Jeremiah 48
1 Of Moab. The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo! For it is laid waste. Kiriathaim is disappointed. It is taken. Misgab is put to shame and broken down.
Against Moab. Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Woe unto Nebo! for it is wasted; made ashamed, captured is Kiryathayim; made ashamed is Misgab and dismayed.
2 The praise of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: ‘Come! Let’s cut her off from being a nation.’ You also, Madmen, will be brought to silence. The sword will pursue you.
There is no more praise of Moab: in Cheshbon have they devised evil against it, “Come, and let us cut it off from being a nation.” Also thou Madmen shalt be ruined; after thee shall pursue the sword.
3 The sound of a cry from Horonaim, desolation and great destruction!
There is a voice of crying from Choronayim, destruction and a great breach.
4 Moab is destroyed. Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
Broken down is Moab: her little ones send forth a cry of distress.
5 For they will go up by the ascent of Luhith with continual weeping. For at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distress of the cry of destruction.
For the ascent of Luchith is ascended with weeping and tears; for on the descent of Choronayim the enemies have heard the cry of destruction.
6 Flee! Save your lives! Be like the juniper bush in the wilderness.
Flee, save your life, and be ye like the solitary tree in the wilderness.
7 For, because you have trusted in your works and in your treasures, you also will be taken. Chemosh will go out into captivity, his priests and his princes together.
For, because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou also shalt be conquered: and Kemosh shall go forth into exile, [with] his priests and his princes together.
8 The destroyer will come on every city, and no city will escape; the valley also will perish, and the plain will be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken.
And the water shall come over every city, and no city shall escape: and lost shall be the valley, and destroyed shall be the plain, as the Lord hath said.
9 Give wings to Moab, that she may fly and get herself away: and her cities will become a desolation, without anyone to dwell in them.
Give wings unto Moab, that she may flee and get away; since her cities shall become desolate, without any to dwell therein.
10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD negligently; and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently, and cursed be he that withholdeth his sword from blood.
11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth, and he has settled on his dregs, 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.
Moab was ever at ease from his youth, and he was resting on his lees, and was not emptied from vessel to vessel, and had not gone into exile: therefore had his taste remained in him, and his scent was not changed.
12 Therefore behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that I will send to him those who pour off, and they will pour him off; and they will empty his vessels, and break their containers in pieces.
Therefore, behold, days are coming, saith the Lord, when I will send unto him tappers, that shall tap him, and they shall empty his vessels, and dash in pieces their bottles.
13 Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.
And Moab shall be ashamed of Kemosh, as the house of Israel were made ashamed because of Beth-el their confidence.
14 “How do you say, ‘We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war’?
How can ye say, We are mighty and men of bravery for the war?
15 Moab is laid waste, and they have gone up into his cities, and his chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter,” says the King, whose name is the LORD of Armies.
Moab is wasted, and into his cities hath [the enemy] ascended, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, the Lord of hosts is his name.
16 “The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hurries fast.
Near is the calamity of Moab to come, and his misfortune hasteneth fast.
17 All you who are around him, bemoan him; and all you who know his name, say, ‘How the strong staff is broken, the beautiful rod!’
All ye that are about him bemoan him; and all ye that know his name: say, How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful stick!
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 thy glory, and sit in thirst, thou inhabitress, daughter of Dibon; for the waster of Moab cometh up against thee, he destroyeth thy strong-holds.
19 Inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way and watch. Ask him who flees, and her who escapes; say, ‘What has been done?’
Stand by the way, and look out, O inhabitress of 'Aro'er: ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, say, What hath been done?
20 Moab is disappointed; for it is broken down. Wail and cry! Tell it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste.
Moab hath been made ashamed; for it is broken down; wail, and cry aloud: tell ye it by the Arnon, that Moab is wasted,
21 Judgment has come on the plain country— on Holon, on Jahzah, on Mephaath,
And punishment is come over the land of the plain, over Cholon, and over Yahzah, and over Mepha'ath,
22 on Dibon, on Nebo, on Beth Diblathaim,
And over Dibon, and over Nebo, and over Beth-diblathayim,
23 on Kiriathaim, on Beth Gamul, on Beth Meon,
And over Kiryathayim, and over Beth-gamul, and over Beth-me'on,
24 on Kerioth, on Bozrah, and on all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
And over Keriyoth, and over Bozrah, and over all the cities of the land of Moab, that are far and that are near.
25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken,” says the LORD.
Hewn away is the horn of Moab, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord.
26 “Make him drunk, for he magnified himself against the LORD. Moab will wallow in his vomit, and he also will be in derision.
Make him drunken; for he magnified himself against the Lord: and Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall become [an object] of derision.
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.
