Jeremiah 48
New American Standard Bible
Prophecy against Moab
48 Concerning (A)Moab. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:
“Woe to (B)Nebo, for it has been destroyed;
(C)Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured;
The high stronghold has been put to shame and [a]shattered.
2 There is no longer praise for Moab;
In (D)Heshbon they have devised disaster against her:
‘Come and let’s cut her off from being a nation!’
You too, [b]Madmen, will be silenced;
The sword will follow you.
3 The sound of an outcry from (E)Horonaim,
‘Devastation and great destruction!’
4 Moab is broken,
Her little ones have sounded out a cry of distress.
5 For they will go up by the ascent of (F)Luhith
With continual weeping;
For at the descent of Horonaim
They have heard the [c]anguished cry of destruction.
6 (G)Flee, save yourselves,
So that you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.
7 For because of your (H)trust in your own achievements and treasures,
You yourself will also be captured;
And (I)Chemosh will go off into exile
Together with his priests and his leaders.
8 A destroyer will come to every city,
So that no city will escape;
The valley also will be ruined
And the (J)plateau will be destroyed,
As the Lord has said.
9 Give [d](K)wings to Moab,
For she will [e]flee away;
And her cities will become a (L)desolation,
Without inhabitants in them.
10 (M)Cursed is the one who does the Lord’s work (N)negligently,
And cursed is the one who restrains his (O)sword from blood.
11 “Moab has been (P)at ease since his youth;
He has also been (Q)peaceful, like wine on [f]its dregs,
And he has not been (R)poured from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into exile.
Therefore [g]he retains his flavor,
And his aroma has not changed.
12 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will pour out his vessels and smash [h]his jars. 13 And Moab will be (S)ashamed of (T)Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed of (U)Bethel, their confidence.
14 How can you say, ‘We are (V)warriors,
And men competent for battle’?
15 Moab has been destroyed and [i]men have gone up to [j]his cities;
His choicest [k](W)young men have also gone down to the slaughter,”
Declares the (X)King, whose name is the Lord of armies.
16 “The disaster of Moab will (Y)soon come,
And his catastrophe has hurried quickly.
17 Mourn for him, all you who live around him,
And all of you who know his name;
Say, ‘How the mighty [l](Z)scepter has been broken,
A staff of splendor!’
18 (AA)Come down from your glory
And sit on the parched ground,
O (AB)daughter living in (AC)Dibon,
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you,
He has ruined your strongholds.
19 Stand by the road and keep watch,
You inhabitant of (AD)Aroer;
(AE)Ask him who flees and her who escapes
And say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab has been put to shame, for it has been [m]shattered.
Wail and cry out;
Declare by the (AF)Arnon
That Moab has been destroyed.
21 “Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, (AG)Jahzah, and against (AH)Mephaath, 22 against Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and (AI)Beth-meon, 24 against (AJ)Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The (AK)horn of Moab has been cut off, and his (AL)arm broken,” declares the Lord. 26 “(AM)Make him drunk, for he has [n]become (AN)arrogant toward the Lord; so Moab will [o]vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock. 27 Now was Israel not a (AO)laughingstock to you? Or was he [p](AP)caught among thieves? For whenever you speak about him you (AQ)shake your head in scorn.
28 Leave the cities and live among the (AR)rocky cliffs,
You inhabitants of Moab,
And be like a (AS)dove that nests
Beyond the mouth of the chasm.
29 (AT)We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud—
Of his haughtiness, his (AU)pride, his arrogance, and [q]his self-exaltation.
30 I know his (AV)fury,” declares the Lord,
“But it is futile;
His idle boasts have accomplished nothing.
31 Therefore I will (AW)wail for Moab,
For all of Moab I will cry out;
[r]I will moan for the men of (AX)Kir-heres.
32 More than the (AY)weeping for (AZ)Jazer
I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah!
Your tendrils stretched across the sea,
They reached to the sea of Jazer;
Upon your summer fruits and your grape harvest
The destroyer has fallen.
33 So (BA)joy and rejoicing are removed
From the fruitful field, and from the land of Moab.
And I have (BB)eliminated the wine from the wine presses;
No one will tread them with shouting,
The shouting will not be shouts of joy.
34 (BC)From the outcry at Heshbon to (BD)Elealeh, to Jahaz they have [s]raised their voice, from (BE)Zoar to Horonaim, and to Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate. 35 And I will put an end to Moab,” declares the Lord, “the one who offers sacrifice on the (BF)high place and the one who [t](BG)burns incense to his gods.
