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
Jeremiah 48
Expanded Bible
A Message to Moab
48 This message is to the country of Moab [C to the east of Israel; Gen. 19; Num. 25; Deut. 23:3–6].
This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says:
“·How terrible it will be for the city of [Woe to] Nebo,
because it will be ·ruined [desolate].
The town of Kiriathaim [Num. 32:37; Josh. 13:19; Ezek. 25:9] will be disgraced and captured;
the ·strong [fortified] city will be disgraced and shattered.
2 Moab will not be praised again.
Men in the town of Heshbon plan ·Moab’s defeat [L its disaster].
They say, ‘Come, let us ·put an end to [L cut off] that nation!’
Town of Madmen you will also be silenced.
The sword will ·chase [L come after] you.
3 Listen to the cries from the town of Horonaim,
·cries of much confusion and destruction [L desolation and great fracture].
4 Moab will be broken up.
·Her little children will cry for help [or Their cries are heard as far as Zoar].
5 Moab’s people go up the path to the town of Luhith,
crying ·loudly [continually] as they go.
On the road down to Horonaim,
cries of pain and suffering can be heard.
6 ·Run [Flee]! ·Run for [L Escape with] your lives!
Go like a ·bush [or wild ass; or Aroer] in the ·desert [wilderness].
7 You ·trust [have confidence] in the things you do and in your ·wealth [L storehouses; or arsenals],
so you also will be captured.
The god Chemosh [C the chief god of Moab] will go into ·captivity [exile]
and his priests and officers with him.
8 The destroyer will come against every town;
not one town will escape.
The valley will ·be ruined [perish],
and the high plain will be destroyed,
as the Lord has said.
9 Give ·wings [or salt; C a symbol of complete destruction; Judg. 9:45] to Moab,
because she will surely leave her land.
Moab’s towns will become ·empty [desolate],
with no one to live in them.
10 A curse will be on anyone who ·doesn’t do what the Lord says [L is slack in doing the Lord’s work],
and a curse will be on anyone who holds back his sword from ·killing [L blood].
11 “The people of Moab have ·never known trouble [L been at ease since its youth].
They are like wine left to settle;
they have never been poured from one jar to another.
They have not ·been taken into captivity [L gone into exile].
So ·they taste as they did before [L their flavor stands],
and their ·smell [aroma] has not changed.
12 ·A time is [L Days are] coming,” says the Lord,
“When I will send people to ·pour [decant] you from your jars.
They will empty Moab’s jars
and smash their jugs [C a fitting image since Moab produced much wine; 16:8–10].
13 The ·people [L house] of Israel ·trusted [had confidence in] that god in the town of Bethel [1 Kin. 13:26–33; Amos 7:13],
and they were ·ashamed [humiliated] when there was no help.
In the same way Moab will be ·ashamed of [humiliated by] their god Chemosh.
14 “·You cannot [L How can you…?] say, ‘We are warriors!
We are brave men in battle!’
15 The destroyer of Moab and her towns has arrived.
Her best young men will be ·killed [slaughtered]!” says the King,
whose name is the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
16 “The ·end [disaster; calamity] of Moab is near,
and ·she will soon be destroyed [L her disaster comes quickly].
17 All you who live around Moab,
all you who know ·her [L her name], ·cry [mourn] for her.
Say, ‘The ·ruler’s power [L strong scepter] is broken;
·Moab’s power and glory are gone [L …the glorious/beautiful staff].’
18 “·You people living in the town of [L Enthroned daughter] Dibon, come down from ·your place of honor [glory]
and sit on the dry ground,
because the destroyer of Moab has come against you.
And he has destroyed your ·strong, walled [fortified] cities.
19 You people living in the town of Aroer,
stand next to the road and watch.
See the man ·running away [fleeing] and the woman escaping.
Ask them, ‘What happened?’
20 Moab is filled with ·shame [humiliation], because she is ruined.
·Cry [Wail], Moab, cry out!
Announce at the Arnon River
that Moab is destroyed.
21 People on the high plain have been ·punished [judged].
Judgment has come to these towns:
Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath;
22 Dibon, Nebo, and Beth Diblathaim;
23 Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, and Beth Meon;
24 Kerioth and Bozrah [C all cities on the Moabite plateau].
Judgment has come to all the towns of Moab, far and near.
25 Moab’s ·strength [L horn; C a symbol of strength] has been cut off,
and its arm broken!” says the Lord.
26 “The people of Moab thought they were greater than the Lord,
so ·punish them until they act as if they are drunk [L make them drunk].
