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An Oracle concerning Moab

15 An oracle concerning Moab.

Because Ar is laid waste in a night,
    Moab is undone;
because Kir is laid waste in a night,
    Moab is undone.(A)
Daughter Dibon[a] has gone up
    to the high places to weep;
over Nebo and over Medeba
    Moab wails.
Every head is shaved;
    every beard is shorn;(B)
in the streets they bind on sackcloth;
    on the housetops and in the squares
    everyone wails and melts in tears.(C)
Heshbon and Elealeh cry out;
    their voices are heard as far as Jahaz;
therefore the loins of Moab quiver;[b]
    his soul trembles.
My heart cries out for Moab;
    his fugitives flee to Zoar,
    to Eglath-shelishiyah.
For at the ascent of Luhith
    they go up weeping;
on the road to Horonaim
    they raise a cry of destruction;(D)
the waters of Nimrim
    are a desolation;
the grass is withered; the new growth fails;
    vegetation is no more.(E)
Therefore the abundance they have gained
    and what they have laid up
they carry away
    over the Wadi of the Willows.(F)
For a cry has gone
    around the land of Moab;
the wailing reaches to Eglaim;
    the wailing reaches to Beer-elim.
For the waters of Dibon[c] are full of blood,
    yet I will bring upon Dibon[d] even more—
a lion for those of Moab who escape,
    for the remnant of the land.(G)

16 Send lambs
    to the ruler of the land,
from Sela, by way of the desert,
    to the mount of daughter Zion.(H)
Like fluttering birds,
    like scattered nestlings,
so are the daughters of Moab
    at the fords of the Arnon.(I)
“Give counsel;
    grant justice;
make your shade like night
    at the height of noon;
hide the outcasts;
    do not betray the fugitive;(J)
let the outcasts of Moab
    settle among you;
be a refuge to them
    from the destroyer.”

When the oppressor is no more,
    and destruction has ceased,
and marauders have vanished from the land,(K)
then a throne shall be established in steadfast love
    in the tent of David,
    and on it shall sit in faithfulness
a ruler who seeks justice
    and is swift to do what is right.(L)

We have heard of the pride of Moab
    —how proud he is!—
of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence;
    his boasts are false.(M)
Therefore let Moab wail;
    let everyone wail for Moab.
Mourn, utterly stricken,
    for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.(N)

For the fields of Heshbon languish,
    and the vines of Sibmah,
whose clusters once made drunk
    the lords of the nations,
reached to Jazer
    and strayed to the desert;
their shoots once spread abroad
    and crossed over the sea.(O)
Therefore I weep as Jazer weeps
    for the vines of Sibmah;
I drench you with my tears,
    O Heshbon and Elealeh,
for the shout over your fruit harvest
    and your grain harvest has ceased.(P)
10 Joy and gladness are taken away
    from the fruitful field,
and in the vineyards no exultation is heard;
    no shouts are raised;
no treader treads out wine in the presses;
    the vintage shout is hushed.[e](Q)
11 Therefore my heart moans like a harp for Moab
    and my very soul for Kir-heres.(R)

12 When Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself upon the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.(S)

13 This was the word that the Lord spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the Lord says, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all its great multitude, and those who survive will be very few and feeble.”(T)

An Oracle concerning Damascus

17 An oracle concerning Damascus.

See, Damascus will cease to be a city
    and will become a heap of ruins.(U)
Her towns will be deserted forever;[f]
    they will be places for flocks,
    which will lie down, and no one will make them afraid.(V)
The fortress will disappear from Ephraim
    and the kingdom from Damascus,
and the remnant of Aram will be
    like the glory of the people of Israel,
            says the Lord of hosts.(W)

On that day
    the glory of Jacob will be brought low,
    and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.(X)
And it shall be as when reapers gather standing grain
    and their arms harvest the ears,
and as when one gleans the ears of grain
    in the Valley of Rephaim.(Y)
Gleanings will be left in it,
    as when an olive tree is beaten—
two or three berries
    in the top of the highest bough,
four or five
    on the branches of a fruit tree,
            says the Lord God of Israel.(Z)

