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Jeremiah 48
EasyEnglish Bible
Jeremiah 48
EasyEnglish Bible
The Lord's message about Moab
48 The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, spoke this message about Moab:[a]
‘Nebo city is in terrible trouble!
It will soon become a heap of stones.
The people of Kiriathaim city will be ashamed.
Its enemies will take it for themselves.
They will knock down its strong buildings,
and its people will be ashamed.
2 People will no longer praise Moab.
In Heshbon, Moab's enemies will decide how to destroy the nation.
They will say, “We must completely destroy Moab!”
The town of Madmen will become silent,
as a great army chases out the people.
3 The people of Horonaim will shout for help,
because a strong army is destroying them.
4 Moab will come to an end!
Its children will cry loudly.
5 They will go up the hill to Luhith.
They will weep as they go.
As they go down the road towards Horonaim,
they will cry about their town that the enemy is destroying.
6 People say, “Run away to save your lives!
Go and live in the desert.”
7 People of Moab, you trusted your riches and your skills to save you.
Because of that, your enemies will catch you.
They will even take your god Chemosh away as prisoner,
together with his priests and officers.
8 Your cruel enemy will attack every town.
No town or city will escape.
The enemy will destroy every place in the valley,
and every place on the high ground.
They will become heaps of stones.
I, the Lord, tell you this!
9 Dig a grave to bury Moab![b]
Its land will become like a desert.
Its cities will become heaps of stones.
Nobody will live in them.’
10 The Lord will curse anyone who refuses to do his work! He will punish anyone who does not use his sword to kill his enemies!
Moab's peace will come to an end
11 The Lord said, ‘Moab's people have lived in peace since they first became a nation. No enemy has taken them away to a foreign land as their prisoners. They have been like the wine in a bottle that nobody has moved. Nobody has poured it into another bottle, so its taste and smell have never changed. Moab has always been the same.
12 But the time will soon come when I will send people to attack Moab. They will pour out Moab's people like somebody pours wine out of a bottle. They will pour out all the wine so that the bottles are empty. And they will break the bottles into pieces!
13 Then Moab's people will be ashamed because their god Chemosh has not saved them. They will be like the Israelites who trusted in their idol at Bethel and they became ashamed.
14 Men of Moab, you should no longer say,
“We are brave soldiers who know how to fight.”
15 I am the King, the Lord Almighty, and I tell you this:
The enemy will soon destroy Moab and its cities.
They will kill its strongest young men.
16 Moab will soon come to an end.
Terrible trouble will quickly destroy it.
17 You nations that live around Moab,
you know how famous it has been.
But now you must weep for it.
Say, “Moab's royal power is finished!
They no longer have great power to rule!”
18 You people who live in Dibon must stop being proud.
Come down from the places where people give you honour.
Sit on the ground in the dirt.
Moab's cruel enemy has arrived.
They will cause your strong buildings to become heaps of stones.
19 You people who live in Aroer,
stand beside the road and watch.
Ask the people who are running away what has happened.
20 They will reply, “The enemy has won against Moab
and its people are ashamed.
So weep and cry out!
Stand beside the Arnon river and tell the news.
Tell people that the enemy has destroyed Moab.”
21 The Lord has judged the cities on the high ground and he will soon punish them:
Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,
22 Dibon, Nebo and Beth-Diblathaim,
23 Kiriathaim, Beth-Gamul and Beth-Meon,
24 Kerioth and Bozrah.
He will punish all the towns of Moab, near or far away. 25 Moab has lost its power. Its strength has finished.’
That is what the Lord says.
26 ‘Moab has turned against me.
So my anger will make him like a person who is drunk.
He will lie down in the place where he has been sick.
People will laugh at him.
27 You people of Moab laughed at my people, the Israelites.
Why did you insult them?
You said that they were no better than a group of robbers.
28 Now you must all leave your towns.
Go and live among the rocks.
Live like doves that make their nests high up among the rocks.
29 We have heard that Moab's people are very proud.
They think that they are better than everyone else.
We know how much they boast.’
30 The Lord says,
‘I know about Moab's proud thoughts.
But their pride is false.
Whatever they do, it will be useless.
31 So I am sad for Moab. I am crying for all their people.
I weep for the people of Kir-Heres.[c]
32 I weep for the vines of Sibmah, more than Jazer weeps.
The branches of those vines reached across the sea as far as Jazer.[d]
But the cruel enemy will destroy all the fruit that grows on your vines and trees.
