Jeremiah 48

1 Concerning Moab: 'Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Woe unto Nebo, for it is spoiled, Put to shame, captured hath been Kiriathaim, Put to shame hath been the high tower, Yea, it hath been broken down.

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.

2 There is no more praise of Moab, In Heshbon they devised against it evil: Come, and we cut it off from [being] a nation, Also, O Madmen, thou art cut off, After thee goeth a sword.

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.

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

The sound of a cry from Horonaim, "destruction and great calamity."

4 Destroyed hath been Moab, Caused a cry to be heard have her little ones.

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

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

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.

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

"Flee, save your lives, and be like a shrub in the wilderness."

7 For, because of thy trusting in thy works, And in thy treasures, even thou art captured, And gone out hath Chemosh in a removal, His priests and his heads together.

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.

8 And come in doth a spoiler unto every city, And no city doth escape, And perished hath the valley, And destroyed been the plain, as Jehovah said.

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.

9 Give wings to Moab, for she utterly goeth out, And her cities are for a desolation, Without an inhabitant in them.

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.'

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

Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD negligently; and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.

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

'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.

12 Therefore, lo, days are coming, An affirmation of Jehovah, And I have sent to him wanderers, And they have caused him to wander, And his vessels they empty out, And his bottles they dash in pieces.

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.

13 And ashamed hath been Moab because of Chemosh, As the house of Israel have been ashamed Because of Beth-El their confidence.

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

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

How can you say, "We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war?"

15 Spoiled is Moab, and her cities hath one gone up, And the choice of its young men Have gone down to slaughter, An affirmation of the King, Jehovah of Hosts [is] His name.

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.

16 Near is the calamity of Moab to come, And his affliction hath hasted exceedingly.

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

17 Bemoan for him, all ye round about him, And all knowing his name, say ye: How hath it been broken, the staff of strength, The rod of beauty.

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."

18 Come down from honour, sit in thirst, O inhabitant, daughter of Dibon, For a spoiler of Moab hath come up to thee, He hath destroyed thy fenced places.

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.

19 On the way stand, and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer, Ask the fugitive and escaped, Say, What hath happened?

Inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and watch: ask him who flees, and her who escapes; say, "What has been done?"

20 Put to shame hath been Moab, For it hath been broken down, Howl and cry, declare ye in Arnon, For spoiled is Moab,

"Moab is disappointed; for it is broken down: wail and cry; tell it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste."

21 And judgment hath come in unto the land of the plain — unto Holon, And unto Jahazah, and on Mephaath,

Judgment has come on the plain country, on Holon, and on Jahzah, and on Mephaath,

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

and on Dibon, and on Nebo, and on Beth Diblathaim,

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

and on Kiriathaim, and on Beth Gamul, and on Beth Meon,

24 And on Kerioth, and on Bozrah, And on all cities of the land of Moab, The far off and the near.

and on Kerioth, and on Bozrah, and on all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.

25 Cut down hath been the horn of Moab, And his arm hath been broken, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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

26 Declare ye him drunk, For against Jehovah he made himself great And Moab hath stricken in his vomit, And he hath been for a derision — even he.

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

27 And was not Israel the derision to thee? Among thieves was he found? For since thy words concerning him, Thou dost bemoan thyself.

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.

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

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.

29 We have heard of the arrogance of Moab, Exceeding proud! His haughtiness, and his arrogance, And his pride, and the height of his heart,

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.

30 I — I have known, an affirmation of Jehovah, His wrath, and [it is] not right, His devices — not right they have done.

I know his wrath,' says the LORD, 'that it is nothing; his boastings have worked nothing.

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

therefore I will wail for Moab; yes, I will cry out for all Moab; I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.

32 With the weeping of Jazer, I weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah, Thy branches have passed over a sea, Unto the sea of Jazer they have come, On thy summer fruits, and on thy harvest, A spoiler hath fallen.

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.

33 And removed hath been joy and gladness From the fruitful field, Even from the land of Moab, And wine from wine-presses I have caused to cease, Shouting doth not proceed, The shouting [is] no shouting!

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.

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

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.

35 And I have caused to cease to Moab, An affirmation of Jehovah, Him who is offering in a high place, And him who is making perfume to his god.

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.

36 Therefore my heart for Moab as pipes doth sound, And my heart for men of Kir-Heres As pipes doth sound, Therefore the abundance he made did perish.

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.

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

For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: on all the hands are cuttings, and on the waist sackcloth.

38 On all roofs of Moab, and in her broad-places, All of it — [is] lamentation, For I have broken Moab as a vessel in which there is no pleasure, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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.

39 How hath it been broken down! they have howled, How hath Moab turned the neck ashamed, And Moab hath been for a derision. And for a terror to all round about her.

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.'

40 For thus said Jehovah: Lo, as an eagle he doth flee, And hath spread his wings unto Moab.

For thus says the LORD: 'Look, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.

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

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.

42 And Moab hath been destroyed from [being] a people, For against Jehovah he exerted himself.

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

43 Fear, and a snare, and a gin, [are] for thee, O inhabitant of Moab — an affirmation of Jehovah,

Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are on you, inhabitant of Moab, says the LORD.

44 Whoso is fleeing because of the fear falleth into the snare, And whoso is coming up from the snare is captured by the gin, For I bring in unto her — unto Moab — The year of their inspection, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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.

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

'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.

46 Woe to thee, O Moab, Perished hath the people of Chemosh, For thy sons were taken with the captives, And thy daughters with the captivity.

Woe to you, O Moab. The people of Chemosh is undone; for your sons are taken away captive, and your daughters into captivity.

47 And I have turned back [to] the captivity of Moab, In the latter end of the days, An affirmation of Jehovah! Hitherto [is] the judgment of Moab.

Yet will I bring back the captivity of Moab in the latter days,' says the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab."