Jeremiah 48
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Judgment on Moab
48 Concerning Moab.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
Alas for Nebo, it is laid waste!
Kiriathaim is put to shame; it is taken;
the fortress is put to shame and broken down;(A)
2 the renown of Moab is no more.
In Heshbon they planned evil against her:
“Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!”
You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence;[a]
the sword shall pursue you.(B)
3 Listen! A cry goes up from Horonaim:
“Desolation and great destruction!”(C)
4 “Moab is destroyed!”
her little ones cry out.
5 For at the ascent of Luhith
they go[b] up weeping bitterly;
for at the descent of Horonaim
they have heard the distressing cry of anguish.(D)
6 Flee! Save yourselves!
Be like a wild ass[c] in the desert!(E)
7 Surely, because you trusted in your strongholds[d] and your treasures,
you also shall be taken;
Chemosh shall go out into exile,
with his priests and his attendants.(F)
8 The destroyer shall come upon every town,
and no town shall escape;
the valley shall perish,
and the plain shall be destroyed,
as the Lord has spoken.(G)
9 Set aside salt for Moab,
for she will surely fall;
her towns shall become a desolation,
with no inhabitant in them.(H)
10 Accursed is the one who is slack in doing the work of the Lord, and accursed is the one who keeps back the sword from bloodshed.(I)
11 Moab has been at ease from his youth,
settled like wine[e] on its dregs;
he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
nor has he gone into exile;
therefore his flavor has remained,
and his aroma is unspoiled.(J)
12 Therefore, the time is surely coming, says the Lord, when I shall send to him decanters to decant him and empty his vessels and break his jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.(K)
14 How can you say, “We are heroes
and mighty warriors”?(L)
15 Moab is destroyed, and his towns have gone up,
and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter,
says the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.(M)
16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
and his doom approaches swiftly.(N)
17 Mourn over him, all you his neighbors,
and all who know his name;
say, “How the mighty scepter is broken,
the glorious staff!”(O)
18 Come down from glory
and sit on the parched ground,
enthroned daughter Dibon!
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you;
he has destroyed your strongholds.(P)
19 Stand by the road and watch,
you inhabitant of Aroer!
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping;
say, “What has happened?”(Q)
20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken down;
wail and cry!
Tell it by the Arnon
that Moab is laid waste.(R)
21 Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the towns of the land of Moab, far and near.(S) 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, says the Lord.(T)
26 Make him drunk because he magnified himself against the Lord; let Moab wallow in his vomit; he, too, shall become a laughingstock.(U) 27 Israel was a laughingstock for you, though he was not caught among thieves, but whenever you spoke of him you shook your head!(V)
28 Leave the towns, and live on the rock,
O inhabitants of Moab!
Be like the dove that nests
on the sides of the mouth of a gorge.(W)
29 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.(X)
30 I myself know his insolence, says the Lord;
his boasts are false;
his deeds are false.(Y)
31 Therefore I wail for Moab;
I cry out for all Moab;
for the people of Kir-heres I mourn.(Z)
32 More than for Jazer I weep for you,
O vine of Sibmah!
Your branches crossed over the sea,
reached as far as Jazer;[f]
upon your summer fruits and your vintage
the destroyer has fallen.(AA)
33 Gladness and joy have been taken away
from the fruitful land of Moab;
I have stopped the wine from the winepresses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy;
the shouting is not the shout of joy.(AB)
34 From the cry of Heshbon to Elealeh as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For even the waters of Nimrim have become desolate.(AC) 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, says the Lord, those who offer sacrifice at a high place and make offerings to their gods.(AD) 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the people of Kir-heres, for the riches they gained have perished.(AE)
37 For every head is shaved and every beard cut off; on all the hands there are gashes and on the loins sackcloth.(AF) 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel that no one wants, says the Lord.(AG) 39 How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all his neighbors.(AH)
40 For thus says the Lord:
Look, he shall swoop down like an eagle
and spread his wings against Moab;(AI)
41 the towns[g] shall be taken
and the strongholds seized.
The hearts of the warriors of Moab, on that day,
shall be like the heart of a woman in labor.(AJ)
42 Moab shall be destroyed as a people,
because he magnified himself against the Lord.(AK)
43 Terror, pit, and trap
are before you, O inhabitants of Moab!
says the Lord.(AL)
44 Everyone who flees from the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and everyone who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the trap.
For I will bring these things[h] upon Moab
in the year of their punishment,
says the Lord.(AM)
45 In the shadow of Heshbon
fugitives stop exhausted,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
a flame from the house of Sihon;
it has destroyed the forehead[i] of Moab,
the scalp of the people of tumult.[j](AN)
46 Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh have perished,
for your sons have been taken captive
and your daughters into captivity.(AO)
47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
in the latter days, says the Lord.
Thus far is the judgment on Moab.(AP)
Jeremiah 48
Christian Standard Bible
Prophecies against Moab
48 About Moab,(A) this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says:
Woe to Nebo,(B) because it is about to be destroyed;
Kiriathaim will be put to shame;(C) it will be taken captive.
The fortress will be put to shame and dismayed!
2 There is no longer praise for Moab;
they plan harm against her in Heshbon:(D)
Come, let’s cut her off from nationhood.
Also, Madmen, you will be silenced;
the sword will follow(E) you.
3 A voice cries out from Horonaim,(F)
“devastation and a crushing blow!” (G)
4 Moab will be shattered;
her little ones will cry out.
5 For on the Ascent to Luhith
they will be weeping continually,[a]
and on the descent to Horonaim
will be heard cries of distress over the destruction:(H)
6 Flee! Save your lives!(I)
Be like a juniper bush[b](J) in the wilderness.
