Isaiah 15
1 A message about Moab. The town of Ar in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a single night! The town of Kir in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a single night!
[I received] this message [from Yahweh] about the Moab [people-group]: In one night [two of your important cities], Ar and Kir, will be destroyed.
2 The people of Dibon go up to their temple to weep at its high places. The Moabites weep over the towns of Nebo and Medeba. Every head has been shaved, every beard has been cut off in mourning.
The people of Dibon, [your capital city, ] will go to their temple to mourn/weep; they will go to [their shrines] on the hilltops to weep. They will wail because of [what happened to] Nebo and Medeba [towns in the south]; they will all shave the hair of their heads, and the men will cut off their beards [to show that they are grieving].
3 They wear sackcloth in their streets. On the rooftops and in the open squares they all weep, falling down crying.
In the streets people will wear rough sackcloth, and on their [flat] rooftops and in the [city] plazas everyone will wail, with tears streaming down their faces.
4 The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out in sadness, their voices heard as far as Jahaz. That's why even the bravest soldiers of Moab shout—because they're so terrified.
[The people of] Heshbon [city] and Elealeh [towns in the north of Moab] will cry out; people as far away as Jahaz [town in the south] will hear them wailing. Therefore the soldiers of Moab will tremble and cry out and they will be very afraid [IDM].
5 I weep over Moab. Moabite refugees run all the way to Zoar and to Eglath-shelishiyah. Weeping they go up Luhith hill; crying for their destruction they walk along the road to Horonaim.
I feel very sorry for [the people of] Moab; they will flee to Zoar and Eglath-Shelishiyah [towns in the far south]. They will cry as they walk up to Luhith [town]. All along the road to Horonaim [town] people will mourn because their country has been destroyed.
6 The waters of Nimrim have all dried up. The grass is withered, all the vegetation has disappeared—nothing green is left.
The water in Nimrim [Valley] will have dried up. The grass there will be withered; the green plants will [all] be gone, and there will be nothing left that is green.
7 Everything they had gained, all their possessions, they have to carry across Willow River.
The people will pick up their possessions and carry them across Willows Brook.
8 Their cry of grief echoes through the whole country of Moab; their wailing and mourning extends all the way from Eglaim to Beer-elim.
Throughout the country of Moab, [people] will be crying; people as far away as Eglaim [in the south] and Beer-Elim [in the north] will hear them wailing.
9 River Dimon is full of blood, but I will bring more upon the town of Dimon—a lion to attack the Moabite refugees and those who are left in the country.
The stream near Dimon will become red from the blood [of people who have been killed], but I will cause the people of Moab to experience even more [trouble]: Lions will attack those who [are trying to] escape from Moab and will [also] attack the people who remain in that country.
