape from Moab,
and for the survivors in the land.(H)

16 Send lambs to the ruler of the land,(I)
from Sela in the desert(J)
to the mountain of Daughter Zion.
Like a bird fleeing,
forced from the nest,
the daughters of Moab
will be at the fords of the Arnon.

Give us counsel and make a decision.
Shelter us at noonday
with shade that is as dark as night.
Hide the refugees;(K)
do not betray the one who flees.
Let my refugees stay with you;
be a refuge for Moab[e] from the aggressor.

When the oppressor has gone,
destruction has ended,
and marauders have vanished from the land.
Then in the tent of David
a throne will be established by faithful love.(L)
A judge who seeks what is right
and is quick to execute justice
will sit on the throne forever.

We have heard of Moab’s pride(M)
how very proud he is—
his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance,
and his empty boasting.
Therefore let Moab wail;
let every one of them wail for Moab.
Mourn, you who are completely devastated,
for the raisin cakes(N) of Kir-hareseth.(O)
For Heshbon’s terraced vineyards
and the grapevines of Sibmah have withered.
The rulers of the nations
have trampled its choice vines
that reached as far as Jazer(P)
and spread to the desert.
Their shoots spread out
and reached the Dead Sea.(Q)
So I join with Jazer
to weep for the vines of Sibmah;
I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears.
Triumphant shouts have fallen silent[f]
over your summer fruit and your harvest.
10 Joy and rejoicing(R) have been removed from the orchard;
no one is singing or shouting for joy in the vineyards.(S)
No one tramples grapes[g] in the winepresses.
I have put an end to the shouting.
11 Therefore I moan like the sound of a lyre for Moab,(T)
as does my innermost being for Kir-heres.
12 When Moab appears on the high place,
when he tires[h] himself out(U)
and comes to his sanctuary to pray,
it will do him no good.(V)

13 This is the message that the Lord previously announced about Moab. 14 And now the Lord says, “In three years, as a hired worker counts years,(W) Moab’s splendor will become an object of contempt, in spite of a very large population. And those who are left will be few and weak.”

An Oracle against Damascus

17 An oracle(X) against Damascus:(Y)

Look, Damascus is no longer a city.
It has become a ruined heap.
The cities of Aroer are forsaken;
they will be places for flocks.
They will lie down without fear.
The fortress disappears from Ephraim,(Z)
and a kingdom from Damascus.
The remnant of Aram will be
like the splendor of the Israelites.
This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

Judgment against Israel

On that day
the splendor of Jacob will fade,
and his healthy body[i] will become emaciated.(AA)
It will be as if a reaper had gathered standing grain—
his arm harvesting the heads of grain—
and as if one had gleaned heads of grain
in the Valley of Rephaim.(AB)
Only gleanings will be left in Israel,(AC)
as if an olive tree had been beaten—
two or three berries at the very top of the tree,
four or five on its fruitful branches.
This is the declaration of the Lord,
the God of Israel.

On that day people will look to their Maker and will turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.(AD) They will not look to the altars(AE) they made with their hands or to the Asherahs and incense altars(AF) they made with their fingers.

On that day their strong cities will be
like the abandoned woods and mountaintops[j]
that were abandoned because of the Israelites;
there will be desolation.
10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation,
and you have failed to remember
the rock of your strength;(AG)
therefore you will plant beautiful plants
and set out cuttings from exotic vines.
11 On the day that you plant,
you will help them to grow,
and in the morning
you will help your seed to sprout,
but the harvest will vanish
on the day of disease and incurable pain.

Judgment against the Nations

12 Ah! The roar of many peoples—
they roar like the roaring of the seas.
The raging of the nations—
they rage like the raging of mighty waters.(AH)
13 The nations rage like the raging of many waters.(AI)
He rebukes them, and they flee far away,(AJ)
driven before the wind like chaff on the hills(AK)
and like tumbleweeds before a gale.
14 In the evening—sudden terror!
Before morning—it is gone!
This is the fate of those who plunder us
and the lot of those who ravage us.

The Lord’s Message to Cush

18 Ah! The land of buzzing insect wings[k]
beyond the rivers of Cush(AL)
sends couriers by sea,
in reed vessels on the waters.

Go, swift messengers,
to a nation tall and smooth-skinned,
to a people feared far and near,
a powerful nation with a strange language,[l]
whose land is divided by rivers.
All you inhabitants of the world
and you who live on the earth,
when a banner is raised on the mountains, look!
When a trumpet sounds, listen!