7 Because you trust in your works and treasures,
you will be captured also.
Chemosh(K) will go into exile
with his priests and officials.(L)
8 The destroyer(M) will move against every town;
not one town will escape.
The valley will perish,
and the plain will be annihilated,(N)
as the Lord has said.
9 Make Moab a salt marsh,[c](O)
for she will run away;[d]
her towns will become a desolation,
without inhabitant.(P)
10 The one who does
the Lord’s business deceitfully[e] is cursed,(Q)
and the one who withholds
his sword from bloodshed is cursed.
11 Moab has been left quiet since his youth,
settled like wine on its dregs.(R)
He hasn’t been poured from one container to another
or gone into exile.
So his taste has remained the same,
and his aroma hasn’t changed.
12 Therefore look, the days are coming(S)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
when I will send pourers to him, who will pour him out.
They will empty his containers
and smash his jars.
13 Moab will be put to shame because of Chemosh,
just as the house of Israel was put to shame
because of Bethel(T) that they trusted in.
14 How can you say, “We are warriors—
valiant men for battle”?
15 The destroyer of Moab and its towns
has come up,[f]
and the best of its young men
have gone down to slaughter.
This is the King’s declaration;
the Lord of Armies is his name.(U)
16 Moab’s calamity is near at hand;
his disaster is rushing swiftly.
17 Mourn for him, all you surrounding nations,
everyone who knows his name.
Say, “How the mighty scepter(V) is shattered,
the glorious staff!”
18 Come down from glory; sit on parched ground,
resident of the daughter of Dibon,(W)
for the destroyer of Moab has come against you;
he has destroyed your fortresses.
19 Stand by the highway and watch,
resident of Aroer!(X)
Ask him who is fleeing or her who is escaping,(Y)
“What happened?”
20 Moab is put to shame, indeed dismayed.
Wail and cry out!(Z)
Declare by the Arnon
that Moab is destroyed.
21 “Judgment has come to the land of the plateau(AA)—to Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath, 22 Dibon, Nebo, Beth-diblathaim, 23 Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon,(AB) 24 Kerioth,(AC) Bozrah, and all the towns of the land of Moab, those far and near. 25 Moab’s horn is chopped off;(AD) his arm is shattered.”(AE)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
26 “Make him drunk, because he has exalted himself against the Lord.(AF) Moab will wallow in his own vomit, and he will also become a laughingstock. 27 Wasn’t Israel a laughingstock to you?(AG) Was he ever found among thieves?(AH) For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.”(AI)
28 Abandon the towns! Live in the cliffs,
residents of Moab!
Be like a dove
that nests inside the mouth of a cave.(AJ)
29 We have heard of Moab’s pride,
great pride, indeed—
his insolence, arrogance, pride,
and haughty heart.
30 I know his outburst.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
It is empty.
His boast is empty.
31 Therefore, I will wail over Moab.
I will cry out for Moab, all of it;
he will moan for the men of Kir-heres.
32 I will weep for you, vine of Sibmah,
with more than the weeping for Jazer.
Your tendrils have extended to the sea;
they have reached to the sea and to Jazer.[g]
The destroyer has fallen on your summer fruit and grape harvest.
33 Gladness and celebration are taken from the fertile field
and from the land of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine from the winepresses;
no one will tread with shouts of joy.
The shouting is not a shout of joy.(AK)
34 “There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh; they make their voices heard as far as Jahaz(AL)—from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah—because even the Waters of Nimrim have become desolate. 35 In Moab, I will stop”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the one who offers sacrifices on the high place and burns incense to his gods.(AM) 36 Therefore, my heart moans like flutes for Moab,(AN) and my heart moans like flutes for the people of Kir-heres. And therefore, the wealth he has gained has perished. 37 Indeed, every head is bald and every beard is chopped short.(AO) On every hand is a gash(AP) and sackcloth(AQ) around the waist. 38 On all the rooftops of Moab and in her public squares, everyone is mourning because I have shattered Moab like a jar no one wants.”(AR) This is the Lord’s declaration. 39 “How broken it is! They wail! How Moab has turned his back! He is ashamed. Moab will become a laughingstock and a shock to all those around him.”(AS)
40 For this is what the Lord says:
Look! He will swoop down like an eagle
and spread his wings against Moab.(AT)
41 The towns have[h] been captured,
and the strongholds seized.
In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors
will be like the heart of a woman with contractions.(AU)
42 Moab will be destroyed as a people
because he has exalted himself against the Lord.(AV)
43 Panic,(AW) pit, and trap
await you, resident of Moab.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
44 He who flees from the panic will fall in the pit,
and he who climbs from the pit
will be captured in the trap,
for I will bring against Moab
the year of their punishment.(AX)
This is the Lord’s declaration.(AY)
45 Those who flee will stand exhausted in Heshbon’s shadow
because fire has come out from Heshbon
and a flame from within Sihon.
It will devour Moab’s forehead
and the skull of the noisemakers.
46 Woe to you, Moab!
The people of Chemosh have perished
because your sons have been taken captive
and your daughters have gone into captivity.(AZ)
47 Yet, I will restore the fortunes[i] of Moab in the last days.(BA)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
The judgment on Moab ends here.
Footnotes
- 48:5 Lit Luhith, weeping goes up with weeping
- 48:6 Or like Aroer; Is 17:2; Jr 48:19
- 48:9 LXX reads a sign; Vg reads a flower; Syr, Tg read a crown
- 48:9 Hb obscure
- 48:10 Or negligently
- 48:15 Or Moab is destroyed; he has come up against its cities
- 48:32 Some Hb mss read reached as far as Jazer
- 48:41 Or Kerioth has
- 48:47 Or will end the captivity
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.