Jeremiah 48
1 To Moab, Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, “Woe to Nebo, for it has been devastated. Kiriathaim has been humiliated and captured. Her fortress has been disgraced and crushed.
Concerning Moab. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is confounded, is taken. Misgab is confounded and dismayed.
2 The honor of Moab is no more. Their enemies in Heshbon plotted disaster against her. They said, 'Come and let us destroy her as a nation. Madmen will also perish—a sword will go after you.'
Moab shall no more glory in Heshbon; They have devised evil against her; “Come, [[say they, ]] and let us cut her off from being a nation!” Thou also shalt be cut down, O Madmena, The sword shall pursue thee!
3 Listen! A sound of screaming is coming from Horonaim, where there is ruin and great destruction.
A cry is heard from Horonaim, Desolation and great destruction.
4 Moab has been destroyed. Her children have made their cries heard.
Moab is destroyed; Her little ones raise a cry.
5 They go up the hill of Luhith weeping, for on the way down to Horonaim, screams are heard because of the destruction.
At the ascent of Luhith Weeping goeth up after weeping; At the descent of Horonaim is heard a bitter cry of despair.
6 Flee! Save your lives and become like a juniper bush in the wilderness.
Flee ye! save your lives! Be ye like one that has been stripped in the wilderness!
7 For because of your trust in your practices and your wealth, you also will be captured. Then Chemosh will go away into captivity, together with his priests and leaders.
For, because thou hast trusted in thy substance and thy treasures, Thou also shalt be taken And Chemosh shall go into captivity, His priests and his princes together.
8 For the destroyer will come to every city; no city will escape. So the valley will perish and the plain will be devastated, as Yahweh has said.
The spoiler shall come upon every city, And no city shall escape. The valley shall perish, And the plain shall be destroyed, As Jehovah hath spoken.
9 Give wings to Moab, for she must certainly fly away. Her cities will become a wasteland, where there is no one to live in them.
Give wings to Moab, That she may flee away; For her cities shall be a desolation, With none to dwell therein.
10 May anyone who is lazy in doing Yahweh's work be cursed! May anyone who keeps his sword back from shedding blood be cursed!
Cursed be he that doeth the work of Jehovah deceitfully, And cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood!
11 Moab has felt secure since he was young. He is like his wine that has never been poured from pot to pot. He has never gone into captivity. Therefore he tastes as good as ever; his flavor remains unchanged.
Moab hath been at ease from his youth, And he hath settled on his lees, And hath not been drawn off from vessel to vessel, Neither hath he gone into captivity; Therefore his taste hath remained in him, And his flavor hath not changed.
12 So see, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will send him those who will tip him over and pour out all his pots and shatter his jars.
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, That I will send to him tilters, who shall tilt him up, And shall empty his vessels, and break his pitchers in pieces.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh just as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their object of trust.
And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, As the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.
14 How can you say, 'We are soldiers, powerful fighting men'?
How will ye say, “We are mighty, And strong men for war”?
15 Moab will be devastated and its cities attacked. For its finest young men have gone down to the place of slaughter. This is the king's declaration! Yahweh of hosts is his name.
Moab is destroyed; His cities have gone up in smoke, And his chosen young men have gone down to slaughter, Saith the King whose name is Jehovah of hosts.
16 Moab's disaster is soon to happen; calamity is hurrying quickly.
The destruction of Moab is near at hand; His destruction hasteth fast.
17 All you who are around Moab, wail; and all you who know its fame, shout this, 'Woe, the strong staff, the honored rod, has been broken.'
All ye that are about him, bemoan him! And all ye that know him, say, “How is the strong sceptre broken, The splendid staff!”
18 Come down from your honored place and sit on the dry ground, you daughter living in Dibon. For the one who will destroy Moab is attacking you, the one who will destroy your strongholds.
Come down from thy glory and sit in thirst, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab shall come against thee! He shall destroy thy strongholds. Stand by the wayside, and look out,
19 Stand on the road and watch, you people who live in Aroer. Ask the ones who are fleeing and escaping. Say, 'What has happened?'
O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask of him that fleeth, and of her that escapeth, And say, “What hath been done?”
20 Moab has been shamed, for it has been shattered. Howl and lament; shout for help. Tell it to people by the Arnon River that Moab has been devastated.
Moab is confounded; for it is broken down; Howl ye, and cry! Tell ye it in Arnon, That Moab is destroyed!
21 Now punishment has come to the hill country, to Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,
And punishment hath come upon the plain country; Upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,
22 to Dibon, Nebo, and Beth Diblathaim,
And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim.
23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, and Beth Meon,
And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon,
24 To Kerioth and Bozrah, and to all the cities in the land of Moab— the farthest and the closest cities.
And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, And upon all the cities of the land of Moab far and near.
25 The horn of Moab has been hacked off; its arm has been broken—this is Yahweh's declaration.
The horn of Moab is cut off, And his arm is broken, saith Jehovah.
26 Make him drunk, because he acted proudly against Yahweh. Let Moab wallow in his vomit, and let him be an object of ridicule.
Make ye him drunken, for he hath exalted himself against Jehovah; That he also may wallow in his vomit, And be himself also in derision.