On that day people will look to their Maker, with their eyes on the Holy One of Israel;(AA) they will not have regard for the altars, the work of their hands, and they will not look to what their own fingers have made, either the sacred poles[g] or the altars of incense.(AB)

On that day their fortified cities will be like the deserted places of the Hivites and the Amorites,[h] which they deserted because of the people of Israel, and there will be desolation.(AC)

10 For you have forgotten God your Savior
    and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge;
therefore, though you plant pleasant gardens
    and set out branches of a foreign god,(AD)
11 though you make them grow on the day that you plant them
    and make them blossom in the morning that you sow,
yet the harvest will flee away
    in a day of sickness and incurable pain.(AE)

12 Woe, the thunder of many peoples,
    they thunder like the thundering of the sea!
The roar of nations,
    they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!(AF)
13 [[When the nations roar like the roaring of many waters,]][i]
    he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away,
chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind
    and like whirling dust before the storm.(AG)
14 At evening time, sudden terror!
    Before morning, they are no more.
This is the fate of those who despoil us
    and the lot of those who plunder us.(AH)

An Oracle concerning Cush

18 Woe, land of buzzing[j] wings
    beyond the rivers of Cush,(AI)
sending ambassadors by the Nile
    in vessels of papyrus on the waters!
Go, you swift messengers,
    to a nation tall and smooth,
to a people feared near and far,
    a nation mighty[k] and conquering,
    whose land the rivers divide.(AJ)

All you inhabitants of the world,
    you who live on the earth,
when a signal is raised on the mountains, look!
    When a trumpet is blown, listen!(AK)
For thus the Lord said to me:
“I will quietly look from my dwelling
    like clear heat in sunshine,
    like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”(AL)
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off the shoots with pruning hooks,
    and the spreading branches he will hew away.(AM)
They shall all be left
    to the birds of prey of the mountains
    and to the animals of the earth.
And the birds of prey will summer on them,
    and all the animals of the earth will winter on them.(AN)

At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord of hosts from[l] a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord of hosts.(AO)

Footnotes

  1. 15.2 Cn: Heb the house and Dibon
  2. 15.4 Or the armed men of Moab cry aloud
  3. 15.9 Q ms Vg: MT Dimon
  4. 15.9 Q ms Vg: MT Dimon
  5. 16.10 Cn Compare Gk: Heb I have hushed
  6. 17.2 Cn Compare Gk: Heb the cities of Aroer are deserted
  7. 17.8 Heb Asherahs
  8. 17.9 Cn Compare Gk: Heb places of the wood and the highest bough
  9. 17.13 Heb mss Syr lack When . . . waters
  10. 18.1 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  11. 18.2 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  12. 18.7 Q ms Gk Vg: MT of

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

Salutation

Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers and sisters with me,

To the churches of Galatia:(A)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,(B) to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

There Is No Other Gospel

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.(C) But even if we or an angel[a] from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed!(D) As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!

10 Am I now seeking human approval or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.(E)

Paul’s Vindication of His Apostleship

11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin,(F) 12 for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it.(G) 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.(H) 15 But when the one[b] who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace was pleased(I) 16 to reveal his Son to me,[c] so that I might proclaim him among the gentiles, I did not confer with any human,(J) 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterward I returned to Damascus.

18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days,(K) 19 but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother.(L) 20 In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia,(M) 22 and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ;(N) 23 they only heard it said, “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

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Footnotes

  1. 1.8 Or a messenger
  2. 1.15 Other ancient authorities read God
  3. 1.16 Gk in me

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

Prayer for Vengeance

To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam.

Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
    Do you judge people fairly?(A)
No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
    your hands deal out violence on earth.(B)

The wicked go astray from the womb;
    they err from their birth, speaking lies.(C)
They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
    like the deaf adder that stops its ear,(D)
so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
    or of the cunning enchanter.(E)

O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
    tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!(F)
Let them vanish like water that runs away;
    like grass let them be trodden down[a] and wither.(G)
Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
    like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.(H)
Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
    whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!(I)

10 The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done;
    they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.(J)
11 People will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
    surely there is a God who judges[b] on earth.”(K)

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Footnotes

  1. 58.7 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 58.11 Or there are gods who judge

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 your mind to instruction
    and your ear to words of knowledge.(A)

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Saying 12

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

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