Jeremiah 48:14-47

New King James Version

¹⁴ “How can you say, ^(A)‘We are mighty
And strong men for the war’?
¹⁵ Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;
Her chosen young men have ^(B)gone down to the slaughter,” says ^(C)the King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts.

¹⁶ “The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
And his affliction comes quickly.
¹⁷ Bemoan him, all you who are around him;
And all you who know his name,
Say, ^(D)‘How the strong staff is broken,
The beautiful rod!’

¹⁸ “O ^(E)daughter inhabiting ^(F)Dibon,
Come down from your glory,
And sit in thirst;
For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,
He has destroyed your strongholds.
¹⁹ O inhabitant of ^(G)Aroer,
^(H)Stand by the way and watch;
Ask him who flees
And her who escapes;
Say, ‘What has happened?’
²⁰ Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.
^(I)Wail and cry!
Tell it in ^(J)Arnon, that Moab is plundered.

²¹ “And judgment has come on the plain country:
On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,
²² On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
²³ On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
²⁴ On ^(K)Kerioth and Bozrah,
On all the cities of the land of Moab,
Far or near.
^25 (L)The ^[a]horn of Moab is cut off,
And his ^(M)arm is broken,” says the Lord.

²⁶ “Make^(N) him drunk,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
Moab shall wallow in his vomit,
And he shall also be in derision.
²⁷ For ^(O)was not Israel a derision to you?
^(P)Was he found among thieves?
For whenever you speak of him,
You shake your head in ^(Q)scorn.
²⁸ You who dwell in Moab,
Leave the cities and ^(R)dwell in the rock,
And be like ^(S)the dove which makes her nest
In the sides of the cave’s mouth.

²⁹ “We have heard the ^(T)pride of Moab
(He is exceedingly proud),
Of his loftiness and arrogance and ^(U)pride,
And of the haughtiness of his heart.”

³⁰ “I know his wrath,” says the Lord,
“But it is not right;
^(V)His ^[b]lies have made nothing right.
³¹ Therefore ^(W)I will wail for Moab,
And I will cry out for all Moab;
^[c]I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
^32 (X)O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of ^(Y)Jazer.
Your plants have gone over the sea,
They reach to the sea of Jazer.
The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.
^33 (Z)Joy and gladness are taken
From the plentiful field
And from the land of Moab;
I have caused wine to ^[d]fail from the winepresses;
No one will tread with joyous shouting—
Not joyous shouting!

³⁴ “From^(AA) the cry of Heshbon to ^(AB)Elealeh and to Jahaz
They have uttered their voice,
^(AC)From Zoar to Horonaim,
Like ^[e]a three-year-old heifer;
For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.

³⁵ “Moreover,” says the Lord,
“I will cause to cease in Moab
^(AD)The one who offers sacrifices in the ^[f]high places
And burns incense to his gods.
³⁶ Therefore ^(AE)My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab,
And like flutes My heart shall wail
For the men of Kir Heres.
Therefore ^(AF)the riches they have acquired have perished.

³⁷ “For ^(AG)every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;
On all the hands shall be cuts, and ^(AH)on the loins sackcloth—
³⁸ A general lamentation
On all the ^(AI)housetops of Moab,
And in its streets;
For I have ^(AJ)broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.
³⁹ “They shall wail:
‘How she is broken down!
How Moab has turned her back with shame!’
So Moab shall be a derision
And a dismay to all those about her.”

“Behold, ^(AK)one shall fly like an eagle,
And ^(AL)spread his wings over Moab.
⁴¹ Kerioth is taken,
And the strongholds are surprised;
^(AM)The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
⁴² And Moab shall be destroyed ^(AN)as a people,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
^43 (AO)Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.
⁴⁴ “He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit,
And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the ^(AP)snare.
For upon Moab, upon it ^(AQ)I will bring
The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.

⁴⁵ “Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon
Because of exhaustion.
But ^(AR)a fire shall come out of Heshbon,
A flame from the midst of ^(AS)Sihon,
And ^(AT)shall devour the brow of Moab,
The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.
^46 (AU)Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh perish;
For your sons have been taken captive,
And your daughters captive.

⁴⁷ “Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab
^(AV)In the latter days,” says the Lord.