36 “Therefore My (BH)heart makes a sound like flutes for Moab; My heart also makes a sound like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have (BI)lost the abundance it produced. 37 For (BJ)every head is shaved bald, and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands, and (BK)sackcloth around the waists. 38 On all the (BL)housetops of Moab and in its public squares [u]there is mourning everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable (BM)vessel,” declares the Lord. 39 “How [v]shattered it is! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back—he is ashamed! So Moab will become a laughingstock and an (BN)object of terror to all around him.”
40 For this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, one will (BO)fly swiftly like an eagle
And (BP)spread out his wings against Moab.
41 Kerioth has been captured
And the strongholds have been seized,
So the (BQ)hearts of the warriors of Moab on that day
Will be like the heart of a (BR)woman in labor.
42 Moab will be (BS)destroyed from being a people
Because he has [w]become (BT)arrogant toward the Lord.
43 (BU)Terror, pit, and snare are coming upon you,
Inhabitant of Moab,” declares the Lord.
44 “The one who (BV)flees from the terror
Will fall into the pit,
And the one who climbs up out of the pit
Will be caught in the snare;
For I will bring upon her, upon Moab,
The year of their (BW)punishment,” declares the Lord.
45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
The fugitives stand without strength;
For a fire has spread out from Heshbon
And a (BX)flame from the midst of (BY)Sihon,
And it has devoured the (BZ)forehead of Moab
And the scalps of the [x]loud revelers.
46 (CA)Woe to you, Moab!
The people of (CB)Chemosh have perished;
For your sons have been taken away captive,
And your daughters into captivity.
47 Yet I will (CC)restore the fortunes of Moab
In the [y]latter days,” declares the Lord.
This is the extent of the judgment on Moab.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 48:1 Or dismayed
- Jeremiah 48:2 Heb Madmen; i.e., a city of Moab
- Jeremiah 48:5 Lit distresses of outcry
- Jeremiah 48:9 Or salt
- Jeremiah 48:9 Or fall in ruins
- Jeremiah 48:11 Lit his
- Jeremiah 48:11 Lit his flavor has stayed in him
- Jeremiah 48:12 Lit their
- Jeremiah 48:15 Lit one has
- Jeremiah 48:15 Lit her
- Jeremiah 48:15 I.e., warriors
- Jeremiah 48:17 Or rod
- Jeremiah 48:20 Or dismayed
- Jeremiah 48:26 Or magnified himself against
- Jeremiah 48:26 Lit vomit in his vomit
- Jeremiah 48:27 Or found
- Jeremiah 48:29 Lit elevation of his heart
- Jeremiah 48:31 Another reading is He
- Jeremiah 48:34 Lit given forth
- Jeremiah 48:35 Or offers up in smoke
- Jeremiah 48:38 Lit all of it is mourning
- Jeremiah 48:39 Or terrified
- Jeremiah 48:42 Or magnified himself against
- Jeremiah 48:45 Lit sons of uproar
- Jeremiah 48:47 Lit end of the days
Jeremiah 48
Contemporary English Version
What the Lord Says about Moab
48 (A) The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, told me to say to the nation of Moab:
The town of Nebo is doomed;
Kiriathaim will be captured
and disgraced,
and even its fortress
will be left in ruins.
2 No one honors you, Moab.
In Heshbon, enemies make plans
to end your life.
My sword will leave only silence
in your town named “Quiet.”[a]
3 The people of Horonaim
will cry for help,
as their town is attacked
and destroyed.
4 Moab will be shattered!
Your children will sob
5 and cry on their way up
to the town of Luhith;
on the road to Horonaim
they will tell of disasters.
6 Run for your lives!
Head into the desert
like a wild donkey.[b]
7 You thought you could be saved
by your power and wealth,
but you will be captured
along with your god Chemosh,
his priests, and officials.
8 Not one of your towns
will escape destruction.
I have told your enemies,
“Wipe out the valley
and the flatlands of Moab.
9 Spread salt on the ground
to kill the crops.[c]
Leave its towns in ruins,
with no one living there.
10 I want you to kill the Moabites,
and if you let them escape,
I will put a curse on you.”
11 Moab, you are like wine
left to settle undisturbed,
never poured from jar to jar.
And so, your nation continues
to prosper and improve.[d]
12 But now, I will send enemies
to pour out the wine
and smash the jars!
13 Then you will be ashamed,
because your god Chemosh
cannot save you,
just as Bethel[e] could not help
the Israelites.
14 You claim that your soldiers
are strong and brave.
