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
1599 Geneva Bible
48 The word of the Lord against the Moabites. 26 Because of their pride and cruelty.
1 Concerning Moab, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Woe unto [a]Nebo: for it is wasted: Kirjathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and afraid.
2 Moab shall boast no more of Heshbon: for they have devised evil against it. [b]Come, and let us destroy it, that it be no more a nation: also thou shalt be destroyed, [c]O Madmen, and the sword shall pursue thee.
3 A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim with desolation and great destruction.
4 Moab is destroyed: her little ones have caused their cry to be heard.
5 For at the going up of [d]Luhith, the mourner shall go up with weeping: for in the going down of Horonaim, the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
6 Flee and save your lives, and be like unto the [e]heath in the wilderness.
7 For because thou hast trusted in thy [f]works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken, and [g]Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his Priests and his Princes together.
8 And the destroyer shall come upon all cities, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish and the plain shall be destroyed as the Lord hath spoken.
9 Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.
10 [h]Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord [i]negligently, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
11 Moab hath been at rest from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been [j]poured from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.
12 ¶ Therefore behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send unto him such as shall carry him away, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles.
13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of [k]Bethel their confidence.
14 How think you thus, We are mighty and strong men of war?
15 Moab is destroyed, and his cities [l]burnt up, and his chosen young men are gone down to slaughter, saith the King, whose name is, The Lord of hosts.
16 The destruction of Moab is ready to come, and his plague hasteth fast.
17 All ye that are about him, mourn for him, and all ye that know his name, say, [m]How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!
18 Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst: for the destroyer of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strongholds.
19 Thou that dwellest in Aroer, stand by the way, and behold ask him that fleeth and that escapeth, and say, What is done?
20 [n]Moab is confounded: for it is destroyed, howl and cry, tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is made waste,
21 And judgment is come upon the plain country, upon Holon and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath,
22 And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon the house of Diblathaim,
23 And upon Kirjathaim, and upon Beth Gamul, and upon Beth Meon,
24 And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab far or near.
25 The [o]horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord.
26 Make ye him [p]drunken: for he magnified himself against the Lord: Moab shall [q]wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.
27 For didst not thou deride Israel, as though he had been found among thieves? for when thou speakest of him, thou art [r]moved.
28 O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rocks, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole’s mouth.
29 (A)We have heard the pride of Moab (he is exceeding proud) his stoutness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart.
30 I know his wrath, saith the Lord, [s]but it shall not be so: and his dissimulations, for they do not right.
31 [t]Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab: mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee, as I wept for Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they are come to the sea [u]of Jazer: the destroyer is fallen upon thy summer fruits, and upon thy vintage,
33 And joy, and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab: and I have caused wine to fail from the winepress: none shall tread with shouting: their shouting shall be no shouting.
34 From the cry of Heshbon unto Elealeh and unto Jahaz have they made their noise: from Zoar unto Horonaim, the [v]heifer of three years old shall go lowing: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be wasted.
35 Moreover, I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the Lord, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.
36 Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like a [w]shawm, and mine heart shall sound like a shawm for the men of Kir Heres, because the riches that he hath gotten is perished.
37 (B)For every head shall be [x]bald, and every beard plucked: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
38 And mourning shall be upon all the house tops of Moab, and in all the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the Lord.
39 They shall howl, saying, How is he destroyed? how hath Moab turned the back with shame? so shall Moab be a derision, and a fear to all them about him.
40 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, [y]he shall flee as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
41 The cities are taken, and the strongholds are won, and the mighty men’s hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in travail.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath set up himself against the Lord:
43 [z]Fear, and pit, and snare shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord.
44 He that escapeth from the fear, shall fall in the pit, and he that getteth up out of the pit, shall be taken [in] the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.
45 They that fled, stood under the shadow [aa]of Heshbon, because of the force: for [ab]the fire came out of Heshbon, and a flame from Sihon, and devoured the corner of Moab, and the top of the seditious children.
46 Woe be unto thee, O Moab: the people of [ac]Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters led into captivity.
47 Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the [ad]latter days, saith the Lord. Thus far of the judgment of Moab.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 48:1 These were cities of the Moabites, which Nebuchadnezzar took before he went to fight against Necho king of Egypt.
- Jeremiah 48:2 Thus shall the Babylonians encourage one another.
- Jeremiah 48:2 Read Isa. 25:10.
- Jeremiah 48:5 Horonaim and Luhith were two places whereby the Moabites should flee, Isa. 15:5.
- Jeremiah 48:6 Hide yourselves in barren places, where the enemy will not pursue after you, Jer. 17:6.
- Jeremiah 48:7 That is, the idols which are the works of thine hands. Some read, in thy possessions, for so the word may signify, as 1 Sam. 25:2.
- Jeremiah 48:7 Both thy great idol and his maintainers shall be led away captives, so that they shall then know that it is in vain to look for help at idols, Isa. 15:2.
- Jeremiah 48:10 He showeth that God would punish the Chaldeans, if they did not destroy the Egyptians, and that with a courage, and calleth this executing of his vengeance against his enemies, his work: though the Chaldeans sought another end, Isa. 10:11.
- Jeremiah 48:10 Or, deceitfully.
- Jeremiah 48:11 Hath not been removed as the Jews have, but have lived at ease, and as a wine that feedeth itself on his lees.
- Jeremiah 48:13 As the calf of Bethel was not able to deliver the Israelites: no more shall Chemosh deliver the Moabites.
- Jeremiah 48:15 Hebrew, gone up, or destroyed.
- Jeremiah 48:17 How are they destroyed that put their trust in their strength and riches?
- Jeremiah 48:20 Thus they that flee, shall answer.
- Jeremiah 48:25 That is, his power and strength.
- Jeremiah 48:26 He willed the Chaldeans to lay afflictions enough upon them, till they be like drunken men that fall down to their shame and are derided of all.
- Jeremiah 48:26 Or, shall be full, or clap his hands.
- Jeremiah 48:27 Thou rejoicest to hear of his misery.
- Jeremiah 48:30 He shall not execute his malice against his neighbors.
- Jeremiah 48:31 Read Isa. 16:7.
- Jeremiah 48:32 Which city was in the utmost border of Moab: and hereby he signifieth that the whole land should be destroyed, and the people carried away.
- Jeremiah 48:34 Read Isa. 15:5.
- Jeremiah 48:36 Their custom was to play on flutes or instruments, heavy and grave tunes at burials and in the time of mourning, as Matt. 9:23.
- Jeremiah 48:37 Or, shaven.
- Jeremiah 48:40 That is, Nebuchadnezzar, as Jer. 49:22.
- Jeremiah 48:43 He that escapeth one danger shall be taken of another, Isa. 24:17.
- Jeremiah 48:45 They fled thither, thinking to have succor of the Amorites.
- Jeremiah 48:45 The Amorites had destroyed the Moabites in times past, and now because of their power, the Moabites shall seek to them for help.
- Jeremiah 48:46 Which vaunted themselves of their idol, as though he could have defended them.
- Jeremiah 48:47 That is, they shall be restored by the Messiah.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
