Jeremiah 48:1–49:39
48 Against aMoab. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Woe to bNebo!
For it is plundered,
cKirjathaim is shamed and taken;
1The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—
2 dNo more praise of Moab.
In eHeshbon they have devised evil against her:
‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’
You also shall be cut down, O fMadmen! 2
The sword shall pursue you;
3 A voice of crying shall be from gHoronaim:
‘Plundering and great destruction!’
3Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;
5 hFor in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;
For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
And be like 4the ijuniper in the wilderness.
7 For because you have trusted in your works and your jtreasures,
You also shall be taken.
And kChemosh shall go forth into captivity,
His lpriests and his princes together.
8 And mthe plunderer shall come against every city;
No one shall escape.
The valley also shall perish,
And the plain shall be destroyed,
As the Lord has spoken.
9 “Give nwings to Moab,
That she may flee and get away;
For her cities shall be desolate,
Without any to dwell in them.
10 oCursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully,
And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
11 “Moab has been at ease from 5his youth;
He phas settled on his dregs,
And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him,
And his scent has not changed.
12 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I shall send him 6wine-workers
Who will tip him over
And empty his vessels
And break the bottles.
13 Moab shall be ashamed of qChemosh,
As the house of Israel rwas ashamed of sBethel, their confidence.
14 “How can you say, t‘We are mighty
And strong men for the war’?
15 Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;
Her chosen young men have ugone down to the slaughter,” says vthe King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16 “The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
And his affliction comes quickly.
17 Bemoan him, all you who are around him;
And all you who know his name,
Say, w‘How the strong staff is broken,
The beautiful rod!’
18 “O xdaughter inhabiting yDibon,
Come down from your glory,
And sit in thirst;
For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,
He has destroyed your strongholds.
19 O inhabitant of zAroer,
aStand by the way and watch;
Ask him who flees
And her who escapes;
Say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.
bWail and cry!
Tell it in cArnon, that Moab is plundered.
21 “And judgment has come on the plain country:
On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,
22 On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23 On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24 On dKerioth and Bozrah,
On all the cities of the land of Moab,
Far or near.
25 eThe 7horn of Moab is cut off,
And his farm is broken,” says the Lord.
26 “Make ghim drunk,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
Moab shall wallow in his vomit,
And he shall also be in derision.
27 For hwas not Israel a derision to you?
iWas he found among thieves?
For whenever you speak of him,
You shake your head in jscorn.
Leave the cities and kdwell in the rock,
And be like lthe dove which makes her nest
In the sides of the cave’s mouth.
29 “We have heard the mpride of Moab
(He is exceedingly proud),
Of his loftiness and arrogance and npride,
And of the haughtiness of his heart.”
30 “I know his wrath,” says the Lord,
“But it is not right;
oHis 8lies have made nothing right.
31 Therefore pI will wail for Moab,
And I will cry out for all Moab;
9I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
32 qO vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of rJazer.
Your plants have gone over the sea,
They reach to the sea of Jazer.
The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.
33 sJoy and gladness are taken
From the plentiful field
And from the land of Moab;
I have caused wine to 1fail from the winepresses;
No one will tread with joyous shouting—
Not joyous shouting!
34 “From tthe cry of Heshbon to uElealeh and to Jahaz
They have uttered their voice,
vFrom Zoar to Horonaim,
Like 2a three-year-old heifer;
For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.
“I will cause to cease in Moab
wThe one who offers sacrifices in the 3high places
And burns incense to his gods.
36 Therefore xMy heart shall wail like flutes for Moab,
And like flutes My heart shall wail
For the men of Kir Heres.
Therefore ythe riches they have acquired have perished.
37 “For zevery head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;
On all the hands shall be cuts, and aon the loins sackcloth—
On all the bhousetops of Moab,
And in its streets;
For I have cbroken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.
‘How she is broken down!
How Moab has turned her back with shame!’
So Moab shall be a derision
And a dismay to all those about her.”
“Behold, done shall fly like an eagle,
And espread his wings over Moab.
And the strongholds are surprised;
fThe mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed gas a people,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
43 hFear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.
44 “He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit,
And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the isnare.
For upon Moab, upon it jI will bring
The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.
45 “Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon
Because of exhaustion.
But ka fire shall come out of Heshbon,
A flame from the midst of lSihon,
And mshall devour the brow of Moab,
The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.
46 nWoe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh perish;
For your sons have been taken captive,
And your daughters captive.
47 “Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab
oIn the latter days,” says the Lord.
Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
49 Against the aAmmonites. Thus says the Lord:
“Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then does 1Milcom inherit bGad,
And his people dwell in its cities?
2 cTherefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will cause to be heard an alarm of war
In dRabbah of the Ammonites;
It shall be a desolate mound,
And her 2villages shall be burned with fire.
Then Israel shall take possession of his inheritance,” says the Lord.
3 “Wail, O eHeshbon, for Ai is plundered!
Cry, you daughters of Rabbah,
fGird yourselves with sackcloth!
Lament and run to and fro by the walls;
For 3Milcom shall go into captivity
With his gpriests and his princes together.
4 Why hdo you boast in the valleys,
4Your flowing valley, O ibacksliding daughter?
Who trusted in her jtreasures, ksaying,
‘Who will come against me?’
5 Behold, I will bring fear upon you,”
Says the Lord God of hosts,
“From all those who are around you;
You shall be driven out, everyone headlong,
And no one will gather those who wander off.
6 But lafterward I will bring back
The captives of the people of Ammon,” says the Lord.
7 mAgainst Edom.
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
n“Is wisdom no more in Teman?
oHas counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom pvanished?
8 Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of qDedan!
For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,
The time that I will punish him.
9 rIf grape-gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
If thieves by night,
Would they not destroy until they have enough?
10 sBut I have made Esau bare;
I have uncovered his secret places,
And he shall not be able to hide himself.
His descendants are plundered,
His brethren and his neighbors,
And the is no more.
11 Leave your fatherless children,
I will preserve them alive;
And let your widows trust in Me.”
12 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, uthose whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And are you the one who will altogether go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink of it. 13 For vI have sworn by Myself,” says the Lord, “that wBozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a 5waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual 6wastes.”
14 xI have heard a message from the Lord,
And an ambassador has been sent to the nations:
“Gather together, come against her,
And rise up to battle!
15 “For indeed, I will make you small among nations,
Despised among men.
16 Your fierceness has deceived you,
The ypride of your heart,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Who hold the height of the hill!
zThough you make your anest as high as the eagle,
bI will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.
17 “Edom also shall be an astonishment;
cEveryone who goes by it will be astonished
And will hiss at all its plagues.
18 dAs in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
And their neighbors,” says the Lord,
“No one shall remain there,
Nor shall a son of man dwell in it.
19 “Behold, ehe shall come up like a lion from fthe 7floodplain of the Jordan
Against the dwelling place of the strong;
But I will suddenly make him run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For gwho is like Me?
Who will arraign Me?
And hwho is that shepherd
Who will withstand Me?”
20 iTherefore hear the counsel of the Lord that He has taken against Edom,
And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman:
Surely the least of the flock shall 8draw them out;
Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them.
21 jThe earth shakes at the noise of their fall;
At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea.
22 Behold, kHe shall come up and fly like the eagle,
And spread His wings over Bozrah;
The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
23 lAgainst Damascus.
m“Hamath and Arpad are shamed,
For they have heard bad news.
They are fainthearted;
nThere is 9trouble on the sea;
It cannot be quiet.
She turns to flee,
And fear has seized her.
oAnguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in 1labor.
25 Why is pthe city of praise not deserted, …