Jeremiah 48

1 Concerning Moab: “Thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel: Woe to Nebo, for it is spoiled, Kiriathaim has been captured [and] put to shame, The high tower has been put to shame, Indeed, it has been broken down.

Against Moab thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe to Nebo! for it is laid waste: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed.

2 There is no longer praise of Moab, In Heshbon they devised evil against her: Come, and we cut it off from [being] a nation, Also, O Madmen, you are cut off, A sword goes after 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 thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee.

3 A voice of a cry [is] from Horonaim, Spoiling and great destruction.

A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, violence and great destruction.

4 Moab has been destroyed, Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.

Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.

5 For the ascent of Luhith with weeping, Weeping goes up, For in the descent of Horonaim Adversaries have heard a cry of desolation.

For in the ascent of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

6 Flee, deliver yourselves, You are as a naked thing in a wilderness.

Flee, save your lives, and be like the naked tree in the wilderness.

7 For because of your trusting in your works, And in your treasures, even you are captured, And Chemosh has gone out in a removal, His priests and his heads 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 with his priests and his princes together.

8 And a spoiler comes to every city, And no city escapes, And the valley has perished, And the plain has been destroyed, as YHWH said.

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 wings to Moab, that she may go forth and flee away, And her cities are for a desolation, Without an inhabitant in them.

Give wings to Moab, that it may flee and get away: for its cities shall be desolate, without any to dwell in them.

10 Cursed [is] he who is doing the work of YHWH slothfully, And cursed [is] he Who is withholding his sword from blood.

Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.

11 Moab is secure from his youth, And he [is] at rest for his preserved things, And he has not been emptied out from vessel to vessel, And he has not gone into captivity, Therefore his taste has remained in him, And his fragrance has not been 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 remained in him, and his scent is not changed.

12 Therefore, behold, days are coming, A declaration of YHWH, And I have sent wanderers to him, And they have caused him to wander, And they empty out his vessels, And they dash his bottles in pieces.

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith 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 And Moab has been ashamed because of Chemosh, As the house of Israel has been ashamed Because of Beth-El, their confidence.

And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.

14 How do you say, We [are] mighty, And men of strength for battle?

How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war?

15 Moab is spoiled, and has gone up [from] her cities, And the choice of its young men Have gone down to slaughter, An affirmation of the King, YHWH of Hosts [is] His Name.

Moab is laid waste, and gone up out of 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 destruction of Moab is near to come, And his calamity has hurried exceedingly.

The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.

17 Bemoan for him, all you around him, And all knowing his name, say, How it has been broken, the staff of strength, The rod of beauty!

All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!

18 Come down from glory, sit in thirst, O inhabitant, daughter of Dibon, For a spoiler of Moab has come up to you, He has destroyed your fortifications.

Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong holds.

19 Stand on the way, and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer, Ask the fugitive and escaped, Say, What has happened?

O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and watch; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done?

20 Moab has been put to shame, For it has been broken down, Howl and cry, declare in Arnon, For Moab is spoiled,

Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: wail and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is laid waste,

21 And judgment has come to the land of the plain—to Holon, And to Jahazah, and on Mephaath,

And judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,

22 And on Dibon, and on Nebo, And on Beth-Diblathaim, and on Kirathaim,

And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Bethdiblathaim,

23 And on Beth-Gamul, and on Beth-Meon,

And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Bethmeon,

24 And on Kerioth, and on Bozrah, And on all cities of the land of Moab, The far off and the 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 down, And his arm has been broken, A declaration of YHWH.

The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the LORD.

26 Declare him drunk, For he made himself great against YHWH And Moab has struck in his vomit, And he has been for a derision—even he.

Make ye him drunk: for he magnified himself against the LORD: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.

27 And was Israel not the derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For since your words concerning him, You bemoan yourself.

For was not Israel a derision to thee? was he found among thieves? for since thou hast spoken of him, thou didst leap for joy.

28 Forsake cities, and dwell in a rock, You inhabitants of Moab, And be as a dove making a nest in the passages of a pit’s mouth.

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 hole’s mouth.

29 We have heard of the arrogance of Moab, Exceedingly proud! His haughtiness, and his arrogance, And his pride, and the height of his 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 have known, a declaration of YHWH, His wrath, and [it is] not right, His boastings—they have done nothing right.

I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it.

31 Therefore I howl for Moab, even for Moab—all of it, I cry for men of Kir-Heres, it mourns,

Therefore will I wail for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; my heart shall mourn for the men of Kirheres.

32 With the weeping of Jazer, I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah, Your branches have passed over a sea, They have come to the Sea of Jazer, On your summer fruits, and on your harvest, A spoiler has fallen.

O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants have gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler hath fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.

33 And joy and gladness have been removed from the fruitful field, Even from the land of Moab, And I have caused wine to cease from winepresses, Shouting does not proceed, The shouting [is] not shouting!

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 Because of the cry of Heshbon to Elealeh, They have given their voice to Jahaz, From Zoar to Horonaim, A heifer of the third [year], For even [the] waters of Nimrim become desolations.

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 And I have caused to cease in Moab, A declaration of YHWH, Him who is offering in a high place, And him who is making incense to his god.

Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.

36 Therefore My heart sounds as pipes for Moab, And My heart sounds as pipes for men of Kir-Heres, Therefore the abundance he made 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 hath gotten have perished.

37 For every head [is] bald, and every beard diminished, On all hands—cuttings, and on the loins—sackcloth.

For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

38 On all roofs of Moab, and in her broad-places, All of it—lamentation, For I have broken Moab as a vessel in which there is no pleasure,” A declaration of YHWH.

There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in its streets: for I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure, saith the LORD.

39 “How it has been broken down! They have howled, How Moab has turned the neck ashamed! And Moab has been for a derision And for a terror to all around her.”

They shall wail, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him.

40 For thus said YHWH: “Behold, he flees as an eagle, And has spread his wings to Moab.

For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.

41 The cities have been captured, And the strongholds are caught, And the heart of the mighty of Moab Has been in that day as the heart of a distressed woman.

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 And Moab has been destroyed from [being] a people, For he exerted himself against YHWH.

And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD.

43 Fear, and a snare, and a trap, [are] for you, O inhabitant of Moab—a declaration of YHWH,

Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.

44 Whoever is fleeing because of the fear falls into the snare, And whoever is coming up from the snare is captured by the trap, For I bring to her—to Moab—The year of their inspection, A declaration of YHWH.

He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their punishment, saith the LORD.

45 In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives have stood powerless, For fire has gone forth from Heshbon, And a flame from within Sihon, And it consumes the corner of Moab, And the crown of the sons of Shaon.

They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst 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 were taken with the captives, And your daughters with the captivity.

Woe be to thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.

47 And I have turned back [to] the captivity of Moab, In the latter end of the days,” A declaration of YHWH! “Until now [is] the judgment of Moab.”

Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.