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Chapter 15

Moab[a]

    Oracle on Moab:
Laid waste in a night,
    Ar of Moab is destroyed;
Laid waste in a night,
    Kir of Moab is destroyed.
Daughter Dibon has gone up
    to the high places to weep;
Over Nebo and over Medeba
    Moab is wailing.
Every head is shaved,
    every beard sheared off.[b](A)
In the streets they wear sackcloth,
    and on the rooftops;
In the squares
    everyone wails, streaming with tears.(B)
Heshbon and Elealeh cry out,
    they are heard as far as Jahaz.
At this the loins of Moab tremble,
    his soul quivers within him;(C)
My heart cries out for Moab,
    his fugitives reach Zoar,
    Eglath-shelishiyah:
The ascent of Luhith
    they ascend weeping;
On the way to Horonaim
    they utter rending cries;(D)
The waters of Nimrim
    have become a waste,
The grass is withered,
    new growth is gone,
    nothing is green.
So now whatever they have acquired or stored away
    they carry across the Wadi of the Poplars.
The cry has gone round
    the territory of Moab;
As far as Eglaim his wailing,
    even at Beer-elim his wailing.
[c]The waters of Dimon are filled with blood,
    but I will bring still more upon Dimon:
Lions for those who are fleeing from Moab
    and for those who remain in the land!

Footnotes

  1. 15:1–16:14 Both the historical situation reflected in this oracle against Moab and the date of composition are uncertain. Variants of the same poem are found in Jer 48, and there are connections with Nm 21:27–30 as well.
  2. 15:2 Shaved…sheared off: traditional signs of grief.
  3. 15:9 There is a play on words between “Dimon” and dam, the Hebrew word for blood.

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.
Dibon[a] has gone up to the temple,
    to the high places to weep;
over Nebo and over Medeba
    Moab wails.
On every head is baldness,
    every beard is shorn;
in the streets they bind on sackcloth;
    on the housetops and in the squares
    everyone wails and melts in tears.
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;
the waters of Nimrim
    are a desolation;
the grass is withered, the new growth fails,
    the verdure is no more.
Therefore the abundance they have gained
    and what they have laid up
they carry away
    over the Wadi of the Willows.
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.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 15:2 Cn: Heb the house and Dibon
  2. Isaiah 15:4 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb the armed men of Moab cry aloud
  3. Isaiah 15:9 Q Ms Vg Compare Syr: MT Dimon
  4. Isaiah 15:9 Q Ms Vg Compare Syr: MT Dimon

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

Judgment on Moab

15 The pronouncement concerning (A)Moab:

Certainly in a night (B)Ar of Moab is devastated and ruined;
Certainly in a night Kir of Moab is devastated and ruined.
[a]The people have gone up to the [b]temple and to (C)Dibon, to the high places to weep.
Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba;
Everyone’s head is (D)bald and every beard is cut off.
In their streets they have put on (E)sackcloth;
(F)On their housetops and in their public squares
Everyone is wailing, [c](G)overcome with weeping.
(H)Heshbon and Elealeh also cry out,
Their voice is heard all the way to Jahaz;
Therefore the [d]armed men of Moab cry aloud;
His soul trembles within him.
My heart cries out for Moab;
His fugitives are as far as (I)Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah,
For they go up the (J)ascent of Luhith weeping;
Indeed, on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of distress (K)over their collapse.
For the (L)waters of Nimrim are [e]desolate.
Indeed, the grass is withered, the new growth has died,
There is (M)no greenery.
Therefore the (N)abundance which they have acquired and stored up,
They carry it off over the brook of [f]Arabim.
For the cry of distress has gone around the territory of Moab,
Its wailing goes as far as Eglaim and its howling to Beer-elim.
For the waters of Dimon are full of [g]blood;
I will certainly bring added woes upon Dimon,
A (O)lion upon the fugitives of Moab and the remnant of the land.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 15:2 Lit He has gone; i.e., Moab, meaning the people of Moab
  2. Isaiah 15:2 Lit house
  3. Isaiah 15:3 Lit going down in weeping
  4. Isaiah 15:4 Another reading is the loins of
  5. Isaiah 15:6 Lit desolations
  6. Isaiah 15:7 Or the poplars
  7. Isaiah 15:9 Heb dam (a wordplay)

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.

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.