33 People will no longer be happy in the land where this fruit grows.
I will stop them making wine from their grapes.
They will not stamp on their grapes and shout with joy.
Instead, the shouts will be shouts about trouble.
34 In Heshbon and Elealeh people cry out because of their pain.
The noise reaches as far as Jahaz.
It reaches from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-Shelishiyah.
Even the Nimrim river has become dry.’
35 The Lord says this:
‘I will remove the people of Moab who worship other gods.
They offer sacrifices to them
and they burn incense at their altars.
36 So I am very sad for the people of Moab.
I weep like a flute that plays a funeral song.
I am sad for the people of Kir-Heres,
because all their riches will disappear.
37 All the men will be very upset.
They will cut the hair off their heads and their faces.
They will use knives to cut their hands.
They will wear sackcloth as their clothes.
38 People are standing on the roofs of their houses.
They are standing in the streets.
They are all crying and weeping.
They are sad because I have destroyed Moab.
I have broken it in pieces, like a jar that I no longer want.’
That is what the Lord says.
39 ‘Yes, Moab will be like a broken jar.
Its people will weep with loud voices.
They will turn away because they are ashamed.
All the nations around there will laugh at Moab.
They will see the terrible trouble that it has received.’
40 The Lord says,
‘Look at the enemy that suddenly arrives!
It comes like an eagle that flies down to catch its food.
41 The enemy will take Moab's towns and its strong buildings.
Moab's soldiers will be afraid,
like a woman who will soon give birth.
42 Moab has been proud and it has turned against the Lord.
So they will no longer be a nation.’
43 The Lord says this:
‘People of Moab, there will be danger, deep holes and traps that are ready to catch you!
44 Anyone who runs away from danger, will fall into a deep hole.
And a trap will catch anyone who climbs out of the deep hole.
Yes, the time will soon come when I will punish Moab's people.
45 People will run away to Heshbon to be safe.
They will be helpless as they stand outside its walls.
Flames of fire will come out from Heshbon,
the city where King Sihon once ruled.
It will burn as far as Moab's borders.
It will destroy those proud people who love to fight.
46 It will be very bad for you, you people of Moab!
The enemy will destroy you people who worship Chemosh.
They will take away your sons and your daughters.
They will take them as prisoners to a foreign land.
47 But one day I will cause Moab to be strong again.’
That is what the Lord says.
That is the end of the Lord's message against Moab.
Footnotes
- 48:1 Moab was a country near Judah. It was on the east side of the Dead Sea. The king of Sihon took some of Moab's towns for himself. Later, the Israelites took some of these places for themselves. The tribes of Reuben and Gad lived in some of these towns.
- 48:9 There are several ways to understand what the Hebrew means here.
- 48:31 Kir-Heres had been the capital city of Moab.
- 48:32 The vines are a picture of Moab's strength. Other nations enjoyed the good things that they received from Moab. The sea is the Dead Sea.
Jeremiah 48
New International Version
Jeremiah 48
New International Version
A Message About Moab(A)
48 Concerning Moab:(B)
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Woe to Nebo,(C) for it will be ruined.
Kiriathaim(D) will be disgraced and captured;
the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.
2 Moab will be praised(E) no more;
in Heshbon[b](F) people will plot her downfall:
‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’(G)
You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced;
the sword will pursue you.
3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,(H)
cries of great havoc and destruction.
4 Moab will be broken;
her little ones will cry out.[d]
5 They go up the hill to Luhith,(I)
weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaim(J)
anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
6 Flee!(K) Run for your lives;
become like a bush[e] in the desert.(L)
7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches,(M)
you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh(N) will go into exile,(O)
together with his priests and officials.(P)
8 The destroyer(Q) will come against every town,
and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
and the plateau(R) destroyed,
because the Lord has spoken.
9 Put salt(S) on Moab,
for she will be laid waste[f];(T)
her towns will become desolate,
with no one to live in them.
10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps their sword(U) from bloodshed!(V)
11 “Moab has been at rest(W) from youth,
like wine left on its dregs,(X)
not poured from one jar to another—
she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged.
12 But days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I will send men who pour from pitchers,
and they will pour her out;
they will empty her pitchers
and smash her jars.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed(Y) of Chemosh,(Z)
as Israel was ashamed
when they trusted in Bethel.(AA)
14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors,(AB)
men valiant in battle’?
15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
her finest young men(AC) will go down in the slaughter,(AD)”
declares the King,(AE) whose name is the Lord Almighty.(AF)
16 “The fall of Moab is at hand;(AG)
her calamity will come quickly.
