Old/New Testament

Moab Is Destroyed

48 About Moab, the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, “It is bad for Nebo, for it has been destroyed. Kiriathaim has been put to shame and taken. The high, strong-place has been put to shame and crushed. ² The praise for Moab has come to an end. In Heshbon they have planned trouble against her, saying, ‘Come, let us destroy her from being a nation!’ You, O Madmen, will be made quiet also. The sword will follow you. ³ Listen, the sound of a cry from Horonaim, saying, ‘Laid waste and all destroyed!’ ⁴ Moab is destroyed. The cry of her little ones is heard. ⁵ They go up the hill of Luhith crying all the time. For at the hill of Horonaim they have heard the troubled cry of those who are being destroyed. ⁶ Run fast! Run for your lives! You will be like a bush in the desert. ⁷ Because you have trusted in your own works and riches, you also will be taken. And Chemosh will go away to a strange land together with his religious leaders and important men. ⁸ The destroyer will come to every city. No city will be free from him. The valley and the plain will be destroyed also, as the Lord has said. ⁹ Give wings to Moab, for she will fly away. Her cities will become a waste, with no people living in them. ¹⁰ The one who does the Lord’s work without care is cursed. Cursed is the one who keeps his sword from blood.

¹¹ “Moab has been at rest since he was young. He has been like wine which sits a long time, not being poured from jar to jar. He has not gone away to a strange land. So he keeps his taste, and his smell is not changed. ¹² The days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will send to him those who turn over jars, and they will turn him over. They will empty his jars and break them in pieces. ¹³ Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel that they trusted. ¹⁴ How can you say, ‘We are strong soldiers and powerful men of war’? ¹⁵ Moab has been destroyed, and men have gone up to his cities. His best young men have gone down to be killed,” says the King, Whose name is the Lord of All. ¹⁶ The trouble of Moab will soon come. His suffering comes in a hurry. ¹⁷ Have sorrow for him, all you who live around him, and all who know his name. Say, ‘How his power has been broken, the greatness of his power!’ ¹⁸ Come down from your greatness and sit on the hot ground, O you who live in Dibon. For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you. He has destroyed your strong-places built for battle. ¹⁹ Stand by the road and keep watch, O you who live in Aroer. Ask the man or woman who runs away, ‘What has happened?’ ²⁰ Moab has been put to shame, for it is broken down. Cry out. Let it be known by the Arnon that Moab has been destroyed. ²¹ Punishment has come upon the plain, against Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath, ²² Dibon, Nebo, Beth-diblathaim, ²³ Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon, ²⁴ Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. ²⁵ Moab’s strength has been cut off, and his arm broken,” says the Lord. ²⁶ “Make him drunk, for he has become proud before the Lord. So Moab will roll in the food he has thrown up, and be laughed at. ²⁷ Did you not laugh at Israel? Or was he found among robbers? For each time you speak about him you laugh and shake your head. ²⁸ Leave the cities and live among the rocks, O people of Moab. Be like a dove that has its nest in a hole in the side of the rock. ²⁹ We have heard of the pride of Moab. He is very proud. We have heard of all his pride and how he honors himself. ³⁰ I know his anger,” says the Lord, “but it is of no use. His proud words have done nothing. ³¹ So I will cry in a loud voice for Moab. I will cry out for all Moab. I will have sorrow for the men of Kir-heres. ³² I will cry for you more than for Jazer, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches have gone over the sea, even to the sea of Jazer. The destroyer has fallen upon your summer fruits and your grapes. ³³ Happiness and joy have been taken away from the land of Moab with all its fruit. I have stopped the crushing of the grapes to make wine. No one crushes them under foot. The noise they make is not the sound of joy. ³⁴ They cry out from Heshbon even to Elealeh, even to Jahaz, and from Zoar even to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim have become a waste. ³⁵ And I will make an end of Moab,” says the Lord. “I will destroy the one who gives gifts of worship on the high place and burns special perfume to his gods.

³⁶ “So My heart cries out for Moab like a horn. My heart cries like a horn also for the men of Kir-heres. The riches they had for themselves have been lost. ³⁷ The hair has been cut from every head, and the hair has been cut short on every face. There are cuts on all the hands, and they wear clothes made from hair. ³⁸ On all the roofs of Moab and in its streets there are cries of sorrow everywhere. For I have broken Moab like a pot that is not wanted,” says the Lord. ³⁹ “How broken it is! How they cry! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become something to laugh at and hate to all those around him.” ⁴⁰ For the Lord says, “One will fly fast like an eagle, and spread out his wings against Moab. ⁴¹ Kerieth has been taken, and the strong-places built for battle have been taken. In that day the hearts of the strong men of Moab will be like the heart of a woman giving birth. ⁴² Moab will be destroyed and will no longer be a nation, because he was proud before the Lord. ⁴³ Fear, traps and nets are coming upon you, O you who live in Moab,” says the Lord. ⁴⁴ “The one who runs from trouble will fall into the trap. And the one who comes up out of the trap will be caught in the net. For I will bring these things upon Moab in the year of their punishment,” says the Lord.