15 But I am the Lord,
the all-powerful King,
and I promise that enemies
will overpower your towns.
Even your best warriors
will die in the battle.
16 It won't be long now—
disaster will hit Moab!
17 I will order the nearby nations
to mourn for you and say,
“Isn't it sad? Moab ruled others,
but now its glorious power
has been shattered.”
18 People in the town of Dibon,[f]
you will be honored no more,
so have a seat in the dust.
Your walls will be torn down
when the enemies attack.
19 You people of Aroer,[g]
go wait beside the road,
and when refugees run by,
ask them, “What happened?”
20 They will answer,
“Moab has been defeated!
Weep with us in shame.
Tell everyone at the Arnon River
that Moab is destroyed.”
21 I will punish every town
that belongs to Moab,
but especially Holon,
Jahzah, Mephaath,
22 Dibon, Nebo,
Beth-Diblathaim, 23 Kiriathaim,
Beth-Gamul, Beth-Meon,
24 Kerioth, and Bozrah.[h]
25 My decision is final—
your army will be crushed,
and your power broken.
26 People of Moab, you claim
to be stronger than I am.
Now I will tell other nations
to make you drunk
and to laugh while you collapse
in your own vomit.
27 You made fun of my people
and treated them like criminals
caught in the act.
28 Now you must leave your towns
and live like doves
in the shelter of cliffs
and canyons.
29 I know about your pride,
and how you strut and boast.
30 But I also know bragging
will never save you.
31 So I will cry and mourn
for Moab
and its town of Kir-Heres.
32 People of Sibmah,
you were like a vineyard
heavy with grapes,
and with branches reaching
north to the town of Jazer
and west to the Dead Sea.[i]
But you have been destroyed,
and so I will weep for you,
as the people of Jazer weep
for the vineyards.
33 Harvest celebrations are gone
from the orchards and farms
of Moab.
I have silenced the shouts
of people making wine.
34 Weeping from Heshbon
can be heard as far
as Elealeh and Jahaz;
cries from Zoar are heard
in Horonaim
and Eglath-Shelishiyah.
And Nimrim Creek has run dry.
35 I will get rid of anyone
who burns incense
to the gods of Moab
or offers sacrifices
at their shrines.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
36 In my heart I moan for Moab,
like a funeral song
played on a flute.
I mourn for the people
of the town of Kir-Heres,
because their wealth is gone.
* 37-38 The people of Moab
mourn on the rooftops
and in the streets.
Men cut off their beards,
people shave their heads;
they make cuts on their hands
and wear sackcloth.[j]
And it's all because I, the Lord,
have shattered Moab like a jar
that no one wants.
39 Moab lies broken!
Listen to its people cry
as they turn away in shame.
Other nations are horrified
at what happened,
but still they mock her.
40 Moab, an enemy swoops down
like an eagle spreading its wings
over your land.
41 Your cities[k] and fortresses
will be captured,
and your warriors as fearful
as women giving birth.[l]
42 You are finished as a nation,
because you dared oppose me,
the Lord.
43 Terror, pits, and traps
are waiting for you.
44 If you are terrified and run,
you will fall into a pit;
and if you crawl out of the pit,
you'll get caught in a trap.
The time has come
for you to be punished.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
45 Near the city of Heshbon,
where Sihon once ruled,
tired refugees stand in shadows
cast by the flames
of their burning city.
Soon, the towns on other hilltops,
where those warlike people live,
will also go up in smoke.
46 People of Moab, you worshiped
Chemosh, your god,
but now you are done for,
and your children are prisoners
in a foreign country.
47 Yet someday, I will bring
your people back home.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
Footnotes
- 48.2 silence … Quiet: In Hebrew the name of the town was “Madmen,” which sounds like the word for “silence.”
- 48.6 like a wild donkey: One ancient translation; Hebrew “like (the town of) Aroer” (see verse 19).
- 48.9 Spread salt … crops: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 48.11 continues … improve: Or “remains as evil as ever.”
- 48.13 Bethel: It may refer to the Phoenician or Canaanite god of that name; or it may refer to the town where people of the northern kingdom worshiped at a local shrine (see 1 Kings 12.26-30).
- 48.18 Dibon: The capital city of Moab.
- 48.19 Aroer: A Moabite town located just north of the Arnon River.
- 48.24 Bozrah: Not the same Bozrah as in 49.13.
- 48.32 reaching north … Dead Sea: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 48.37,38 sackcloth: See the note at 4.8.
- 48.41 Your cities: Or “Kerioth.”
- 48.41 as fearful … birth: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
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