17 Mourn for her, all who live around her,
all who know her fame;(AH)
say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter,(AI)
how broken the glorious staff!’
18 “Come down from your glory
and sit on the parched ground,(AJ)
you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,(AK)
for the one who destroys Moab
will come up against you
and ruin your fortified cities.(AL)
19 Stand by the road and watch,
you who live in Aroer.(AM)
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
ask them, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
Wail(AN) and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon(AO)
that Moab is destroyed.
21 Judgment has come to the plateau(AP)—
to Holon,(AQ) Jahzah(AR) and Mephaath,(AS)
22 to Dibon,(AT) Nebo(AU) and Beth Diblathaim,
23 to Kiriathaim,(AV) Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,(AW)
24 to Kerioth(AX) and Bozrah(AY)—
to all the towns(AZ) of Moab, far and near.
25 Moab’s horn[g](BA) is cut off;
her arm(BB) is broken,”
declares the Lord.
26 “Make her drunk,(BC)
for she has defied(BD) the Lord.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;(BE)
let her be an object of ridicule.(BF)
27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?(BG)
Was she caught among thieves,(BH)
that you shake your head(BI) in scorn(BJ)
whenever you speak of her?
28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,
you who live in Moab.
Be like a dove(BK) that makes its nest
at the mouth of a cave.(BL)
29 “We have heard of Moab’s pride(BM)—
how great is her arrogance!—
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
and the haughtiness(BN) of her heart.
30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”
declares the Lord,
“and her boasts(BO) accomplish nothing.
31 Therefore I wail(BP) over Moab,
for all Moab I cry out,
I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.(BQ)
32 I weep for you, as Jazer(BR) weeps,
you vines of Sibmah.(BS)
Your branches spread as far as the sea[h];
they reached as far as[i] Jazer.
The destroyer has fallen
on your ripened fruit and grapes.
33 Joy and gladness are gone
from the orchards and fields of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine(BT) from the presses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy.(BU)
Although there are shouts,
they are not shouts of joy.
34 “The sound of their cry rises
from Heshbon(BV) to Elealeh(BW) and Jahaz,(BX)
from Zoar(BY) as far as Horonaim(BZ) and Eglath Shelishiyah,
for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.(CA)
35 In Moab I will put an end
to those who make offerings on the high places(CB)
and burn incense(CC) to their gods,”
declares the Lord.
36 “So my heart laments(CD) for Moab like the music of a pipe;
it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.(CE)
The wealth they acquired(CF) is gone.
37 Every head is shaved(CG)
and every beard(CH) cut off;
every hand is slashed
and every waist is covered with sackcloth.(CI)
38 On all the roofs in Moab
and in the public squares(CJ)
there is nothing but mourning,
for I have broken Moab
like a jar(CK) that no one wants,”
declares the Lord.
39 “How shattered(CL) she is! How they wail!
How Moab turns her back in shame!
Moab has become an object of ridicule,(CM)
an object of horror to all those around her.”
40 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! An eagle is swooping(CN) down,
spreading its wings(CO) over Moab.
41 Kerioth[j](CP) will be captured
and the strongholds taken.
In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors(CQ)
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.(CR)
42 Moab will be destroyed(CS) as a nation(CT)
because she defied(CU) the Lord.
43 Terror(CV) and pit and snare(CW) await you,
you people of Moab,”
declares the Lord.
44 “Whoever flees(CX) from the terror
will fall into a pit,
whoever climbs out of the pit
will be caught in a snare;
for I will bring on Moab
the year(CY) of her punishment,”
declares the Lord.
45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
the fugitives stand helpless,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the midst of Sihon;(CZ)
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls(DA) of the noisy boasters.
46 Woe to you, Moab!(DB)
The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
and your daughters into captivity.
47 “Yet I will restore(DC) the fortunes of Moab
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.
Here ends the judgment on Moab.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab
- Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.
- Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.
- Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar
- Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer
- Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away
- Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.
- Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea
- Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of
- Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities
Jeremiah 48
New King James Version
Jeremiah 48
New King James Version
Judgment on Moab
48 Against (A)Moab.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Woe to (B)Nebo!
For it is plundered,
(C)Kirjathaim is shamed and taken;
[a]The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—
2 (D)No more praise of Moab.
In (E)Heshbon they have devised evil against her:
‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’
You also shall be cut down, O (F)Madmen![b]
The sword shall pursue you;
3 A voice of crying shall be from (G)Horonaim:
‘Plundering and great destruction!’
