Jeremiah 48
1 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.
Concerning Moab, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it will be devastated. Kiriathaim will be captured and disgraced; the fortress will be shattered and dismantled.
2 [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.
There is no longer praise for Moab; in Heshbon they devise evil against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from nationhood.’ You too, O people of Madmen, will be silenced; the sword will pursue you.
3 A voice of crying [shall be] from Horonaim, devastation and great destruction.
A voice cries out from Horonaim: ‘Devastation and great destruction!’
4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
Moab will be shattered; her little ones will cry out.
5 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.
For on the ascent to Luhith they weep bitterly as they go, and on the descent to Horonaim cries of distress resound over the destruction:
6 Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.
‘Flee! Run for your lives! Become like a juniper in the desert.’
7 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.
Because you trust in your works and treasures, you too will be captured, and Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials.
8 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.
The destroyer will move against every city, and not one town will escape. The valley will also be ruined, and the high plain will be destroyed, as the LORD has said.
9 Give wings to Moab, that it may flee and get away: for its cities shall be desolate, without any to dwell in them.
Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste; her cities will become desolate, with no one to dwell in them.
10 Cursed [be] he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed [be] he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.
11 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.
Moab has been at ease from youth, settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel or gone into exile. So his flavor has remained the same, and his aroma is unchanged.
12 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.
Therefore behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will send to him wanderers, who will pour him out. They will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.
13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence.
Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.
14 How say ye, We [are] mighty and strong men for the war?
How can you say, ‘We are warriors, mighty men ready for battle’?
15 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.
Moab has been destroyed and its towns have been invaded; the best of its young men have gone down in the slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts.
16 The calamity of Moab [is] near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.
Moab’s calamity is at hand, and his affliction is rushing swiftly.
17 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!
Mourn for him, all you who surround him, everyone who knows his name; tell how the mighty scepter is shattered— the glorious staff!
18 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.
Come down from your glory; sit on parched ground, O daughter dwelling in Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses.
19 O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, [and] say, What is done?
Stand by the road and watch, O dweller of Aroer! Ask the man fleeing or the woman escaping, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is laid waste.
Moab is put to shame, for it has been shattered. Wail and cry out! Declare by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.
21 And judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,
Judgment has come upon the high plain— upon Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,
22 And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim,
upon Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,
23 And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon,
upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,
24 And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
upon Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns of Moab, those far and near.
25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the LORD.
The horn of Moab has been cut off, and his arm is broken,”
26 Make ye him drunken; for he magnified [himself] against the LORD: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.
“Make him drunk, because he has magnified himself against the LORD; so Moab will wallow in his own vomit, and he will also become a laughingstock.
27 For was not Israel a derision to thee? was he found among thieves? for since thou hast spoken of him, thou hast leaped for joy.
Was not Israel your object of ridicule? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.
28 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.
Abandon the towns and settle among the rocks, O dwellers of Moab! Be like a dove that nests at the mouth of a cave.
29 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.
We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his proud arrogance and haughtiness of heart.
30 I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but [it shall] not [be] so; his lies shall not so effect [it].
I know his insolence,” declares the LORD, “but it is futile. His boasting is as empty as his deeds.
31 Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; [my heart] shall mourn for the men of Kirheres.
Therefore I will wail for Moab; I will cry out for all of Moab; I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.
32 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.
I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah, more than I weep for Jazer. Your tendrils have extended to the sea; they reach even to Jazer. The destroyer has descended on your summer fruit and grape harvest.
33 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 wine-presses: none shall tread with shouting; [their] shouting [shall be] no shouting.
Joy and gladness are removed from the orchard and from the fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; their shouts are not for joy.
34 From the cry of Heshbon [even] to Elealeh, [and even] to Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar [even] to Horonaim, [as] a heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.
There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh; they raise their voices to Jahaz, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim have dried up.
35 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.
In Moab, declares the LORD, I will bring an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods.
36 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.
Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres, because the wealth they acquired has perished.
37 For every head [shall be] bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands [shall be] cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
For every head is shaved and every beard is clipped; on every hand is a gash, and around every waist is sackcloth.
38 [There shall be] lamentation generally upon all the house-tops of Moab, and in its streets: for I have broken Moab like a vessel in which [is] no pleasure, saith the LORD.
On all the rooftops of Moab and in the public squares, everyone is mourning; for I have shattered Moab like an unwanted jar,”
39 They shall howl, [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.
“How shattered it is! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule and horror to all those around him.”
40 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
41 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.
Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed from [being] a people, because he hath magnified [himself] against the LORD.
Moab will be destroyed as a nation because he vaunted himself against the LORD.
43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, [shall be] upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.
Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,”
44 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 visitation, saith the LORD.
“Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,”
45 They that fled stood under the shade 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.
“Those who flee will stand helpless in Heshbon’s shadow, because fire has gone forth from Heshbon and a flame from within Sihon. It devours the foreheads of Moab and the skulls of the sons of tumult.
46 Woe be to thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.
Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished; for your sons have been taken into exile and your daughters have gone into captivity.
47 Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far [is] the judgment of Moab.
Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.
