16 Send lambs to the ruler of the land,^(A)
from Sela in the desert^(B)
to the mountain of Daughter Zion.
² Like a bird fleeing,
forced from the nest,
the daughters of Moab
will be at the fords of the Arnon.
³ Give us counsel and make a decision.
Shelter us at noonday
with shade that is as dark as night.
Hide the refugees;^(C)
do not betray the one who flees.
⁴ Let my refugees stay with you;
be a refuge for Moab^[a] from the aggressor.
When the oppressor has gone,
destruction has ended,
and marauders have vanished from the land,

⁵ a throne will be established in love,^(D)
and one will sit on it faithfully^[b]
in the tent of David,
judging and pursuing what is right,
quick to execute justice.
⁶ We have heard of Moab’s pride^(E)—
how very proud he is—
his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance,
and his empty boasting.
⁷ Therefore let Moab wail;
let every one of them wail for Moab.
You who are completely devastated, mourn
for the raisin cakes^(F) of Kir-hareseth.^(G)
8 For Heshbon’s terraced vineyards
and the grapevines of Sibmah have withered.
The rulers of the nations
have trampled its choice vines
that reached as far as Jazer^(H)
and spread to the desert.
Their shoots spread out
and reached the sea.^(I)
9 So I join with Jazer
to weep for the vines of Sibmah;
I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears.
Triumphant shouts have fallen silent^[c]
over your summer fruit and your harvest.
¹⁰ Joy and rejoicing^(J) have been removed from the orchard;
no one is singing or shouting for joy in the vineyards.^(K)
No one tramples grapes^[d] in the winepresses.
I have put an end to the shouting.

¹¹ Therefore I moan like the sound of a lyre for Moab,^(L)
as does my innermost being for Kir-heres.
¹² When Moab appears
and tires himself out on the high place^(M)
and comes to his sanctuary to pray,
it will do him no good.^(N)