Jeremiah 48
1 Against Moab, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe upon Nebo! For it has been devastated and confounded. Kiriathaim has been seized; the strong one has been confounded and has trembled.
Of Moab. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled; Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; Misgab is put to shame and dismayed.
2 There is no longer any rejoicing in Moab over Heshbon. They have devised evil. ‘Come and let us destroy it as a nation.’ Then you will be utterly silenced, and 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, shalt be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue thee.
3 A voice of clamor from Horonaim: devastation and great destruction!
Hark! a cry from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction!
4 Moab has been crushed. Announce an outcry for her little ones.
Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
5 For, along the ascent of Luhith, the mourner will ascend with weeping. For, on the descent of Horonaim, the enemies have heard the wailing of devastation.
For by the ascent of Luhith with continual weeping shall they go up; for in the going down of Horonaim they have heard the distressing cry of destruction.
6 Flee, save your lives! And you shall be like a saltcedar tree in the desert.
Flee, save your lives, and be like a tamarisk in the wilderness.
7 For because you have had faith in your fortifications and in your storehouses, you too will be seized. And Chemosh will go into captivity: his priests and his leaders together.
For, because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou also shalt be taken; and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his princes together.
8 And the despoiler will overwhelm every city, and not a single city will be saved. And the valleys will perish, and the fields will be destroyed. For the Lord has spoken.
And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed; as the LORD hath spoken.
9 Give a blossom to Moab. For it will depart when it is blossoming. And its cities will become desolate and uninhabited.
Give wings unto Moab, for she must fly and get away; and her cities shall become a desolation, without any to dwell therein.
10 Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully. And cursed is he who prohibits his sword from blood.
Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD with a slack hand, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
11 Moab has been fertile from his youth, and he has rested amid his brood. And he has not been transferred from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into the transmigration. Therefore, his taste has remained with him, and his scent has not changed.
Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity; therefore his taste remaineth in him, and his scent is not changed.
12 Because of this, behold, the days are approaching, says the Lord, when I will send to him those who will line up and knock down his bottles, and they will knock him down and empty his vessels, and they will break their bottles against one another.
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will send unto him them that tilt up, and they shall tilt him up; and they shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles in pieces.
13 And Moab will be confounded by Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was shamed by Bethel, in which they had faith.
And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence.
14 How can you say: ‘We are strong and robust men of battle?’
How say ye: 'We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war'?
15 Moab has been devastated, and they have cut down her cities. And her elect young men have descended to slaughter. So says the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
Moab is spoiled, and they are gone up into her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
16 The passing away of Moab draws near and arrives. Its evil will rush forward with great speed.
The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.
17 Console him, all you who surround him and all you who know his name. Say: ‘How has the strong staff become broken, the glorious staff?’
Bemoan him, all ye that are round about him, and all ye that know his name; say: 'How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful rod!'
18 Descend from your glory, and sit in thirst, O habitation of the daughter of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has ascended to you; he has dissipated your fortifications.
O thou daughter that dwellest in Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab is come up against thee, he hath destroyed thy strongholds.
19 Stand in the way, and gaze out, O habitation of Aroer! Question him who is fleeing, and say to him who has escaped: ‘What has happened?’
O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and watch; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth; say: 'What hath been done?'
20 Moab has been confounded, because he has been conquered. Wail and cry out! Announce it in Arnon: Moab has been devastated,
Moab is put to shame, for it is dismayed; wail and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled.
21 and judgment has arrived upon the land of the plains: upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath,
And judgment is come upon the country of the Plain; upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath;
22 and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon the house of Deblathaim,
and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim;
23 and upon Kiriathaim, and upon the house of Gamul, and upon the house of Meon,
and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon;
24 and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, those far away and those nearby.
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 away, and his arm has been crushed, says the Lord.
The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the LORD.
26 Inebriate him, for he has lifted himself up against the Lord. And Moab will thrust his hand into his own vomit, and also now he himself will become a derision.
Make ye him drunken, for he magnified himself against the LORD; and Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.
27 For Israel had been a derision to them. It was as if you had discovered him among thieves. Because of your own words, then, which you have spoken against him, you will be led away captive.
For was not Israel a derision unto thee? Was he found among thieves? For as often as thou speakest of him, thou waggest the head.
