Jeremiah 48

Judgment on Moab

48Against ^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—

^2dNo 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;

³A voice of crying shall be from ^gHoronaim:

‘Plundering and great destruction!’

⁴“Moab is destroyed;

³Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;

^5hFor in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;

For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

⁶“Flee, save your lives!

And be like ⁴the ⁱjuniper in the wilderness.

⁷For 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.

⁸And ^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.

^10oCursed 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.

¹³Moab 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’?

¹⁵Moab 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.

¹⁷Bemoan 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.

¹⁹O inhabitant of ^zAroer,

^aStand by the way and watch;

Ask him who flees

And her who escapes;

Say, ‘What has happened?’

²⁰Moab 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,

²²On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,

²³On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,

²⁴On ^dKerioth and Bozrah,

On all the cities of the land of Moab,

Far or near.

^25eThe 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.

²⁷For ^hwas not Israel a derision to you?

ⁱWas he found among thieves?

For whenever you speak of him,

You shake your head in ^jscorn.

²⁸You who dwell in Moab,

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.

³¹Therefore ^pI will wail for Moab,

And I will cry out for all Moab;

⁹I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.

^32qO 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.

^33sJoy 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.

³⁵“Moreover,” says the Lord,

“I will cause to cease in Moab

^wThe one who offers sacrifices in the ³high places

And burns incense to his gods.

³⁶Therefore ^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—

³⁸A general lamentation

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.

³⁹“They shall wail:

‘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.”

⁴⁰For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, ^done shall fly like an eagle,

And ^espread his wings over Moab.

⁴¹Kerioth is taken,

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.

⁴²And Moab shall be destroyed ^gas a people,

Because he exalted himself against the Lord.

^43hFear 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.

⁴⁶ⁿWoe 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.