For was not Israel a derision unto thee? or was he found among thieves? that whenever thou spokest of him, thou hadst to shake [thy head]?
28 You inhabitants of Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock. Be like the dove that makes her nest over the mouth of the abyss.
Leave the cities, and dwell on rocks, O ye that dwell in Moab; and be ye like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the mouth of rocky clefts.
29 “We have heard of the pride of Moab. He is very proud in his loftiness, his pride, his arrogance, and the arrogance of his heart.
We have heard the pride of Moab, who is so exceedingly proud, his haughtiness, and his pride, and his arrogance, and the overbearingness of his heart.
30 I know his wrath,” says the LORD, “that it is nothing; his boastings have done nothing.
I will know, saith the Lord, his wrath, and how causeless it is: his liars have done what is not right.
31 Therefore I will wail for Moab. Yes, I will cry out for all Moab. They will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
Therefore will I wail for Moab, and for all Moab will I cry out; for the men of Kir-cheres shall people moan.
32 With more than the weeping of Jazer I will weep for you, vine of Sibmah. Your branches passed over the sea. They reached even to the sea of Jazer. The destroyer has fallen on your summer fruits and on your vintage.
With the weeping of Ya'zer will I weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah; thy tendrils [once] passed over the sea, they reached as far as to the sea of Ya'zer: over thy summer-fruits and over thy vintage the waster is fallen.
33 Gladness and joy is taken away from the fruitful field and from the land of Moab. I have caused wine to cease from the wine presses. No one will tread with shouting. The shouting will be no shouting.
And banished are joy and gladness from Carmel, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused the wine to cease from the wine-presses; none shall tread the press with the vintner's call; battle cry—nor vintner's call.
34 From the cry of Heshbon even to Elealeh, even to Jahaz they have uttered their voice, from Zoar even to Horonaim, to Eglath Shelishiyah; for the waters of Nimrim will also become desolate.
From the loud cry of Cheshbon as far as El'aleh, even unto Yahaz, have they sent forth their voice, from Zo'ar even unto Choronayim, to the third 'Eglath; for the waters also of Nimrim shall become desolate.
35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab,” says the LORD, “him who offers in the high place, and him who burns incense to his gods.
Moreover will I cause to cease unto Moab, saith the Lord, him that offereth on the high-places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.
36 Therefore my heart sounds for Moab like flutes, and my heart sounds like flutes for the men of Kir Heres. Therefore the abundance that he has gotten has perished.
Therefore shall my heart groan for Moab like flutes, and my heart shall groan like flutes for the men of Kir-cheres; for the cause that the remnant of the riches he had gotten are lost.
37 For every head is bald, and every beard clipped. There are cuttings on all the hands, and sackcloth on the waist.
For every head is bald, and every beard is shorn: upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins is sackcloth.
38 On all the housetops of Moab, and in its streets, there is lamentation everywhere; for I have broken Moab like a vessel in which no one delights,” says the LORD.
Upon all the roofs of Moab, and in her streets, there is everywhere lamentation; for I have broken Moab like a vessel which hath no value, saith the Lord.
39 “How it is broken down! How they wail! How Moab has turned the back with shame! So will Moab become a derision and a terror to all who are around him.”
Oh, how is it broken down! wail! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! and Moab shall be a derision and a dismay to all those around him.
40 For the LORD says: “Behold, he will fly as an eagle, and will spread out his wings against Moab.
For thus hath said the Lord, Behold, as the eagle shall he fly, and he shall spread out his wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are seized. The heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day will be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
Captured are the fortresses, and the strong-holds are conquered: and the heart of the mighty men of Moab shall be on that day as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
42 Moab will be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against the LORD.
And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people; because it hath magnified himself against the Lord.
43 Terror, the pit, and the snare are on you, inhabitant of Moab,” says the LORD.
Terror, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord.
44 “He who flees from the terror will fall into the pit; and he who gets up out of the pit will be taken in the snare, for I will bring on him, even on Moab, the year of their visitation,” says the LORD.
He that fleeth from the terror shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be caught in the snare; for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.
45 “Those who fled stand without strength under the shadow of Heshbon; for a fire has gone out of Heshbon, and a flame from the middle of Sihon, and has devoured the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.
Under the shadow of Cheshbon stand still, deprived of strength, those that flee; but a fire cometh forth out of Cheshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sichon, and it devoureth the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the children of vaunting.
46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone; for your sons are taken away captive, and your daughters into captivity.
Woe unto thee, O Moab! lost is the people of Kemosh; for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters into captivity.
47 “Yet I will reverse the captivity of Moab in the latter days,” says the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
Yet will I bring back again the captivity of Moab in the end of days, saith the Lord. Thus far is the punishment of Moab.