28 Relinquish the cities, and live upon a rock, O inhabitants of Moab, and be like a dove nesting at the mouth of an opening at the summit.
O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock; and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the pit's mouth.
29 We have listened to the arrogance of Moab; he is very proud: his exaltation, and arrogance, and pride, and the loftiness of his heart.
We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud; his loftiness, and his pride, and his haughtiness, and the assumption of his heart.
30 I myself know, says the Lord, his boasting, and that his ability is not in accord with it, nor is it in accord with what he has been striving to do.
I know his arrogancy, saith the LORD, that it is ill-founded; his boastings have wrought nothing well-founded.
31 For this reason, I will wail over Moab, and I will cry out to all of Moab, to the men on the brick wall who are lamenting.
Therefore will I wail for Moab; yea, I will cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-heres shall my heart moan.
32 O vineyard of Sibmah, I will weep for you, with the mourning of Jazer. Your offshoots have crossed over the sea. They have reached even to the sea of Jazer. The despoiler has rushed over your harvest and your vintage.
With more than the weeping of Jazer will I weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah; thy branches passed over the sea, they reached even to the sea of Jazer; upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage the spoiler is fallen.
33 Rejoicing and exultation has been taken away from Carmel and from the land of Moab. And I have taken the wine from the winepresses. The treader of grapes will no longer sing the usual rhythmic chant.
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 From the outcry of Heshbon, even to Elealeh and Jahzah, they have uttered their voice; from Zoar, even to Horonaim, like a three year old calf. So too, the waters of Nimrim will be very bad.
From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, even unto Jahaz have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, a heifer of three years old; for the Waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.
35 And I will take away from Moab, says the Lord, the one who makes offerings in exalted places, and the one who sacrifices to his gods.
Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth in the high place, and him that offereth to his gods.
36 Because of this, my heart will resound for Moab, like the pipes, and my heart will make a sound like the pipes for the men on the brick wall. For he has done more than he was able, yet still they have perished.
Therefore my heart moaneth for Moab like pipes, and my heart moaneth like pipes for the men of Kir-heres; therefore the abundance that he hath gotten is perished.
37 For every head will be bald, and every beard will be shaved. All the hands will be bound together, and there will be haircloth on every back.
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped; upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
38 Over all the rooftops of Moab, and in its streets, everyone will mourn. For I have crushed Moab like a useless vessel, says the Lord.
On all the housetops of Moab and in the broad places thereof there is lamentation every where; for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD.
39 How was it conquered, so that they would wail? How is it that Moab has cast down his neck and been confounded? And Moab will be a derision and an example to everyone around him.”
'How is it broken down!' wail ye! 'How hath Moab turned the back with shame!' So shall Moab become a derision and a dismay to all that are round about him.
40 Thus says the Lord: “Behold, he will fly like the eagle, and he will extend his wings to Moab.
For thus saith the LORD: Behold, he shall swoop as a vulture, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.
41 Kerioth has been captured, and the fortifications have been taken. And in that day, the heart of the strong ones of Moab will be like the heart of a woman giving birth.
The cities are 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 And Moab will cease to be a people. For he has been glorified against the Lord.
And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD.
43 Terror and the pit and the snare will overwhelm you, O inhabitant of Moab, says the Lord.
Terror, and the pit, and the trap, are upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.
44 Whoever flees from the terror will fall into the pit. And whoever climbs out of the pit will be seized by the snare. For I will lead over Moab the year of their visitation, says the Lord.
He that fleeth from the terror shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the trap; for I will bring upon her, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
45 Those fleeing from the snare stood in the shadow of Heshbon. For a fire has gone forth from Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and it will devour the portion of Moab, and the top of the head of the sons of tumult.
In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand without strength; for a fire is gone forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and it devoureth the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.
46 Woe to you, O Moab! You have been ruined, O people of Chemosh! For your sons and your daughters have been taken into captivity.
Woe unto thee, O Moab! The people of Chemosh is undone; for thy sons are taken away captive, and thy daughters into captivity.
47 But I will convert the captivity of Moab in the last days, says the Lord.” Such are the judgments of Moab thus far.
Yet will I turn the captivity of Moab in the end of days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