⁴⁵ “In the shadow of Heshbon, those who have run for their lives stand without strength. For a fire has gone out from Heshbon and from Sihon. It has destroyed the forehead of Moab and the top of the heads of the trouble-makers. ⁴⁶ It is bad for you, Moab! The people of Chemosh have been destroyed. Your sons and daughters have been taken away in chains. ⁴⁷ Yet I will return the people of Moab to their land in the last days,” says the Lord. This is the punishment of Moab.

God Speaks through Jeremiah about Ammon

49 About the sons of Ammon, the Lord says, “Does Israel have no sons? Does she have no one to receive what she leaves? Why then has Malcam taken Gad as his own? Why do his people live in its cities? ² But the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will blow a horn giving the sound of war against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon. And it will become a waste. Its towns will be set on fire. Then Israel will take the land from those who had taken it from her,” says the Lord.

³ “Cry out, O Heshbon, for Ai has been destroyed! Cry out, O people of Rabbah. Put on clothes made from hair and cry in sorrow. And run this way and that way inside the walls. For Malcam will go to a strange land, together with his religious leaders and his important men. ⁴ How you speak in pride about the valleys! Your valley is flowing away, O daughter without faith who trusts in her riches, saying, ‘Who will come against me?’ ⁵ I will bring much trouble upon you,” says the Lord God of All. “It will come from all around you, and each of you will be driven away. There will be no one to gather together those who run for their lives. ⁶ But after this I will return the sons of Ammon to their land,” says the Lord.

God Speaks through Jeremiah about Edom

⁷ About Edom, the Lord of All says, “Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman? Have wise words been lost from the wise? Is their wisdom all gone? ⁸ Run away! Turn back and live in the deep places, O people of Dedan. For I will bring the trouble of Esau upon him when I punish him. ⁹ If those who gather grapes came to you, would they not leave some grapes behind? If robbers came during the night, would they not take only what was enough for them? ¹⁰ But I have taken all that Esau has. I have taken the covering from his hiding places so that he will not be able to hide himself. His children, his brothers, and his neighbors are destroyed. And he is no more. ¹¹ Leave your children behind, who have lost their parents, and I will keep them alive. And let your women whose husbands have died trust in Me.” ¹² For the Lord says, “If those who were not to drink the cup must drink it, will you go without being punished? You will not go without being punished, but you must drink it. ¹³ For I have promised by Myself,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah will become an object of trouble, a shame, a waste, and a curse. All its cities will be destroyed forever.”

¹⁴ I have heard word from the Lord. A man with news is sent among the nations, saying, “Gather together and come against her! Rise up for battle! ¹⁵ For I have made you small among the nations, hated among men. ¹⁶ As for the fear you have caused, the pride of your heart has fooled you, O you who live in the holes of rocks, who live on the top of the hill. Even if you make your nest as high as an eagle’s, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord. ¹⁷ ‘Edom will become an object of trouble. Everyone who passes by will be surprised and will make fun of all its suffering. ¹⁸ As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors were destroyed, no one will live there,” says the Lord. “No man will live there. ¹⁹ One will come up like a lion from the trees by the Jordan to rich grass fields. All at once I will make him run away from Edom. And I will make whoever I choose rule over it. For who is like Me? Who will call Me into court? What shepherd can stand against Me?”

²⁰ So hear the plan the Lord has made against Edom. Listen to His plans which He has made against the people of Teman. Even the little ones of the flock will be pulled away. For sure He will make their fields an empty waste because of them. ²¹ The earth will shake at the sound of their fall. The sound of their cry will be heard at the Red Sea. ²² See, one will come and fly down in a hurry like an eagle. He will spread out his wings against Bozrah. In that day the hearts of the strong men of Edom will be like the heart of a woman giving birth.

God Speaks through Jeremiah about Damascus

²³ About Damascus, He says, “Hamath and Arpad are troubled, for they have heard bad news. Their hearts have become weak. They are troubled like the sea which cannot be quiet. ²⁴ Damascus has become weak. She has turned to run away. Fear has taken hold of her. Pain and sorrows have taken hold of her like a woman giving birth. ²⁵ Why does the city of praise, the town of My joy, still have people in it? ²⁶ For sure her young men will fall in her streets. And all the men of war will be destroyed in that day,” says the Lord of All. ²⁷ “I will set fire to the wall of Damascus. And it will burn up the strong towers of Ben-hadad.”

