² “Declare among the nations,
Proclaim, and ^[a]set up a standard;
Proclaim—do not conceal it—
Say, ‘Babylon is ^(A)taken, ^(B)Bel is shamed.
^[b]Merodach is broken in pieces;
^(C)Her idols are humiliated,
Her images are broken in pieces.’

⁵² “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will bring judgment on her carved images,
And throughout all her land the wounded shall groan.

“Woe to ^(B)Nebo!
For it is plundered,
^(C)Kirjathaim is shamed and taken;
^[a]The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—
^2 (D)No more praise of Moab.
In ^(E)Heshbon they have devised evil against her:
‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’
You also shall be cut down, O ^(F)Madmen!^[b]
The sword shall pursue you;
³ A voice of crying shall be from ^(G)Horonaim:
‘Plundering and great destruction!’

⁴ “Moab is destroyed;
^[c]Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;
^5 (H)For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;
For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

⁶ “Flee, save your lives!
And be like ^[d]the ^(I)juniper in the wilderness.
⁷ For because you have trusted in your works and your ^(J)treasures,
You also shall be taken.
And ^(K)Chemosh shall go forth into captivity,
His ^(L)priests and his princes together.
⁸ And ^(M)the plunderer shall come against every city;
No one shall escape.
The valley also shall perish,
And the plain shall be destroyed,
As the Lord has spoken.

⁹ “Give^(N) wings to Moab,
That she may flee and get away;
For her cities shall be desolate,
Without any to dwell in them.
^10 (O)Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully,
And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.

¹¹ “Moab has been at ease from ^[e]his youth;
He ^(P)has settled on his dregs,
And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him,
And his scent has not changed.

¹² “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I shall send him ^[f]wine-workers
Who will tip him over
And empty his vessels
And break the bottles.
¹³ Moab shall be ashamed of ^(Q)Chemosh,
As the house of Israel ^(R)was ashamed of ^(S)Bethel, their confidence.

¹⁴ “How can you say, ^(T)‘We are mighty
And strong men for the war’?
¹⁵ Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;
Her chosen young men have ^(U)gone down to the slaughter,” says ^(V)the King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts.

¹⁶ “The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
And his affliction comes quickly.
¹⁷ Bemoan him, all you who are around him;
And all you who know his name,
Say, ^(W)‘How the strong staff is broken,
The beautiful rod!’

¹⁸ “O ^(X)daughter inhabiting ^(Y)Dibon,
Come down from your glory,
And sit in thirst;
For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,
He has destroyed your strongholds.
¹⁹ O inhabitant of ^(Z)Aroer,
^(AA)Stand by the way and watch;
Ask him who flees
And her who escapes;
Say, ‘What has happened?’
²⁰ Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.
^(AB)Wail and cry!
Tell it in ^(AC)Arnon, that Moab is plundered.

²¹ “And judgment has come on the plain country:
On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,
²² On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
²³ On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
²⁴ On ^(AD)Kerioth and Bozrah,
On all the cities of the land of Moab,
Far or near.
^25 (AE)The ^[g]horn of Moab is cut off,
And his ^(AF)arm is broken,” says the Lord.