27 For did not Israel become an object for laughter to you? Was he found among thieves, so that you shook your head at him as often as you spoke about him?
Was not Israel a derision to thee? Was he found among thieves, That, as often as thou spakest of him, thou shouldst shake thy head?
28 Abandon the cities and camp on the cliffs, inhabitants of Moab. Become like a dove that is nesting over the mouth of a hole in the rocks.
Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove, that maketh her nest in the sides of the mouth of the pit!
29 We have heard of Moab's pride—his arrogance, his haughtiness, his pride, his self-glory and the conceit in his heart.
We have heard of the pride of Moab; He hath been exceeding proud; His loftiness and his arrogance, His pride and the haughtiness of his heart.
30 This is Yahweh's declaration—I myself know his defiant speech, which amounts to nothing, like his deeds.
I, too, know his insolence, saith Jehovah, And his vain boastings. They shall effect nothing.
31 So I will howl a lament for Moab, and I will shout in sorrow for all of Moab. I will lament for the people of Kir Hareseth.
Therefore will I wail for Moab, Even for all Moab will I cry out; For the men of Kir-heres shall there be mourning.
32 I will weep for you more than I did for Jazer, vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed across the Salt Sea and reached as far as Jazer. The destroyers have attacked your summer fruit and your wine.
More than Jazer will I weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah! Thy branches have passed beyond the sea; They reach even to the sea of Jazer; Upon thy summer-fruits and thy vintage the spoiler falleth.
33 So celebration and rejoicing have been taken away from the fruit trees and the land of Moab. I have put an end to the wine from their winepresses. They will not tread with joyful shouts. Any shouts will not be shouts of joy.
And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field; And from the land of Moab, And from the presses, have I caused the wine to fail: No more shall they tread with shouting; The shouting shall be no shouting.
34 From the shouts at Heshbon as far as Elealeh, their sound is heard at Jahaz, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, since even the waters of Nimrim have dried up.
From wailing Heshbon to Elealeh, Even to Jahaz, is their voice heard, From Zoar even to Horonaim, To Eglath-shelishijah; For even the waters of Nimrim are desolate.
35 For I will put an end to anyone in Moab who makes sacrifices on the high places and burns incense to his gods—this is Yahweh's declaration.
And I will cause to cease in Moab, saith Jehovah, Him that offereth in the high places, And him that burneth incense to his gods.
36 So my heart is lamenting for Moab like a flute. My heart is lamenting like flutes for the people of Kir Hareseth. The riches they gained are gone.
Therefore doth my heart sound like a flute for Moab, And for the men of Ker-heres doth my heart sound like a flute; For the remnant of their substance is perished.
37 For every head is bald and every beard shaved. Incisions are on every hand, and sackcloth is around their waists.
Every head is bald, And every beard shorn; Upon all hands are cutting, And upon the loins sackcloth.
38 There is mourning everywhere, on every flat roof of Moab and in Moab's plazas. For I have destroyed Moab like pots that no one wants—this is Yahweh's declaration.
Upon all the house-tops of Moab, and in her streets, All is lamentation. For I have broken Moab, like a useless vessel, saith Jehovah.
39 How it has been shattered! How they howl in their lamenting! Moab turns its back in shame! So Moab will become an object of derision and a terror to all those who are around him.”
Howl ye! How is he broken down! How hath Moab turned the back with shame! A derision and a consternation is Moab To all that are round him.
40 For Yahweh says this, “See, the enemy will come flying like an eagle, spreading out his wings over Moab.
For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, like an eagle flieth an enemy, And spreadeth his wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth has been captured, and its strongholds have been seized. For in that day the hearts of Moab's soldiers will be like the hearts of women in birth labor.
Kerioth is taken, And the strongholds are seized; The hearts of the heroes of Moab in that day Shall be like the heart of a woman in her pangs.
42 So Moab will be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he made himself to be great against Yahweh.
And Moab shall be destroyed so as to be no more a people, Because he exalted himself against Jehovah.
43 Terror and the pit, and a trap are coming on you, inhabitant of Moab—this is Yahweh's declaration.
Terror and the pit and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith Jehovah.
44 Anyone who flees because of terror will fall into the pit, and anyone who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the trap, for I will bring this on them in the year of my vengeance against them—this is Yahweh's declaration.
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 snare; For I will bring upon it, upon Moab, The year of their punishment, saith Jehovah.
45 The ones who flee will stand in the shadow of Heshbon without any strength, for fire will go out from Heshbon, flame from the middle of Sihon. It will devour the forehead of Moab and the top of the heads of the boastful people.
In the valley of Heshbon the fugitives halted for want of strength; But a fire is gone forth from Heshbon, And a flame from the midst of Sihon, Which devoureth the region of Moab, And the heads of the sons of tumult.
46 Woe to you, Moab! Chemosh's people are destroyed, For your sons are taken as captives and your daughters into captivity.
Woe to thee, O Moab! Undone is the people of Chemosh! For thy sons are taken captives, And thy daughters are captives.
47 But I will restore the fortunes of Moab in later days—this is Yahweh's declaration.” The judgment on Moab ends here.
Yet will I bring back the captivity of Moab In future times, saith Jehovah. Thus far the judgment of Moab.
