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 says Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Woe to Nebo, because it is about to be destroyed; Kiriathaim will be put to shame, it will be taken captive. The fortress is put to shame and broken down.
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." You also, Madmen, shall be brought to silence: the sword shall pursue you.
3 A voice of clamor from Horonaim: devastation and great destruction!
The sound of a cry from Horonaim, "destruction and great calamity."
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 at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distress of the 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 shrub 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 you have trusted in your works and in your treasures, you also shall be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his officials 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.
The destroyer shall come on every city, and no city shall escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed; as Jehovah has 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 to Moab, that she may fly and get her away: and her cities shall become a desolation, without any to dwell in them.'
10 Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully. And cursed is he who prohibits his sword from blood.
Cursed is he who does the work of Jehovah negligently; and cursed is he who keeps 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 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 remains 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 look, 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 And Moab will be confounded by Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was shamed by Bethel, in which they had faith.
Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.
14 How can you say: ‘We are strong and robust men of battle?’
How can you say, "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 laid waste, and they are gone up into his cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter,' says the King, whose name is Jehovah 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 hurries 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?’
All you who are around him, bemoan him, and all you who 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.
You daughter who dwells in Dibon, come down from your glory, and sit in thirst; for the destroyer of Moab has come up against you, he has destroyed your 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?’
Inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and watch: ask him who flees, and her who escapes; say, "What has 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 disappointed; for it is broken down: wail and cry; tell it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste."
21 and judgment has arrived upon the land of the plains: upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath,
Judgment has come on the plain country, on Holon, and on Jahzah, and on Mephaath,
22 and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon the house of Deblathaim,
and on Dibon, and on Nebo, and on Beth Diblathaim,
23 and upon Kiriathaim, and upon the house of Gamul, and upon the house of Meon,
and on Kiriathaim, and on Beth Gamul, and on 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 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 away, and his arm has been crushed, says the Lord.
The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken,' says Jehovah.
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 him drunk; for he magnified himself against Jehovah: 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 wasn't Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For as often as you speak of him, you shake your 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.
You inhabitants of Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock; and be like the dove that makes her nest over the mouth of the abyss.
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--of his pride, and his vanity, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness 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 wrath,' says Jehovah, 'that it is nothing; his boastings have worked nothing.
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 I will wail for Moab; yes, I will cry out for all Moab; I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
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 you, vine of Sibmah: your branches passed over the sea, they reached even to Jazer; on your summer fruits and on your vintage the destroyer 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.
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 wine presses: 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 to Elealeh, even to Jahaz have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even to Horonaim, to Eglath Shelishiyah: for the waters of Nimrim also shall become 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.
And I will cause to cease in Moab,' says Jehovah, 'the one who offers sacrifice upon the high place, and the one who burns incense 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 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 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: on all the hands are cuttings, and on the waist 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 its streets there is lamentation every where; for I have broken Moab like a vessel in which none delights,' says Jehovah.
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 it is broken down. How they wail. How Moab has turned the back with shame. So shall Moab become a derision and a terror to all who are around him.'
40 Thus says the Lord: “Behold, he will fly like the eagle, and he will extend his wings to Moab.
For thus says Jehovah: 'Look, he shall fly as an eagle, 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.
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 And Moab will cease to be a people. For he has been glorified against the Lord.
Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against Jehovah.
43 Terror and the pit and the snare will overwhelm you, O inhabitant of Moab, says the Lord.
Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are on you, inhabitant of Moab, says Jehovah.
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 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 on him, even on Moab, the year of their visitation,' says Jehovah.
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.
'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 city of Sihon, and it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, and the crown of the sons of tumult.
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 to you, O Moab. The people of Chemosh is undone; for your sons are taken away captive, and your 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 bring back the captivity of Moab in the latter days,' says Jehovah. Thus far is the judgment of Moab."
