Jeremiah 48
English Standard Version
Judgment on Moab
48 (A)Concerning Moab.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Woe to (B)Nebo, for it is laid waste!
(C)Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken;
the fortress is put to shame (D)and broken down;
2 the renown of Moab is no more.
In (E)Heshbon they planned disaster against her:
‘Come, let us cut her off (F)from being a nation!’
You also, O (G)Madmen, shall be brought to silence;
the sword shall pursue you.
3 “A voice! A cry from (H)Horonaim,
‘Desolation and great destruction!’
4 Moab is destroyed;
her little ones have made a cry.
5 (I)For at the ascent of Luhith
they go up weeping;[a]
for (J)at the descent of Horonaim
they have heard the distressed cry[b] of destruction.
6 Flee! Save yourselves!
You will be like (K)a juniper in the desert!
7 For, (L)because you trusted in your works and your treasures,
you also shall be taken;
and (M)Chemosh (N)shall go into exile
with (O)his priests and his officials.
8 (P)The destroyer shall come upon every city,
and no city shall escape;
the valley shall perish,
and (Q)the plain shall be destroyed,
as the Lord has spoken.
9 “Give wings to Moab,
for she would fly away;
her cities shall become a desolation,
with no inhabitant in them.
10 (R)“Cursed is he who does (S)the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.
11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth
and has (T)settled on his dregs;
he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
nor has he gone into exile;
so his taste remains in him,
and his scent is not changed.
12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his[c] jars in pieces. 13 Then (U)Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as (V)the house of Israel was ashamed of (W)Bethel, their confidence.
14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes
and mighty men of war’?
15 The destroyer of (X)Moab and his cities has come up,
and the choicest of his young men have (Y)gone down to slaughter,
declares (Z)the King, (AA)whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
and his affliction hastens swiftly.
17 (AB)Grieve for him, all you who are around him,
and all who know his name;
say, (AC)‘How the mighty scepter is broken,
the glorious staff.’
18 (AD)“Come down from your glory,
and sit on the parched ground,
O inhabitant of (AE)Dibon!
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you;
he has destroyed your strongholds.
19 (AF)Stand by the way (AG)and watch,
O inhabitant of (AH)Aroer!
Ask him who flees and her who escapes;
say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken;
(AI)wail and cry!
Tell it beside (AJ)the Arnon,
that (AK)Moab is laid waste.
21 “Judgment has come upon (AL)the tableland, upon Holon, and (AM)Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and (AN)Dibon, and (AO)Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and (AP)Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and (AQ)Beth-meon, 24 and (AR)Kerioth, and (AS)Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 (AT)The horn of Moab is cut off, and (AU)his arm is broken, declares the Lord.
26 (AV)“Make him drunk, (AW)because he magnified himself against the Lord, so that Moab shall (AX)wallow in his vomit, (AY)and he too shall be held in derision. 27 (AZ)Was not Israel a derision to you? (BA)Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him (BB)you wagged your head?
28 (BC)“Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock,
O inhabitants of Moab!
Be (BD)like the dove that nests
in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.
29 (BE)We have heard of the pride of Moab—
he is very proud—
of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance,
and the haughtiness of his heart.
30 I know his insolence, declares the Lord;
(BF)his boasts are false,
his deeds are false.
31 (BG)Therefore I wail for Moab;
I cry out for all Moab;
for the men of (BH)Kir-hareseth I mourn.
32 More than for (BI)Jazer I weep for you,
(BJ)O vine of (BK)Sibmah!
(BL)Your branches passed over the sea,
reached to the Sea of (BM)Jazer;
on your summer fruits and your grapes
the destroyer has fallen.
33 (BN)Gladness and joy have been taken away
from the fruitful land of Moab;
I have made the wine cease from the winepresses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy;
the shouting is not the shout of joy.
34 (BO)“From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to (BP)Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the Lord, him who offers sacrifice in (BQ)the high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of (BR)Kir-hareseth. (BS)Therefore the riches they gained have perished.
37 (BT)“For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. (BU)On all the hands are gashes, and (BV)around the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like (BW)a vessel for which no one cares, declares the Lord. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! (BX)How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab (BY)has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.”
40 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, (BZ)one shall fly swiftly like an eagle
(CA)and spread his wings against Moab;
41 (CB)the cities shall be taken
and the strongholds seized.
(CC)The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day
like the heart of (CD)a woman in her birth pains;
42 Moab shall be (CE)destroyed and be no longer a people,
because (CF)he magnified himself against the Lord.
43 (CG)Terror, pit, and snare
are before you, O inhabitant of Moab!
declares the Lord.
44 He who flees from the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
(CH)For I will bring these things upon Moab,
the year of their punishment,
declares the Lord.
45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
fugitives stop without strength,
for fire came out from Heshbon,
flame from the house of Sihon;
it has destroyed (CI)the forehead of Moab,
the crown of (CJ)the sons of tumult.
46 (CK)Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of (CL)Chemosh are undone,
for your sons have been taken captive,
and your daughters into captivity.
47 (CM)Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
in the latter days, declares the Lord.”
Thus far is the judgment on Moab.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 48:5 Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping
- Jeremiah 48:5 Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry
- Jeremiah 48:12 Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their
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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