4 “Moab is destroyed;
[c]Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;
5 (H)For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;
For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
6 “Flee, save your lives!
And be like [d]the (I)juniper in the wilderness.
7 For because you have trusted in your works and your (J)treasures,
You also shall be taken.
And (K)Chemosh shall go forth into captivity,
His (L)priests and his princes together.
8 And (M)the plunderer shall come against every city;
No one shall escape.
The valley also shall perish,
And the plain shall be destroyed,
As the Lord has spoken.
9 “Give(N) wings to Moab,
That she may flee and get away;
For her cities shall be desolate,
Without any to dwell in them.
10 (O)Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully,
And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
11 “Moab has been at ease from [e]his youth;
He (P)has settled on his dregs,
And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him,
And his scent has not changed.
12 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I shall send him [f]wine-workers
Who will tip him over
And empty his vessels
And break the bottles.
13 Moab shall be ashamed of (Q)Chemosh,
As the house of Israel (R)was ashamed of (S)Bethel, their confidence.
14 “How can you say, (T)‘We are mighty
And strong men for the war’?
15 Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;
Her chosen young men have (U)gone down to the slaughter,” says (V)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, (W)‘How the strong staff is broken,
The beautiful rod!’
18 “O (X)daughter inhabiting (Y)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 (Z)Aroer,
(AA)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.
(AB)Wail and cry!
Tell it in (AC)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 (AD)Kerioth and Bozrah,
On all the cities of the land of Moab,
Far or near.
25 (AE)The [g]horn of Moab is cut off,
And his (AF)arm is broken,” says the Lord.
26 “Make(AG) him drunk,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
Moab shall wallow in his vomit,
And he shall also be in derision.
27 For (AH)was not Israel a derision to you?
(AI)Was he found among thieves?
For whenever you speak of him,
You shake your head in (AJ)scorn.
28 You who dwell in Moab,
Leave the cities and (AK)dwell in the rock,
And be like (AL)the dove which makes her nest
In the sides of the cave’s mouth.
29 “We have heard the (AM)pride of Moab
(He is exceedingly proud),
Of his loftiness and arrogance and (AN)pride,
And of the haughtiness of his heart.”
30 “I know his wrath,” says the Lord,
“But it is not right;
(AO)His [h]lies have made nothing right.
31 Therefore (AP)I will wail for Moab,
And I will cry out for all Moab;
[i]I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
32 (AQ)O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of (AR)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 (AS)Joy and gladness are taken
From the plentiful field
And from the land of Moab;
I have caused wine to [j]fail from the winepresses;
No one will tread with joyous shouting—
Not joyous shouting!
34 “From(AT) the cry of Heshbon to (AU)Elealeh and to Jahaz
They have uttered their voice,
(AV)From Zoar to Horonaim,
Like [k]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
(AW)The one who offers sacrifices in the [l]high places
And burns incense to his gods.
36 Therefore (AX)My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab,
And like flutes My heart shall wail
For the men of Kir Heres.
Therefore (AY)the riches they have acquired have perished.
37 “For (AZ)every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;
On all the hands shall be cuts, and (BA)on the loins sackcloth—
38 A general lamentation
On all the (BB)housetops of Moab,
And in its streets;
For I have (BC)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.”
40 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, (BD)one shall fly like an eagle,
And (BE)spread his wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth is taken,
And the strongholds are surprised;
(BF)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 (BG)as a people,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
43 (BH)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 (BI)snare.
For upon Moab, upon it (BJ)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 (BK)a fire shall come out of Heshbon,
A flame from the midst of (BL)Sihon,
And (BM)shall devour the brow of Moab,
The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.
46 (BN)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
(BO)In the latter days,” says the Lord.
Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 48:1 Heb. Misgab
- Jeremiah 48:2 A city of Moab
- Jeremiah 48:4 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX Proclaim it in Zoar
- Jeremiah 48:6 Or Aroer, a city of Moab
- Jeremiah 48:11 Heb. uses masc. and fem. pronouns interchangeably in this chapter.
- Jeremiah 48:12 Lit. tippers of wine bottles
- Jeremiah 48:25 Strength
- Jeremiah 48:30 idle talk
- Jeremiah 48:31 So with DSS, LXX, Vg.; MT He
- Jeremiah 48:33 cease
- Jeremiah 48:34 Or The Third Eglath, an unknown city, Is. 15:5
- Jeremiah 48:35 Places for pagan worship
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