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.
Against Moab thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe to Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed.
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.
There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also you shall be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue you.
3 A voice cries out from Horonaim: ‘Devastation and great destruction!’
A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling 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 in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a 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 you have trusted in your works and in your treasures, you shall also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes 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 spoiler shall come on every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD 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 it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, 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 that does the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that 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, neither has he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained 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 the LORD, that I will send to him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles.
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 say you, We are mighty and strong 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 spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, says the King, whose name is the LORD 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 you that are about him, bemoan him; and all you that know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and 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.
You daughter that do inhabit Dibon, come down from your glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come on you, and he shall destroy your strong holds.
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 espy; ask him that flees, and her that escapes, and say, What is 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 confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell you it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled,
21 Judgment has come upon the high plain— upon Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,
And judgment is come on the plain country; on Holon, and on Jahazah, and on Mephaath,
22 upon Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,
And on Dibon, and on Nebo, and on Bethdiblathaim,
23 upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,
And on Kiriathaim, and on Bethgamul, and on Bethmeon,
24 upon Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns of Moab, those far and near.
And on Kerioth, and on Bozrah, and on 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 the LORD.
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 you him drunken: for he magnified himself against the LORD: Moab also 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 you? was he found among thieves? for since you spoke of him, you skipped for joy.
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 you that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that makes her nest in the sides of the hole’s mouth.
29 We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his proud arrogance and haughtiness of heart.
We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogance, and his pride, 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 the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it.
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 will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; my heart shall mourn for the men of Kirheres.
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.
O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for you with the weeping of Jazer: your plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen on your summer fruits and on your 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 joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab, and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their 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, and even to Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even to Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be 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 the LORD, him that offers in the high places, and him that 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 shall sound for Moab like pipes, and my heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres: because the riches that he has gotten are 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 shall be bald, and every beard clipped: on all the hands shall be cuttings, and on 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,”
There shall be lamentation generally on all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, says the LORD.
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.”
They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how has Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him.
40 For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
For thus says the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over 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 strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men’s hearts in 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 the LORD.
43 Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,”
Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be on you, O inhabitant of Moab, says the LORD.
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 that flees from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that gets up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring on it, even on Moab, the year of their visitation, says the LORD.
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.
They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the middle of Sihon, and shall devour 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 be to you, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perishes: for your sons are taken captives, and your daughters captives.
47 Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.
Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, says the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
