< Jeremiah 48 >

1 Concerning Moab, thus saith ye Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Woe vnto Nebo: for it is wasted: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and afraide.
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.
2 Moab shall boast no more of Heshbon: for they haue deuised euill against it. Come, and let vs destroy it, that it be no more a nation: also thou shalt be destroyed, O Madmen, and the sworde shall pursue thee.
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.'
3 A voyce of crying shall be from Horonaim with desolation and great destruction.
Listen! A sound of screaming is coming from Horonaim, where there is ruin and great destruction.
4 Moab is destroyed: her litle ones haue caused their crie to be heard.
Moab has been destroyed. Her children have made their cries heard.
5 For at the going vp of Luhith, the mourner shall goe vp with weeping: for in the going downe of Horonaim, the enemies haue heard a cry of destruction,
They go up the hill of Luhith weeping, for on the way down to Horonaim, screams are heard because of the destruction.
6 Flee and saue your liues, and be like vnto the heath in the wildernesse.
Flee! Save your lives and become like a juniper bush in the wilderness.
7 For because thou hast trusted in thy workes and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken, and Chemosh shall goe forth into captiuitie with his Priestes and his princes together.
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.
8 And the destroyer shall come vpon all cities, and no citie shall escape: the valley also shall perish and the plaine shalbe destroyed as the Lord hath spoken.
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.
9 Giue wings vnto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shalbe desolate, without any to dwell therein.
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.
10 Cursed be he that doeth the worke of the Lord negligently, and cursed be he that keepeth backe his sword from blood.
May anyone who is lazy in doing Yahweh's work be cursed! May anyone who keeps his sword back from shedding blood be cursed!
11 Moab hath bene at rest from his youth, and he hath setled on his lees, and hath not bene powred from vessell to vessell, neither hath he gone into captiuitie: therefore his taste remained in him and his sent is not changed.
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.
12 Therefore beholde, the dayes come, saith the Lord, that I will send vnto him such as shall carie him away, and shall emptie his vessels, and breake their bottels.
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.
13 And Moab shalbe 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 of Bethel, their object of trust.
14 Howe thinke you thus, We are mightie and strong men of warre?
How can you say, 'We are soldiers, powerful fighting men'?
15 Moab is destroyed, and his cities burnt vp, and his chose yong men are gone downe to slaughter, saith ye King, whose name is ye Lord of hostes.
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.
16 The destruction of Moab is ready to come, and his plague hasteth fast.
Moab's disaster is soon to happen; calamity is hurrying quickly.
17 All ye that are about him, mourne for him, and all ye that knowe his name, say, Howe is the strong staffe broken, and the beautifull rod!
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.'
18 Thou daughter that doest inhabite Dibon, come downe from thy glory, and sit in thirst: for the destroyer of Moab shall come vpon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong holdes.
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.
19 Thou that dwellest in Aroer, stand by the way, and beholde: aske him that fleeth and that escapeth, and say, What is done?
Stand on the road and watch, you people who live in Aroer. Ask the ones who are fleeing and escaping. Say, 'What has happened?'
20 Moab is cofouded: for it is destroied: howle, and cry, tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is made waste,
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.
21 And iudgement is come vpon the plaine countrey, vpon Holon and vpon Iahazah, and vpon Mephaath,
Now punishment has come to the hill country, to Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,
22 And vpon Dibon, and vpon Nebo, and vpon the house of Diblathaim,
to Dibon, Nebo, and Beth Diblathaim,
23 And vpon Kiriathaim, and vpon Beth-gamul, and vpon Beth-meon,
to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, and Beth Meon,
24 And vpon Kerioth, and vpon Bozrah, and vpon all the cities of ye land of Moab farre or neere.
To Kerioth and Bozrah, and to all the cities in the land of Moab— the farthest and the closest cities.
25 The horne of Moab is cut off, and his arme is broken, saith the Lord.
The horn of Moab has been hacked off; its arm has been broken—this is Yahweh's declaration.