For, the Lord said to me:

I will quietly look out from My place,
like shimmering heat in sunshine,
like a rain cloud in harvest heat.
For before the harvest, when the blossoming is over
and the blossom becomes a ripening grape,
He will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife,
and tear away and remove the branches.
They will all be left for the birds of prey on the hills
and for the wild animals of the land.
The birds will spend the summer on them,
and all the animals, the winter on them.

At that time a gift will be brought to Yahweh of Hosts from[m] a people tall and smooth-skinned,(AM) a people feared far and near, a powerful nation with a strange language, whose land is divided by rivers—to Mount Zion, the place of the name of Yahweh of Hosts.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 15:2 Or wails over Nebo and over
  2. Isaiah 15:4 Lit out, he trembles within himself
  3. Isaiah 15:9 DSS, some LXX mss, Vg; MT reads Dimon
  4. Isaiah 15:9 DSS, some LXX mss, Vg; MT reads Dimon
  5. Isaiah 16:4 Or you; Moab—be a refuge for him
  6. Isaiah 16:9 Or Battle cries have fallen
  7. Isaiah 16:10 Lit wine
  8. Isaiah 16:12 DSS read place, he will tire
  9. Isaiah 17:4 Lit and the fat of his flesh
  10. Isaiah 17:9 Some Hb mss read like the Horesh and the Amir; LXX reads like the Amorites and the Hivites
  11. Isaiah 18:1 Or of sailing ships
  12. Isaiah 18:2 Hb obscure
  13. Isaiah 18:7 DSS, LXX, Vg; MT omits from

A Prophecy Against Moab(A)

15 A prophecy(B) against Moab:(C)

Ar(D) in Moab is ruined,(E)
    destroyed in a night!
Kir(F) in Moab is ruined,
    destroyed in a night!
Dibon(G) goes up to its temple,
    to its high places(H) to weep;
    Moab wails(I) over Nebo(J) and Medeba.
Every head is shaved(K)
    and every beard cut off.(L)
In the streets they wear sackcloth;(M)
    on the roofs(N) and in the public squares(O)
they all wail,(P)
    prostrate with weeping.(Q)
Heshbon(R) and Elealeh(S) cry out,
    their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.(T)
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
    and their hearts are faint.

My heart cries out(U) over Moab;(V)
    her fugitives(W) flee as far as Zoar,(X)
    as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the hill to Luhith,
    weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim(Y)
    they lament their destruction.(Z)
The waters of Nimrim are dried up(AA)
    and the grass is withered;(AB)
the vegetation is gone(AC)
    and nothing green is left.(AD)
So the wealth they have acquired(AE) and stored up
    they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.
Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;
    their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
    their lamentation as far as Beer(AF) Elim.
The waters of Dimon[a] are full of blood,
    but I will bring still more upon Dimon[b]
a lion(AG) upon the fugitives of Moab(AH)
    and upon those who remain in the land.

16 Send lambs(AI) as tribute(AJ)
    to the ruler of the land,
from Sela,(AK) across the desert,
    to the mount of Daughter Zion.(AL)
Like fluttering birds
    pushed from the nest,(AM)
so are the women of Moab(AN)
    at the fords(AO) of the Arnon.(AP)

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

The oppressor(AS) will come to an end,
    and destruction will cease;(AT)
    the aggressor will vanish from the land.
In love a throne(AU) will be established;(AV)
    in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
    one from the house[c] of David(AW)
one who in judging seeks justice(AX)
    and speeds the cause of righteousness.

We have heard of Moab’s(AY) pride(AZ)
    how great is her arrogance!—
of her conceit, her pride and her insolence;
    but her boasts are empty.
Therefore the Moabites wail,(BA)
    they wail together for Moab.
Lament and grieve
    for the raisin cakes(BB) of Kir Hareseth.(BC)
The fields of Heshbon(BD) wither,(BE)
    the vines of Sibmah(BF) also.
The rulers of the nations
    have trampled down the choicest vines,(BG)
which once reached Jazer(BH)
    and spread toward the desert.
Their shoots spread out(BI)
    and went as far as the sea.[d](BJ)
So I weep,(BK) as Jazer weeps,
    for the vines of Sibmah.
Heshbon and Elealeh,(BL)
    I drench you with tears!(BM)
The shouts of joy(BN) over your ripened fruit
    and over your harvests(BO) have been stilled.
10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;(BP)
    no one sings or shouts(BQ) in the vineyards;
no one treads(BR) out wine at the presses,(BS)
    for I have put an end to the shouting.
11 My heart laments for Moab(BT) like a harp,(BU)
    my inmost being(BV) for Kir Hareseth.
12 When Moab appears at her high place,(BW)
    she only wears herself out;
when she goes to her shrine(BX) to pray,
    it is to no avail.(BY)

