Jeremiah 48

1 Of Moab. Yahweh 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.

Concerning Moab: “Thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel: Woe to Nebo, for it is spoiled, Kiriathaim has been captured [and] put to shame, The high tower has been put to shame, Indeed, it has been broken down.

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 longer praise of Moab, In Heshbon they devised evil against her: Come, and we cut it off from [being] a nation, Also, O Madmen, you are cut off, A sword goes after you.

3 The sound of a cry from Horonaim, desolation and great destruction!

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

4 Moab is destroyed. Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.

Moab has been destroyed, Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.

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 Luhith with weeping, Weeping goes up, For in the descent of Horonaim Adversaries have heard a cry of desolation.

6 Flee! Save your lives! Be like the juniper bush in the wilderness.

Flee, deliver yourselves, You are as a naked thing in a 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 of your trusting in your works, And in your treasures, even you are captured, And Chemosh has gone out in a removal, His priests and his heads 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 Yahweh has spoken.

And a spoiler comes to every city, And no city escapes, And the valley has perished, And the plain has been destroyed, as YHWH 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 to Moab, that she may go forth and flee away, And her cities are for a desolation, Without an inhabitant in them.

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

Cursed [is] he who is doing the work of YHWH slothfully, And cursed [is] he Who is withholding 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 is secure from his youth, And he [is] at rest for his preserved things, And he has not been emptied out from vessel to vessel, And he has not gone into captivity, Therefore his taste has remained in him, And his fragrance has not been changed.

12 Therefore behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “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, A declaration of YHWH, And I have sent wanderers to him, And they have caused him to wander, And they empty out his vessels, And they dash his bottles in pieces.

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

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

14 “How do you say, ‘We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war’?

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

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 Yahweh of Armies.

Moab is spoiled, and has gone up [from] her cities, And the choice of its young men Have gone down to slaughter, An affirmation of the King, YHWH of Hosts [is] His Name.

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

The destruction of Moab is near to come, And his calamity has hurried exceedingly.

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!’

Bemoan for him, all you around him, And all knowing his name, say, How it has been broken, the staff of strength, The rod of beauty!

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 glory, sit in thirst, O inhabitant, daughter of Dibon, For a spoiler of Moab has come up to you, He has destroyed your fortifications.

19 Inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way and watch. Ask him who flees, and her who escapes; say, ‘What has been done?’

Stand on the way, and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer, Ask the fugitive and escaped, Say, What has 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 put to shame, For it has been broken down, Howl and cry, declare in Arnon, For Moab is spoiled,

21 Judgment has come on the plain country— on Holon, on Jahzah, on Mephaath,

And judgment has come to the land of the plain—to Holon, And to Jahazah, and on Mephaath,

22 on Dibon, on Nebo, on Beth Diblathaim,

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

23 on Kiriathaim, on Beth Gamul, on Beth Meon,

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

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

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

25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken,” says Yahweh.

The horn of Moab has been cut down, And his arm has been broken, A declaration of YHWH.

26 “Make him drunk, for he magnified himself against Yahweh. Moab will wallow in his vomit, and he also will be in derision.

Declare him drunk, For he made himself great against YHWH And Moab has struck in his vomit, And he has been for a derision—even he.

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.

And was Israel not the derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For since your words concerning him, You bemoan yourself.

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.

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

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 of the arrogance of Moab, Exceedingly proud! His haughtiness, and his arrogance, And his pride, and the height of his heart,

30 I know his wrath,” says Yahweh, “that it is nothing; his boastings have done nothing.

I have known, a declaration of YHWH, His wrath, and [it is] not right, His boastings—they have done nothing 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 I howl for Moab, even for Moab—all of it, I cry for men of Kir-Heres, it mourns,

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 Jazer, I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah, Your branches have passed over a sea, They have come to the Sea of Jazer, On your summer fruits, and on your harvest, A spoiler has 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 joy and gladness have been removed from the fruitful field, Even from the land of Moab, And I have caused wine to cease from winepresses, Shouting does not proceed, The shouting [is] not shouting!

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.

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

35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab,” says Yahweh, “him who offers in the high place, and him who burns incense to his gods.

And I have caused to cease in Moab, A declaration of YHWH, Him who is offering in a high place, And him who is making incense to his god.

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 My heart sounds as pipes for Moab, And My heart sounds as pipes for men of Kir-Heres, Therefore the abundance he made perished.

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 diminished, On all hands—cuttings, and on the loins—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 Yahweh.

On all roofs of Moab, and in her broad-places, All of it—lamentation, For I have broken Moab as a vessel in which there is no pleasure,” A declaration of YHWH.

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.”

“How it has been broken down! They have howled, How Moab has turned the neck ashamed! And Moab has been for a derision And for a terror to all around her.”

40 For Yahweh says: “Behold, he will fly as an eagle, and will spread out his wings against Moab.

For thus said YHWH: “Behold, he flees as an eagle, And has spread his wings to 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.

The cities have been captured, And the strongholds are caught, And the heart of the mighty of Moab Has been in that day as the heart of a distressed woman.

42 Moab will be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against Yahweh.

And Moab has been destroyed from [being] a people, For he exerted himself against YHWH.

43 Terror, the pit, and the snare are on you, inhabitant of Moab,” says Yahweh.

Fear, and a snare, and a trap, [are] for you, O inhabitant of Moab—a declaration of YHWH,

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 Yahweh.

Whoever is fleeing because of the fear falls into the snare, And whoever is coming up from the snare is captured by the trap, For I bring to her—to Moab—The year of their inspection, A declaration of YHWH.

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.

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

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 to you, O Moab, The people of Chemosh have perished, For your sons were taken with the captives, And your daughters with the captivity.

47 “Yet I will reverse the captivity of Moab in the latter days,” says Yahweh. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

And I have turned back [to] the captivity of Moab, In the latter end of the days,” A declaration of YHWH! “Until now [is] the judgment of Moab.”