Isaiah 15–16

God’s Message to Moab

15This is a message about Moab:

In one night armies took the wealth from Ar in Moab,

and it was destroyed.

In one night armies took the wealth from Kir in Moab,

and it was destroyed.

²The people of Dibon go to the places of worship to cry.

The people of Moab cry for the cities of Nebo and Medeba.

Every head and beard has been shaved to show how sad Moab is.

³In the streets they wear rough cloth to show their sadness.

On the roofs ⁿ and in the public squares,

they are crying loudly.

⁴People in the cities Heshbon and Elealeh cry out loud.

You can hear their voices far away in the city Jahaz.

Even the soldiers are frightened;

they are shaking with fear.

⁵My heart cries with sorrow for Moab.

Its people run away to Zoar for safety;

they run to Eglath Shelishiyah.

People are going up the mountain road to Luhith,

crying as they go.

People are going on the road to Horonaim,

crying over their destruction.

⁶But the water of Nimrim has dried up.

The grass has dried up,

and all the plants are dead;

nothing green is left.

⁷So the people gather up what they have saved

and carry it across the Ravine of the Poplars.

⁸Crying is heard everywhere in Moab.

Their crying is heard as far away as the city Eglaim;

it is heard as far away as Beer Elim.

⁹The water of the city Dibon is full of blood,

and I, the Lord, will bring even more troubles to Dibon.

A few people living in Moab have escaped the enemy,

but I will send lions to kill them.

16Send the king of the land

the payment he demands.

Send a lamb from Sela through the desert

to the mountain of Jerusalem.

²The women of Moab

try to cross the river Arnon

like little birds

that have fallen from their nest.

³They say: “Help us.

Tell us what to do.

Protect us from our enemies

as shade protects us from the noon sun.

Hide us, because we are running for safety!

Don’t give us to our enemies.

⁴Let those of us who were forced out of Moab live in your land.

Hide us from our enemies.”

The robbing of Moab will stop.

The enemy will be defeated;

those who hurt others will disappear from the land.

⁵Then a new loyal king will come;

this faithful king will be from the family of David.

He will judge fairly

and do what is right.

⁶We have heard that the people of Moab are proud

and very conceited.

They are very proud and angry,

but their bragging means nothing.

⁷So the people of Moab will cry;

they will all be sad.

They will moan and groan

for the raisin cakes they had in Kir Hareseth.

⁸But the fields of Heshbon and the vines of Sibmah cannot grow grapes;

foreign rulers have destroyed the grapevines.

The grapevines once spread as far as the city of Jazer and into the desert;

they had spread as far as the sea.

⁹I cry with the people of Jazer

for the grapevines of Sibmah.

I will cry with the people of Heshbon and Elealeh.

There will be no shouts of joy,

because there will be no harvest or ripe fruit.

¹⁰There will be no joy and happiness in the orchards

and no songs or shouts of joy in the vineyards.

No one makes wine in the winepresses,

because I have put an end to shouts of joy.

¹¹My heart cries for Moab like a harp playing a funeral song;

I am very sad for Kir Hareseth.

¹²The people of Moab will go to their places of worship

and will try to pray.

But when they go to their temple to pray,

they will not be able.

¹³Earlier the Lord said these things about Moab. ¹⁴Now the Lord says, “In three years all those people and what they take pride in will be hated. (This is three years as a hired helper would count time.) There will be a few people left, but they will be weak.”