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

An Oracle Concerning Moab

15 An (A)oracle concerning (B)Moab.

Because (C)Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night,
    Moab is undone;
because (D)Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night,
    Moab is undone.
He has gone up to the temple,[a] and to (E)Dibon,
    to the high places[b] to weep;
over (F)Nebo and over (G)Medeba
    Moab (H)wails.
On every head is (I)baldness;
    every beard is shorn;
in the streets they wear sackcloth;
    on the housetops and in the squares
    everyone wails and melts in tears.
(J)Heshbon and (K)Elealeh cry out;
    their voice is heard as far as (L)Jahaz;
therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud;
    his soul trembles.
My heart cries out for Moab;
    her fugitives flee to Zoar,
    to (M)Eglath-shelishiyah.
For at the (N)ascent of Luhith
    they go up weeping;
on the road to (O)Horonaim
    they raise a cry of destruction;
the waters of (P)Nimrim
    are a desolation;
the grass is withered, the vegetation fails,
    the greenery is no more.
(Q)Therefore the abundance they have gained
    and what they have laid up
they carry away
    over the Brook of the Willows.
For a cry has gone
    around the land of Moab;
her wailing reaches to Eglaim;
    her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.
For the waters of (R)Dibon[c] are full of blood;
    for I will bring upon Dibon even more,
(S)a lion for those of Moab who escape,
    for the remnant of the land.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 15:2 Hebrew the house
  2. Isaiah 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places
  3. Isaiah 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse

15 The mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Moab: Because in a night Ar of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence! Because in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence!

They are gone up to Bayith and to Dibon, to the high places to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and over Medeba; on all their heads is baldness, and every beard is cut off [as a sign of deep sorrow and humiliation].(A)

In their streets they gird themselves with sackcloth; on the tops of their houses and in their broad places everyone wails, weeping abundantly.

And Heshbon and Elealeh [cities in possession of Moab] cry out; their voice is heard even to Jahaz. Therefore the armed soldiers of Moab cry out; [Moab’s] life is grievous and trembles within him.

My heart cries out for Moab; his nobles and other fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah [like a heifer three years old]. For with weeping they go up the ascent of Luhith; for on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction.(B)

For the waters of Nimrim are desolations, for the grass is withered away and the new growth fails; there is no green thing.

Therefore the abundance [of possessions] they have acquired and stored away they [now] carry over the willow brook and to the valley of the Arabians.

For the cry [of distress] has gone round the borders of Moab; the wailing has reached to Eglaim, and the prolonged and mournful cry to Beer-elim.

For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; yet I [the Lord] will bring even more on Dimon—a lion upon those of Moab who escape and upon the remnant of the land.