Jeremiah 48
1 Concerning Moab, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it will be devastated. Kiriathaim will be captured and disgraced; the fortress will be shattered and dismantled.
Of Moab. Thus says Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe to Nebo! For it is laid waste. Kiriathaim is put to shame; it is taken. Misgab is put to shame and broken down.
2 There is no longer praise for Moab; in Heshbon they devise evil against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from nationhood.’ You too, O people of Madmen, will be silenced; the sword will pursue you.
The praise of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: Come, and let us cut her off from being a nation. Thou also, O madmen, shall be brought to silence. The sword shall pursue thee.
3 A voice cries out from Horonaim: ‘Devastation and great destruction!’
The sound of a cry from Horonaim: Desolation and great destruction!
4 Moab will be shattered; her little ones will cry out.
Moab is destroyed. Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
5 For on the ascent to Luhith they weep bitterly as they go, and on the descent to Horonaim cries of distress resound over the destruction:
For they shall go up by the ascent of Luhith with continual weeping, for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distress of the cry of destruction.
6 ‘Flee! Run for your lives! Become like a juniper in the desert.’
Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.
7 Because you trust in your works and treasures, you too will be captured, and Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials.
For, because thou have trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his rulers together.
8 The destroyer will move against every city, and not one town will escape. The valley will also be ruined, and the high plain will be destroyed, as the LORD has said.
And the destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape. The valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as Jehovah has spoken.
9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste; her cities will become desolate, with no one to dwell in them.
Give wings to Moab, that she may fly and get her away. And her cities shall become a desolation, without any to dwell therein.
10 Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.
Cursed be he who does the work of Jehovah negligently, and cursed be he who keeps back his sword from blood.
11 Moab has been at ease from youth, settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel or gone into exile. So his flavor has remained the same, and his aroma is unchanged.
Moab has been at ease from his youth, and he has settled on his lees, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed.
12 Therefore behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will send to him wanderers, who will pour him out. They will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.
Therefore, behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will send to him those who pour off, and they shall pour him off. And they shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles in pieces.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.
And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.
14 How can you say, ‘We are warriors, mighty men ready for battle’?
How can ye say, We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war?
15 Moab has been destroyed and its towns have been invaded; the best of its young men have gone down in the slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts.
Moab is laid waste, and they have gone up into his cities. And his chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter, says the King, whose name is Jehovah of hosts.
16 Moab’s calamity is at hand, and his affliction is rushing swiftly.
The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hastens fast.
17 Mourn for him, all you who surround him, everyone who knows his name; tell how the mighty scepter is shattered— the glorious staff!
All ye who are round about him, bemoan him, and all ye who know his name, say, How the strong staff has broken, the beautiful rod!
18 Come down from your glory; sit on parched ground, O daughter dwelling in Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses.
O thou daughter who dwells in Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst, for the destroyer of Moab has come up against thee. He has destroyed thy strongholds.
19 Stand by the road and watch, O dweller of Aroer! Ask the man fleeing or the woman escaping, ‘What has happened?’
O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and watch. Ask him who flees, and her who escapes. Say, What has been done?
20 Moab is put to shame, for it has been shattered. Wail and cry out! Declare by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.
Moab is put to shame, for it is broken down. Wail and cry, tell ye it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste.
21 Judgment has come upon the high plain— upon Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,
And judgment has come upon the plain country: upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath,
22 upon Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,
and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim,
23 upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,
and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon,
24 upon Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns of Moab, those far and near.
and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
25 The horn of Moab has been cut off, and his arm is broken,”
The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, says Jehovah.
26 “Make him drunk, because he has magnified himself against the LORD; so Moab will wallow in his own vomit, and he will also become a laughingstock.
Make ye him drunken, for he magnified himself against Jehovah. And Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.
27 Was not Israel your object of ridicule? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.
For was not Israel a derision to thee? Was he found among thieves? For as often as thou speak of him, thou wag the head.
28 Abandon the towns and settle among the rocks, O dwellers of Moab! Be like a dove that nests at the mouth of a cave.
O ye inhabitants of Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that makes her nest over the mouth of an abyss.
29 We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his proud arrogance and haughtiness of heart.
We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud, his loftiness, and his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.
30 I know his insolence,” declares the LORD, “but it is futile. His boasting is as empty as his deeds.
I know his wrath, says Jehovah, that it is nothing. His boastings have wrought nothing.
31 Therefore I will wail for Moab; I will cry out for all of Moab; I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.
Therefore I will wail for Moab, yea, I will cry out for all Moab. For they shall mourn the men of Kir-heres.
32 I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah, more than I weep for Jazer. Your tendrils have extended to the sea; they reach even to Jazer. The destroyer has descended on your summer fruit and grape harvest.
With more than the weeping of Jazer I will weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah. Thy branches passed over the sea. They reached even to the sea of Jazer. The destroyer has fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.
33 Joy and gladness are removed from the orchard and from the fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; their shouts are not for joy.
And gladness and joy is taken away from the fruitful field and from the land of Moab. And I have caused wine to cease from the winepresses. None shall tread with shouting. The shouting shall be no shouting.
34 There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh; they raise their voices to Jahaz, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim have dried up.
From the cry of Heshbon even to Elealeh, even to Jahaz they have uttered their voice, from Zoar even to Horonaim, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also shall become desolate.
35 In Moab, declares the LORD, I will bring an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods.
Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, says Jehovah, him who offers in the high place, and him who burns incense to his gods.
36 Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres, because the wealth they acquired has perished.
Therefore my heart sounds for Moab like pipes, and my heart sounds like pipes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore the abundance that he has gotten is perished.
37 For every head is shaved and every beard is clipped; on every hand is a gash, and around every waist is sackcloth.
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped. Upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
38 On all the rooftops of Moab and in the public squares, everyone is mourning; for I have shattered Moab like an unwanted jar,”
On all the housetops of Moab and in the streets thereof there is lamentation everywhere. For I have broken Moab like a vessel of which none delights, says Jehovah.
39 “How shattered it is! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule and horror to all those around him.”
How it is broken down! How they do wail! How Moab has turned the back with shame! So Moab shall become a derision and a horror to all who are round about him.
40 For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
For thus says Jehovah: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.
41 Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are seized, and the heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation because he vaunted himself against the LORD.
And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against Jehovah.
43 Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,”
Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, says Jehovah.
44 “Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,”
He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit, and he who gets up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare. For I will bring upon him, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, says Jehovah.
45 “Those who flee will stand helpless in Heshbon’s shadow, because fire has gone forth from Heshbon and a flame from within Sihon. It devours the foreheads of Moab and the skulls of the sons of tumult.
Those who fled stand without strength under the shadow of Heshbon. For a fire has gone forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and has devoured the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.
46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished; for your sons have been taken into exile and your daughters have gone into captivity.
Woe to thee, O Moab! The people of Chemosh is undone, for thy sons are taken away captive, and thy daughters into captivity.
47 Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.
Yet I will bring back the captivity of Moab in the latter days, says Jehovah. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
