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.
Of Moab. The Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: Sorrow on Nebo, for it has been made waste; Kiriathaim has been put to shame and is taken: the strong place is put to shame and 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.
The praise of Moab has come to an end; as for Heshbon, evil has been designed against her; come, let us put an end to her as a nation. But your mouth will be shut, O Madmen; the sword will go after you.
3 The sound of a cry from Horonaim, desolation and great destruction!
There is the sound of crying from Horonaim, wasting and great destruction;
4 Moab is destroyed. Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
Moab is broken; her cry has gone out to Zoar.
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 by the slope of Luhith they will go up, weeping all the way; for on the way down to Horonaim the cry of destruction has come to their ears.
6 Flee! Save your lives! Be like the juniper bush in the wilderness.
Go in flight, get away with your lives, and let your faces be turned to Aroer in the Arabah.
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 you have put your faith in your strong places, you, even you, will be taken: and Chemosh will go out as a prisoner, his priests and his rulers 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 the attacker will come against every town, not one will be safe; and the valley will be made waste, and destruction will come to the lowland, as the Lord has 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.
Put up a pillar for Moab, for she will come to a complete end: and her towns will become a waste, without anyone living in them.
10 “Cursed is he who does the work of Yahweh negligently; and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
Let him be cursed who does the Lord's work half-heartedly; let him be cursed who keeps back 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.
From his earliest days, Moab has been living in comfort; like wine long stored he has not been drained from vessel to vessel, he has never gone away as a prisoner: so his taste is still in him, his smell is unchanged.
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.
So truly, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will send to him men who will have him turned over till there is no more wine in his vessels, and his wine-skins will be completely broken.
13 Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.
And Moab will be shamed on account of Chemosh, as the children of Israel were shamed on account of Beth-el their hope.
14 “How do you say, ‘We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war’?
How say you, We are men of war and strong fighters?
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.
He who makes Moab waste has gone up against her; and the best of her young men have gone down to their death, says the King, whose name is the Lord of armies.
16 “The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hurries fast.
The fate of Moab is near, and trouble is coming on him very quickly.
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 you who are round about him, give signs of grief for him, and all you who have knowledge of his name, say, How is the strong rod broken, even the beautiful branch!
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 your glory, O people of Dibon, and take your seat in the place of the waste; for the attacker of Moab has gone up against you, sending destruction on your strong places.
19 Inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way and watch. Ask him who flees, and her who escapes; say, ‘What has been done?’
O daughter of Aroer, take your station by the way, on the watch: questioning him who is in flight, and her who has got away safe, say, What has 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 has been put to shame, she is broken: make loud sounds of grief, crying out for help; give the news in Arnon, that Moab has been made waste.
21 Judgment has come on the plain country— on Holon, on Jahzah, on Mephaath,
And punishment has come on the lowlands; on Holon and Jahzah, and on Mephaath,
22 on Dibon, on Nebo, on Beth Diblathaim,
And on Dibon, and on Nebo, and on Beth-diblathaim,
23 on Kiriathaim, on Beth Gamul, on Beth Meon,
And on Kiriathaim, 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 the towns of the land of Moab, far and near.
25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken,” says Yahweh.
The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, says the Lord.
26 “Make him drunk, for he magnified himself against Yahweh. Moab will wallow in his vomit, and he also will be in derision.
Make him full of wine, for his heart has been lifted up against the Lord: and Moab will be rolling in the food he was not able to keep down, and everyone will be making sport of him.
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 did you not make sport of Israel? was he taken among thieves? for whenever you were talking about him, you were shaking your head over him.
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.
O people of Moab, go away from the towns and take cover in the rock; be like the dove of the Arabah, which makes her living-place in holes.
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 had word of the pride of Moab, how great it is; how he is lifted up in pride; and his great opinion of himself, and that his heart is lifted up.
30 I know his wrath,” says Yahweh, “that it is nothing; his boastings have done nothing.
I have knowledge of his wrath, says the Lord, that it is nothing; his high-sounding words have done nothing.
31 Therefore I will wail for Moab. Yes, I will cry out for all Moab. They will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
For this cause I will give cries of grief for Moab, crying out for Moab, even for all of it; I will be sorrowing for the men of Kir-heres.
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.
My weeping for you, O vine of Sibmah, will be more than the weeping of Jazer: your branches have gone over the sea, stretching even to Jazer: destruction has come down on your summer fruits and your cut grapes.
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.
All joy is gone; no longer are they glad for the fertile field and for the land of Moab; I have made the wine come to an end from the crushing vessels: no longer will the grapes be crushed with the sound of glad voices.
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.
The cry of Heshbon comes even to Elealeh; to Jahaz their voice is sounding; from Zoar even to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah: for the waters of Nimrim will become dry.
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 will put an end in Moab, says the Lord, to him who is making offerings in the high place and burning perfumes 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.
So my heart is sounding for Moab like the sound of pipes, and my heart is sounding like pipes for the men of Kir-heres: for the wealth he has got for himself has come to an end.
37 For every head is bald, and every beard clipped. There are cuttings on all the hands, and sackcloth on the waist.
For everywhere the hair of the head and the hair of the face is cut off: on every hand there are wounds, and haircloth on every body.
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 the house-tops of Moab and in its streets there is weeping everywhere; for Moab has been broken like a vessel in which there is no pleasure, says 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.”
How is it broken down! how is Moab's back turned in shame! so Moab will be a cause of sport and of fear to everyone round about him.
40 For Yahweh says: “Behold, he will fly as an eagle, and will spread out his wings against Moab.
For the Lord has said, See, he will come like an eagle in flight, stretching out his wings against 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.
Kerioth is taken, and the strong places have been forced, and the hearts of Moab's men of war in that day will be like the heart of a woman in birth-pains.
42 Moab will be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against Yahweh.
And Moab will come to an end as a people, because he has been lifting himself up against the Lord.
43 Terror, the pit, and the snare are on you, inhabitant of Moab,” says Yahweh.
Fear and death and the net have come on you, O people of Moab, says 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 Yahweh.
He who goes in flight from the fear will be overtaken by death; and he who gets free from death will be taken in the net: for I will make this come on Moab, even the year of their punishment, says 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.
Those who went in flight from the fear are waiting under the shade of Heshbon: for a fire has gone out from Heshbon and a flame from the house of Sihon, burning up the pride of Moab and the crown of the head of the violent ones.
46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone; for your sons are taken away captive, and your daughters into captivity.
Sorrow is yours, O Moab! the people of Chemosh are overcome: for your sons have been taken away as prisoners, and your daughters made servants.
47 “Yet I will reverse the captivity of Moab in the latter days,” says Yahweh. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
But still, I will let the fate of Moab be changed in the last days, says the Lord.