26 Make ye him drunken: for he magnified himselfe against the Lord: Moab shall wallowe in his vomite, and he also shalbe in derision.
Make him drunk, because he acted proudly against Yahweh. Let Moab wallow in his vomit, and let him be an object of ridicule.
27 For diddest not thou deride Israel, as though he had bene found among theeues? for when thou speakest of him, thou art moued.
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?
28 O ye that dwell in Moab, leaue the cities, and dwell in the rockes, and be like the doue, that maketh her nest in the sides of the holes mouth.
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.
29 We haue heard the pride of Moab (hee is exceeding proude) his stoutnesse, and his arrogancie, and his pride, and the hautinesse of his heart.
We have heard of Moab's pride—his arrogance, his haughtiness, his pride, his self-glory and the conceit in his heart.
30 I know his wrath, saith ye Lord, but it shall not be so: and his dissimulatios, for they do not right.
This is Yahweh's declaration—I myself know his defiant speech, which amounts to nothing, like his deeds.
31 Therefore will I howle for Moab, and I will crie out for all Moab: mine heart shall mourne for the men of Kir-heres.
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.
32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weepe for thee, as I wept for Iazer: thy plants are gone ouer the sea, they are come to the sea of Iazer: ye destroyer is fallen vpon thy somer fruites, and vpon thy vintage,
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.
33 And ioye, and gladnesse is taken from the plentifull fielde, and from the land of Moab: and I haue caused wine to faile from the winepresse: none shall treade with shouting: their shouting shall be no shouting.
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.
34 From the cry of Heshbon vnto Elaleh and vnto Iahaz haue they made their noyse from Zoar vnto Horonaim, ye heiffer of three yere old shall go lowing: for ye waters also of Nimrim shalbe wasted.
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.
35 Moreouer, I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the Lord, him that offered in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.
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.
36 Therefore mine heart shall sounde for Moab like a shaume, and mine heart shall sound like a shaume for the men of Ker-heres, because the riches that he hath gotten, is perished.
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.
37 For euery head shalbe balde, and euery beard plucked: vpon all the handes shall be cuttings, and vpon the loynes sackecloth.
For every head is bald and every beard shaved. Incisions are on every hand, and sackcloth is around their waists.
38 And mourning shall be vpon all the house toppes of Moab and in all the streetes thereof: for I haue broken Moab like a vessell wherein is no pleasure, sayeth the Lord.
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.
39 They shall howle, saying, How is he destroyed? howe hath Moab turned the backe with shame? so shall Moab be a derision, and a feare to all them about him.
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.”
40 For thus saith the Lord, Beholde, he shall flee as an eagle, and shall spread his wings ouer Moab.
For Yahweh says this, “See, the enemy will come flying like an eagle, spreading out his wings over Moab.
41 The cities are taken, and the strong holdes are wonne, and ye mightie mens hearts in Moab at that day shalbe as ye heart of a woman in trauaile.
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.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath set vp himselfe against the Lord.
So Moab will be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he made himself to be great against Yahweh.
43 Feare, and pit and snare shall be vpon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord.
Terror and the pit, and a trap are coming on you, inhabitant of Moab—this is Yahweh's declaration.
44 He that escapeth from the feare, shall fall in the pit, and he that getteth vp out of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring vpon it, euen vpon Moab, the yeere of their visitation, sayeth the Lord.
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.
45 They that fled, stoode vnder the shadowe of Heshbon, because of the force: for the fire came out of Heshbon, and a flame from Sihon, and deuoured the corner of Moab, and the top of the seditious children.
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.
46 Wo be vnto thee, O Moab: the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sonnes are taken captiues, and thy daughters led into captiuitie.
Woe to you, Moab! Chemosh's people are destroyed, For your sons are taken as captives and your daughters into captivity.
47 Yet will I bring againe the captiuitie of Moab in the latter dayes, sayeth the Lord. Thus farre of the iudgement of Moab.
But I will restore the fortunes of Moab in later days—this is Yahweh's declaration.” The judgment on Moab ends here.

< Jeremiah 48 >