God Speaks through Jeremiah about Kedar and Hazor

²⁸ About Kedar and the nations of Hazor, which were beaten in battle by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord says, “Get up and go to Kedar, and destroy the men of the east. ²⁹ Their tents and their flocks will be taken. Their tent curtains, and all their good things, and their camels will be carried away for themselves. And men will call out to them, ‘Trouble is on every side!’ ³⁰ Run! Run far away! Live in the deep places, O people of Hazor,” says the Lord. “For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has made a plan against you. He has thought of a way to hurt you. ³¹ Get up and go to fight against a nation which is at rest and lives without fear,” says the Lord. “It has no gates with pieces of iron. And its people live alone. ³² Their camels and their many cattle will become a prize of war. I will send everywhere to the winds those who are in the farthest places. I will bring trouble to them from every side,” says the Lord. ³³ “Hazor will become a place where wild dogs live, a waste place forever. No man will live there, and no man will stay there.”

God Speaks through Jeremiah about Elam

³⁴ This is the Word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the man of God about Elam, at the beginning of the rule of King Zedekiah of Judah, saying, ³⁵ “The Lord of All says, ‘I will break the bow of Elam, the best of their strength. ³⁶ I will bring the four winds to Elam from the four ends of heaven. And I will have these winds send them everywhere. There will not be a nation to which the people sent out of Elam will not go. ³⁷ I will fill Elam with fear in front of those who hate them and want to kill them. I will bring much trouble upon them, even My burning anger,’ says the Lord. ‘I will send the sword after them until I have destroyed them. ³⁸ Then I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy their kings and leaders,’ says the Lord. ³⁹ ‘But in the last days I will return the people of Elam to their land,’” says the Lord.

Melchizedek—Like Christ

7 Melchizedek was king of Salem. He was a religious leader for God. When Abraham was coming back from the war where many kings were killed, Melchizedek met Abraham and showed respect to him. ² Abraham gave Melchizedek one-tenth part of all he had. Melchizedek’s name means king of what is right. Salem means peace. So he is king of peace. ³ Melchizedek was without a father or mother or any family. He had no beginning of life or end of life. He is a religious leader forever like the Son of God.

⁴ We can see how great Melchizedek was. Abraham gave him one-tenth part of all he had taken in the war. ⁵ The Law made the family of Levi the Jewish religious leaders. The Law said that the religious leaders were to take one-tenth part of everything from their own people. ⁶ Melchizedek was not even from the family group of Levi but Abraham paid him. Melchizedek showed respect to Abraham who was the one who had received God’s promises. ⁷ The one who shows respect is always greater than the one who receives it. ⁸ Jewish religious leaders receive one-tenth part. They are men and they all die. But here Melchizedek received one-tenth part and is alive. ⁹ We might say that Levi, who receives one-tenth part, paid one-tenth part through Abraham. ¹⁰ Levi was not yet born. He was still inside Abraham’s body when Abraham paid Melchizedek.

¹¹ The Law was given during the time when Levi and his sons were the religious leaders. If the work of those religious leaders had been perfect in taking away the sins of the people, there would have been no need for another religious leader. But one like Melchizedek was needed and not one from the family group of Aaron. ¹² For when the family group of religious leaders changed, the Law had to be changed also. ¹³ These things speak of Christ Who is from another family group. That family group never had a religious leader who killed animals and gave gifts at the altar for the sins of the people. ¹⁴ Our Lord came from the family group of Judah. Moses did not write anything about religious leaders coming from that family group.

A Different Religious Leader Has Come

¹⁵ We can see that a different Religious Leader has come. This One is like Melchizedek. ¹⁶ Christ did not become a Religious Leader by coming from the family group of Levi as the Law said had to be. He became the Religious Leader by the power of a life that never ends. ¹⁷ The Holy Writings say this about Christ, “You are a Religious Leader forever like Melchizedek.” ^(A)

¹⁸ God put the Law of Moses aside. It was weak and could not be used. ¹⁹ For the Law of Moses could not make men right with God. Now there is a better hope through which we can come near to God.

²⁰ God made a promise when Christ became the Religious Leader Who made the way for man to go to God. ²¹ God did not make such a promise when Levi’s family group became religious leaders. But when Christ became a Religious Leader, this is the promise God made, “The Lord has made a promise. He will never change His mind. You will be a Religious Leader forever.” ^{(B) 22} Christ makes this New Way of Worship sure for us because of God’s promise. ²³ There had to be many religious leaders during the time of the Old Way of Worship. They died and others had to keep on in their work. ²⁴ But Jesus lives forever. He is the Religious Leader forever. It will never change. ²⁵ And so Jesus is able, now and forever, to save from the punishment of sin all who come to God through Him because He lives forever to pray for them.

²⁶ We need such a Religious Leader Who made the way for man to go to God. Jesus is holy and has no guilt. He has never sinned and is different from sinful men. He has the place of honor above the heavens. ²⁷ Christ is not like other religious leaders. They had to give gifts every day on the altar in worship for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. Christ did not have to do that. He gave one gift on the altar and that gift was Himself. It was done once and it was for all time. ²⁸ The Law makes religious leaders of men. These men are not perfect. After the Law was given, God spoke with a promise. He made His Son a perfect Religious Leader forever.