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

A Prophecy Against Damascus

17 A prophecy(CE) against Damascus:(CF)

“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
    but will become a heap of ruins.(CG)
The cities of Aroer(CH) will be deserted
    and left to flocks,(CI) which will lie down,(CJ)
    with no one to make them afraid.(CK)
The fortified(CL) city will disappear from Ephraim,
    and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
    like the glory(CM) of the Israelites,”(CN)
declares the Lord Almighty.

“In that day(CO) the glory(CP) of Jacob will fade;
    the fat of his body will waste(CQ) away.
It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain,
    gathering(CR) the grain in their arms—
as when someone gleans heads of grain(CS)
    in the Valley of Rephaim.(CT)
Yet some gleanings will remain,(CU)
    as when an olive tree is beaten,(CV)
leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches,
    four or five on the fruitful boughs,”
declares the Lord, the God of Israel.

In that day(CW) people will look(CX) to their Maker(CY)
    and turn their eyes to the Holy One(CZ) of Israel.
They will not look to the altars,(DA)
    the work of their hands,(DB)
and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles[e](DC)
    and the incense altars their fingers(DD) have made.

In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth.(DE) And all will be desolation.

10 You have forgotten(DF) God your Savior;(DG)
    you have not remembered the Rock,(DH) your fortress.(DI)
Therefore, though you set out the finest plants
    and plant imported vines,(DJ)
11 though on the day you set them out, you make them grow,
    and on the morning(DK) when you plant them, you bring them to bud,
yet the harvest(DL) will be as nothing(DM)
    in the day of disease and incurable(DN) pain.(DO)

12 Woe to the many nations that rage(DP)
    they rage like the raging sea!(DQ)
Woe to the peoples who roar(DR)
    they roar like the roaring of great waters!(DS)
13 Although the peoples roar(DT) like the roar of surging waters,
    when he rebukes(DU) them they flee(DV) far away,
driven before the wind like chaff(DW) on the hills,
    like tumbleweed before a gale.(DX)
14 In the evening, sudden(DY) terror!(DZ)
    Before the morning, they are gone!(EA)
This is the portion of those who loot us,
    the lot of those who plunder us.

A Prophecy Against Cush

18 Woe(EB) to the land of whirring wings[f]
    along the rivers of Cush,[g](EC)
which sends envoys(ED) by sea
    in papyrus(EE) boats over the water.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,(EF)
    to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive(EG) nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers.(EH)

All you people of the world,(EI)
    you who live on the earth,
when a banner(EJ) is raised on the mountains,
    you will see it,
and when a trumpet(EK) sounds,
    you will hear it.
This is what the Lord says to me:
    “I will remain quiet(EL) and will look on from my dwelling place,(EM)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,(EN)
    like a cloud of dew(EO) in the heat of harvest.”
For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off(EP) the shoots with pruning knives,
    and cut down and take away the spreading branches.(EQ)
They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey(ER)
    and to the wild animals;(ES)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
    the wild animals all winter.

At that time gifts(ET) will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,(EU)
    from a people feared(EV) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers(EW)

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.(EX)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.
  2. Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.
  3. Isaiah 16:5 Hebrew tent
  4. Isaiah 16:8 Probably the Dead Sea
  5. Isaiah 17:8 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
  6. Isaiah 18:1 Or of locusts
  7. Isaiah 18:1 That is, the upper Nile region

Greeting

Paul,(A) an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father(B) who raised Him from the dead(C) and all the brothers who are with me:

To the churches of Galatia.[a](D)

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord[b] Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins(E) to rescue us from this present evil age,(F) according to the will of our God and Father.(G) To whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

No Other Gospel

I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called(H) you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel,(I) but there are some(J) who are troubling you and want to change the good news[c] about the Messiah. But even if we or an angel(K) from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you,(L) a curse be on him![d] As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received,(M) a curse be on him!

