²⁸ In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.

²⁹ Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.

³⁰ And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.

³¹ Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.

³² What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.

15 The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;

² He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.

³ In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.

⁴ And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.

⁵ My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.

⁶ For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.

⁷ Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.

⁸ For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beerelim.

⁹ For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.

16 Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.

² For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.

³ Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.

⁴ Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.

⁵ And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

⁶ We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.

⁷ Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kirhareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken.

⁸ For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.

⁹ Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.

¹⁰ And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.

¹¹ Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.

¹² And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.

¹³ This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.

¹⁴ But now the Lord hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.

17 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

² The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

³ The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts.

⁴ And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.

⁵ And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.

⁶ Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the Lord God of Israel.

⁷ At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.

⁸ And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.

⁹ In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.

¹⁰ Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:

¹¹ In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

¹² Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!

¹³ The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

¹⁴ And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

8 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

² She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.

³ She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.

⁴ Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

⁵ O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

⁶ Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.

⁷ For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸ All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.

⁹ They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

¹⁰ Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

¹¹ For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

¹² I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

¹³ The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

¹⁴ Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

¹⁵ By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

¹⁶ By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

¹⁷ I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

¹⁸ Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

²⁰ I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

²¹ That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

²² The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

²³ I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

²⁴ When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

²⁵ Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

²⁶ While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

²⁷ When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

²⁸ When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

²⁹ When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

³⁰ Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

³¹ Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

³² Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

³³ Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

³⁴ Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

³⁵ For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.

³⁶ But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.