Jeremiah 48
1 Of Moab. "Thus says the LORD 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.
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Moab: Disaster is coming to the town of Nebo, because it will be destroyed. The town of Kiriathaim will be captured and humiliated; the fortress will be torn down and its people shamed.
2 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.
No one praises Moab anymore. People in Heshbon are plotting, “We will destroy Moab as a nation. People of the town of Madmen, we will silence you too—you will be attacked by swords and chased down.”
3 The sound of a cry from Horonaim, "destruction and great calamity."
Listen to the cries from Horonaim: “Violence and terrible destruction!”
4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
Moab will be smashed. Hear the little ones crying for help.
5 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.
People weep as they go up to Luhith; and as they come down to Horonaim their sad cries at the destruction echo around.
6 "Flee, save your lives, and be like a shrub in the wilderness."
Run away! Save yourselves! Be like a scrawny tamarisk tree in the desert!
7 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.
It's because you put your confidence in what you do and what you own that you too will be captured. Your god Chemosh will be taken into exile along with his priests and leaders.
8 The destroyer 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.
The invaders will attack every town; not a single one will escape destruction. The valley will be ruined, and the plain will be destroyed, for the Lord has spoken.
9 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.'
Put up gravestones in Moab, because the country will become a wasteland. Its towns will be turned into ruins where no one lives.
10 Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD negligently; and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
A curse on those who don't do the Lord's work properly. A curse on those who don't use their swords to kill.
11 '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.
The people of Moab have been living comfortably since the country was founded. They're like wine that hasn't been disturbed, not poured from one container to another. So the taste and fragrance remains the same. They haven't experienced exile.
12 Therefore look, the days come,' says the LORD, '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.
But watch out, the time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will send them “winemakers” who will pour them out like wine. They will empty out the Moabites, and smash them like jars.
13 Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.
Then the Moabites will feel let down by Chemosh, just as the people of Israel felt let down when they trusted in the golden calf idol at Bethel.
14 How can you say, "We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war?"
How on earth can you Moabites say, “We're heroes, strong men ready to fight in battle”?
15 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 the LORD of hosts.
Moab is going to be destroyed and its towns conquered. Its finest young men will be killed, declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
16 The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hurries fast.
Moab's doom is about to happen; destruction is rushing down on them.
17 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."
Mourn for them, all you surrounding nations, everyone who knows them! Let others know how the great scepter has been smashed, the rod that once proudly ruled!
18 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.
Come down from your glory and sit on the dusty ground, you who live in Dibon, for Moab's destroyer will come and attack you, destroying your fortresses.
19 Inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and watch: ask him who flees, and her who escapes; say, "What has been done?"
Stand at the roadside and watch, you who live in Aroer. Ask the men and women who are running away to escape, “What's happened?”
20 "Moab is disappointed; for it is broken down: wail and cry; tell it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste."
Moab has been humiliated because it has been defeated. Weep and wail! Shout out beside the River Arnon that Moab has been destroyed!
21 Judgment has come on the plain country, on Holon, and on Jahzah, and on Mephaath,
Punishment has arrived on the towns of the high plain—on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,
22 and on Dibon, and on Nebo, and on Beth Diblathaim,
on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,
23 and on Kiriathaim, and on Beth Gamul, and on Beth Meon,
on Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,
24 and on Kerioth, and on Bozrah, and on all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
on Kerioth, Bozrah, and on all the towns of Moab, whether far away or nearby.
25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken,' says the LORD.
Moab's strength is gone; their power has been broken, declares the Lord.
26 'Make him drunk; for he magnified himself against the LORD: and Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.
Make the people of Moab drunk, because they defied the Lord. Then they will roll around in their own vomit, as people laugh at them.
27 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.
Didn't you Moabites used to ridicule the Israelites? But they weren't ever found to be thieves, were they? Yet whenever you talk about them, you shake your heads in contempt.
28 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.
You people living in Moab, run from your towns, go and live among the rocks. Be like a dove nesting on the cliffs at the entrance to a ravine.
29 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.
We know all about how pompous Moabites are, how extremely proud and conceited they are, arrogantly thinking so highly of themselves.
30 I know his wrath,' says the LORD, 'that it is nothing; his boastings have worked nothing.
I'm well aware of how disrespectful they are, declares the Lord, but it doesn't matter. They make empty boasts, and what they do is just as empty.
31 therefore I will wail for Moab; yes, I will cry out for all Moab; I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
So I will weep for Moab; I will cry out for all the Moabites; I will mourn for the people of Kir-heres.
32 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.
will weep for you, people of the town of Sibmah with its vineyards, more than I weep for the town of Jazer. Your vines have spread to the sea, and all the way to Jazer. But the destroyer has stolen your harvest of summer fruit and grapes.
33 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.
There's no more celebration and happiness in Moab's orchards and fields. I have stopped the grape juice flowing from the winepresses. No one shouts for joy as they tread out the grapes. No, their shouts now are not because of joy!
34 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.
Cries for help reach from Heshbon to Elealeh and all the way to Jahaz. They're shouting out from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah, for even the water in the Nimrim Brook has dried up.
35 And I will cause to cease in Moab,' says the LORD, 'the one who offers sacrifice upon the high place, and the one who burns incense to his gods.
I'm going to finish off those in Moab who sacrifice on the pagan high places and burn incense to their gods, declares the Lord.
36 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.
So I mourn inside like a flute playing a sad song for Moab; like a flute playing a funeral tune for the people of Kir-heres, because they've lost everything of value that they worked for.
37 For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: on all the hands are cuttings, and on the waist sackcloth.
As signs of their mourning, every head is shaved, every beard is trimmed, every hand has a gash, and every waist is wearing sackcloth.
38 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 the LORD.
Everyone is mourning on all the flat roofs and streets of Moab, because I have smashed the country like a jar nobody wants, declares the Lord.
39 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.'
Moab is completely shattered! Listen to them cry! See how the Moabites turn away in shame! All the surrounding nations are horrified at what's happened to the country, and ridicule its people.
40 For thus says the LORD: 'Look, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.
This is what the Lord says: Watch as an enemy like an eagle swoops down, spreading its wings as it attacks Moab.
41 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.
Kirioth has been conquered, and the fortresses captured. At that time Moab's warriors will be as scared as a woman in labor.
42 Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against the LORD.
Moab will cease to exist as a nation because they defied the Lord.
43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are on you, inhabitant of Moab, says the LORD.
You people living in Moab, what's waiting for you are terror, traps, and snares, declares the Lord.
44 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 the LORD.
You will run away in terror and fall into a trap, and when you climb out of the trap, you'll be caught in a snare. I will do this to the Moabites at the time when they're punished, declares the Lord.
45 '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.
Those who run away will be left defenseless in Heshbon where they went for protection, because fire blazes out from Heshbon, a fire from where Sihon once reigned. It burns up the whole country of Moab and its defiant people.
46 Woe to you, O Moab. The people of Chemosh is undone; for your sons are taken away captive, and your daughters into captivity.
What a disaster has come to you Moabites! The people of Chemosh have been wiped out. Your sons and daughters have been taken prisoner and have gone into exile.
47 Yet will I bring back the captivity of Moab in the latter days,' says the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab."
But even so, later on, I will bring the people of Moab back from exile, declares the Lord. This is the end of the description of the judgment on Moab.