10 For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God?(N) Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.

Paul Defends His Apostleship

11 Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not based on human thought.[e] 12 For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation(O) from Jesus Christ.(P)

13 For you have heard about my former way of life(Q) in Judaism:(R) I persecuted(S) God’s church to an extreme degree and tried to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.(T) 15 But when God, who from my birth set me apart and called(U) me by His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son(V) in me, so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.[f] 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem(W) to those who had become apostles(X) before me; instead I went to Arabia(Y) and came back to Damascus.(Z)

18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem(AA) to get to know Cephas,[g](AB) and I stayed with him 15 days. 19 But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James,(AC) the Lord’s brother. 20 Now I am not lying in what I write to you. God is my witness.[h]

21 Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria(AD) and Cilicia.(AE) 22 I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches in Christ; 23 they simply kept hearing: “He who formerly persecuted(AF) us now preaches the faith(AG) he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 1:2 A Roman province in what is now Turkey
  2. Galatians 1:3 Other mss read God our Father and the Lord
  3. Galatians 1:7 Or gospel
  4. Galatians 1:8 Or you, let him be condemned, or you, let him be condemned to hell; Gk anathema
  5. Galatians 1:11 Lit not according to man
  6. Galatians 1:16 Lit flesh and blood
  7. Galatians 1:18 Other mss read Peter
  8. Galatians 1:20 Lit Behold, before God

Paul, an apostle(A)—sent not from men nor by a man,(B) but by Jesus Christ(C) and God the Father,(D) who raised him from the dead(E) and all the brothers and sisters[a] with me,(F)

To the churches in Galatia:(G)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,(H) who gave himself for our sins(I) to rescue us from the present evil age,(J) according to the will of our God and Father,(K) to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.(L)

No Other Gospel

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called(M) you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel(N) which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion(O) and are trying to pervert(P) the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you,(Q) let them be under God’s curse!(R) As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted,(S) let them be under God’s curse!

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people?(T) If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Paul Called by God

11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters,(U) that the gospel I preached(V) is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man,(W) nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation(X) from Jesus Christ.(Y)

13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism,(Z) how intensely I persecuted the church of God(AA) and tried to destroy it.(AB) 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous(AC) for the traditions of my fathers.(AD) 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb(AE) and called me(AF) by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles,(AG) my immediate response was not to consult any human being.(AH) 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.(AI)

18 Then after three years,(AJ) I went up to Jerusalem(AK) to get acquainted with Cephas[b] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James,(AL) the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God(AM) that what I am writing you is no lie.(AN)

21 Then I went to Syria(AO) and Cilicia.(AP) 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea(AQ) that are in Christ.(AR) 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith(AS) he once tried to destroy.”(AT) 24 And they praised God(AU) because of me.

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 11; and in 3:15; 4:12, 28, 31; 5:11, 13; 6:1, 18.
  2. Galatians 1:18 That is, Peter

Psalm 58

A Cry against Injustice

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”[a] A Davidic Miktam.

Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?[b]
Do you judge people fairly?(A)
No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.(B)

The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars err from birth.(C)
They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,(D)
that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.(E)

God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs.(F)
They will vanish like water that flows by;
they will aim their useless arrows.[c][d](G)
Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman’s miscarried child,
they will not see the sun.(H)

Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether green or burning—
He will sweep them away.[e](I)
10 The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;(J)
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.(K)
11 Then people will say,
“Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!
There is a God who judges on earth!”(L)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 58:1 Possibly a tune
  2. Psalm 58:1 Or Can you really speak righteousness in silence?
  3. Psalm 58:7 Or their arrows as if they were circumcised; Hb obscure
  4. Psalm 58:7 Or they wither like trampled grass
  5. Psalm 58:9 Or thorns, He will sweep it away, whether raw or cooking, or thorns, He will sweep him away alive in fury

Psalm 58[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[b]

Do you rulers indeed speak justly?(A)
    Do you judge people with equity?
No, in your heart you devise injustice,(B)
    and your hands mete out violence on the earth.(C)

Even from birth the wicked go astray;
    from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
Their venom is like the venom of a snake,(D)
    like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
that will not heed(E) the tune of the charmer,(F)
    however skillful the enchanter may be.

Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;(G)
    Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!(H)
Let them vanish like water that flows away;(I)
    when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.(J)
May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,(K)
    like a stillborn child(L) that never sees the sun.

Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns(M)
    whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.[c](N)
10 The righteous will be glad(O) when they are avenged,(P)
    when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.(Q)
11 Then people will say,
    “Surely the righteous still are rewarded;(R)
    surely there is a God who judges the earth.”(S)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 58:1 In Hebrew texts 58:1-11 is numbered 58:2-12.
  2. Psalm 58:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 58:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.

12 Apply yourself to discipline
and listen to words of knowledge.

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Saying 12

12 Apply your heart to instruction(A)
    and your ears to words of knowledge.

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