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Concerning Moab

15 An oracle about Moab.

Ar was devastated in a night; Moab is ruined!
    Kir was devastated in a night; Moab is ruined!
Dibon has gone up to the temple, to the shrines to weep.[a]
Moab wails over Nebo and over Medeba.
    Every head is shaved,
    every beard cut off.
In its streets they wear mourning clothes;
    on its rooftops and in its plazas, everyone wails and falls down weeping.
Heshbon and Elealeh cry out;
    as far as Jahaz their voice is heard.
The armed men of Moab shout,
    spirits trembling.
My heart cries out for Moab.
    Its fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah.[b]
At the ascent of Luhith,
    each will go up with weeping.
On the road to Horonaim,
    they will raise a piercing cry.
The waters of Nimrim are used up.
    Grass has withered;
    vegetation is dead;
    greenery is gone.
Therefore, they carry what they had stored up,
    all their provisions to the Valley of the Willows.
An outcry sounds within the borders of Moab,
    as far as Eglaim, a cry of distress,
    as far as Beer-elim, a cry of distress.
The waters of Dibon are full of blood.
    But I will bring still more upon Dibon:
        a lion for Moab’s survivors, for the remaining few in the land.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 15:2 Heb uncertain
  2. Isaiah 15:5 Heb uncertain

God’s Message to Moab

15 This is a message about Moab:

One night armies took the wealth from Ar in Moab,
    and the city was destroyed.
One night armies took the wealth from Kir in Moab,
    and the city was destroyed.
The king’s family and the people of Dibon[a] go to the places of worship[b] to cry.
    The people of Moab are crying for Nebo[c] and Medeba.[d]
    They have shaved their heads and beards to show their sadness.
Everywhere in Moab, on the housetops and in the streets,
    people are wearing sackcloth.
    Everyone is crying.
In Heshbon and Elealeh they are crying loudly.
    You can hear their voices as far away as Jahaz.
Even the soldiers are frightened.
    They are shaking with fear.

My heart cries, full of sorrow for Moab.
    Its people run away to Zoar for safety.
    They run to Eglath Shelishiyah.
The people are crying
    as they go up the road to Luhith.
They are crying loudly
    as they walk on the road to Horonaim.
But Nimrim Brook is as dry as a desert.
    The grass has dried up,
and the plants are all dead.
    Nothing is green.
So the people gather up everything they own
    and cross the border at Arabah stream.

You can hear crying everywhere in Moab—
    as far away as Eglaim and Beer Elim.
The water of Dimon[e] is full of blood,
    and I will bring even more troubles to Dimon.
A few people living in Moab have escaped the enemy,
    but I will send lions to eat them.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 15:2 Dibon A city in the country of Moab. This name is like a Hebrew word meaning “to be very sad.”
  2. Isaiah 15:2 places of worship Or “high places.” See “high places” in the Word List.
  3. Isaiah 15:2 Nebo A city in the country of Moab and the name of a false god.
  4. Isaiah 15:2 Medeba A city in the country of Moab. This name is like a Hebrew word meaning “to be very sad.”
  5. Isaiah 15:9 Dimon This is probably the city of Dibon. Dimon is like the Hebrew word meaning “blood.”

15 Here is God’s message to Moab: In one night your cities of Ar and Kir will be destroyed. Your people in Dibon go mourning to their temples to weep for the fate of Nebo and Medeba; they shave their heads in sorrow and cut off their beards. They wear sackcloth through the streets, and from every home comes the sound of weeping. The cries from the cities of Heshbon and Elealeh are heard far away, even in Jahaz. The bravest warriors of Moab cry in utter terror.

My heart weeps for Moab! His people flee to Zoar and Eglath. Weeping, they climb the upward road to Luhith, and their crying will be heard all along the road to Horonaim. Even Nimrim River is desolate! The grassy banks are dried up and the tender plants are gone. The desperate refugees take only the possessions they can carry and flee across the Brook of Willows. The whole land of Moab is a land of weeping from one end to the other. The stream near Dibon will run red with blood, but I am not through with Dibon yet! Lions will hunt down the survivors, both those who escape and those who remain.

Proclamation Against Moab

15 The (A)burden[a] against Moab.

Because in the night (B)Ar of (C)Moab is laid waste
And destroyed,
Because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste
And destroyed,
He has gone up to the [b]temple and Dibon,
To the high places to weep.
Moab will wail over Nebo and over Medeba;
(D)On all their heads will be baldness,
And every beard cut off.
In their streets they will clothe themselves with sackcloth;
On the tops of their houses
And in their streets
Everyone will wail, (E)weeping bitterly.
Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out,
Their voice shall be heard as far as (F)Jahaz;
Therefore the [c]armed soldiers of Moab will cry out;
His life will be burdensome to him.

“My(G) heart will cry out for Moab;
His fugitives shall flee to Zoar,
Like [d]a three-year-old heifer.
For (H)by the Ascent of Luhith
They will go up with weeping;
For in the way of Horonaim
They will raise up a cry of destruction,
For the waters (I)of Nimrim will be desolate,
For the green grass has withered away;
The grass fails, there is nothing green.
Therefore the abundance they have gained,
And what they have laid up,
They will carry away to the Brook of the Willows.
For the cry has gone all around the borders of Moab,
Its wailing to Eglaim
And its wailing to Beer Elim.
For the waters of [e]Dimon will be full of blood;
Because I will bring more upon Dimon,
(J)Lions upon him who escapes from Moab,
And on the remnant of the land.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 15:1 oracle, prophecy
  2. Isaiah 15:2 Heb. bayith, lit. house
  3. Isaiah 15:4 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX, Syr. loins
  4. Isaiah 15:5 Or The Third Eglath, an unknown city, Jer. 48:34
  5. Isaiah 15:9 So with MT, Tg.; DSS, Vg. Dibon; LXX Rimon

A Message about Moab

15 This message came to me concerning Moab:

In one night the town of Ar will be leveled,
    and the city of Kir will be destroyed.
Your people will go to their temple in Dibon to mourn.
    They will go to their sacred shrines to weep.
They will wail for the fate of Nebo and Medeba,
    shaving their heads in sorrow and cutting off their beards.
They will wear burlap as they wander the streets.
    From every home and public square will come the sound of wailing.
The people of Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out;
    their voices will be heard as far away as Jahaz!
The bravest warriors of Moab will cry out in utter terror.
    They will be helpless with fear.

My heart weeps for Moab.
    Its people flee to Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah.
Weeping, they climb the road to Luhith.
    Their cries of distress can be heard all along the road to Horonaim.
Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up!
    The grassy banks are scorched.
The tender plants are gone;
    nothing green remains.
The people grab their possessions
    and carry them across the Ravine of Willows.
A cry of distress echoes through the land of Moab
    from one end to the other—
    from Eglaim to Beer-elim.
The stream near Dibon[a] runs red with blood,
    but I am still not finished with Dibon!
Lions will hunt down the survivors—
    both those who try to escape
    and those who remain behind.

Footnotes

  1. 15:9 As in Dead Sea Scrolls, some Greek manuscripts, and Latin Vulgate; Masoretic Text reads Dimon; also in 15:9b.