Moab will ·fall and roll around [wallow; or overflow] in its own vomit,
and people will even make fun of it [C they would drink from the cup of wrath; 25:15–38; Is. 19:14; 51:17; Nah. 1:10].
27 Moab, you made fun of Israel.
Israel was ·caught [or not found] in the middle of a gang of thieves.
When you spoke about Israel,
you shook your head [C acting as if Moab were better].
28 People in Moab, ·leave your towns empty [L abandon; forsake]
and go live among the ·rocks [crags].
Be like a dove that makes its nest
at the entrance of a cave.
29 “We have heard that the people of Moab are ·proud [arrogant],
very ·proud [arrogant].
They are proud, very ·proud [arrogant],
and in their hearts ·they think they are important [L are exalted; Ps. 131].”
30 The Lord says,
“I know ·Moab’s great pride [L his insolence], but it is ·useless [false].
Moab’s bragging accomplishes nothing.
31 So I ·cry sadly [wail] for Moab,
for everyone in Moab.
I ·moan [mourn] for the people from the town of Kir Hareseth.
32 I cry with the people of the town of Jazer
for you, the grapevines of the town of Sibmah.
In the past your vines spread all the way to the sea,
as far as the sea of Jazer.
But the destroyer has ·taken over [L fallen on]
your ·fruit [summer fruits] and ·grapes [vintage].
33 Joy and happiness are gone
from the ·large, rich fields [fruitful/garden lands] of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine from the winepresses.
No one walks on the grapes with shouts of joy.
There are shouts,
but not shouts of joy.
34 “Their ·crying [cry for help] can be heard from Moabite towns,
from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz.
It can be heard from Zoar as far away as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah.
Even the waters of Nimrim are ·dried up [desolate].
35 I will stop Moab
from making burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] at the ·places of worship [L high places; C sites associated with pagan worship or inappropriate worship of God] and from ·burning incense [or making offerings] to their gods,” says the Lord.
36 “My heart ·cries sadly [wails] for Moab like a ·flute [reed-pipe; C an instrument that plays funeral songs].
It ·cries [wails] like a ·flute [reed-pipe] for the people from Kir Hareseth.
The money they made has all ·been taken away [perished].
37 Every head has been shaved
and every beard cut off.
Everyone’s hands are ·cut [gashed],
and everyone wears ·rough cloth around his waist [sackcloth; burlap; C mourning rituals].
38 People are ·crying [mourning] on every roof [C flat roofs were living space] in Moab
and in every public square.
There is nothing but ·sadness [lament],
because I have broken Moab
like a jar no one wants [19:1–13; 22:28; Ps. 2:9],” says the Lord.
39 “·Moab [L How it] is shattered! The people are ·crying [wailing]!
·Moab turns away [L How it turns its neck] in ·shame [humiliation]!
People all around her make fun of her.
The things that happened fill them with great fear [Is. 16:6–12].”
40 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! Someone is coming, like an eagle ·diving down from the sky [swooping down]
and spreading its wings over Moab [49:22; Ezek. 17:3–4; Hos. 8:1].
41 The towns of Moab will be captured,
and the ·strong, walled cities [fortresses] will be ·defeated [seized].
·At that time [L On that day] ·Moab’s warriors will be frightened, [L the heart of Moab’s warriors will be]
like ·a [L the heart of a] woman who is ·having a baby [in labor].
42 The nation of Moab will be destroyed,
because they ·thought they were greater than [magnified themselves over] the Lord.
43 Fear, deep pits, and traps wait for you,
people of Moab,” says the Lord.
44 “People will ·run [flee] from fear,
but they will fall into the pits.
Anyone who climbs out of the pits
will be caught in the traps.
I will bring the year of punishment to Moab,” says the Lord.
45 “People ·have run [flee] from the ·powerful enemy [L strong]
and ·have gone to Heshbon for safety [L stand in the shadow of Heshbon].
But fire ·started in [L has come out from] Heshbon;
a ·blaze [L flame] has spread from the ·hometown [L house] of Sihon [C early king of Moab; Num. 21:28].
It ·burned up [L devoured] the ·leaders [or forehead] of Moab
and ·destroyed those proud people [L the pate of the sons of tumult].
46 ·How terrible it is for [Woe to] you, Moab!
The people of Chemosh [C the chief god of Moab] have been destroyed.
Your sons have been taken ·captive [into exile],
and your daughters ·have been taken away [into captivity].
47 “But in ·days to come [the latter days],
I will ·make good things happen again to [restore the fortunes of] Moab,” says the Lord.
This ends the judgment on Moab.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.