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The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah

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- Chapter 48 -

(Isaiah 15:1–9)
1
Concerning Moab, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it will be devastated. Kiriathaim will be captured and disgraced; the fortress will be shattered and dismantled.
2
There is no longer praise for Moab; in Heshbon (a) they devise evil against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from nationhood.’ You too, O people of Madmen,(b) will be silenced; the sword will pursue you.
3
A voice cries out from Horonaim: ‘Devastation and great destruction!’
4
Moab will be shattered; her little ones will cry out.(c)
5
For on the ascent to Luhith they weep bitterly as they go, and on the descent to Horonaim cries of distress resound over the destruction:
6
‘Flee! Run for your lives! Become like a juniper in the desert.(d)’
7
Because you trust in your works and treasures, you too will be captured, and Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials.
8
The destroyer will move against every city, and not one town will escape. The valley will also be ruined, and the high plain will be destroyed, as the LORD has said.
9
Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste;(e) her cities will become desolate, with no one to dwell in them.
10
Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.
11
Moab has been at ease from youth, settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel or gone into exile. So his flavor has remained the same, and his aroma is unchanged.
12
Therefore behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will send to him wanderers, who will pour him out. They will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.
13
Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.
14
How can you say, ‘We are warriors, mighty men ready for battle’?
15
Moab has been destroyed and its towns have been invaded; the best of its young men have gone down in the slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts.
16
Moab’s calamity is at hand, and his affliction is rushing swiftly.
17
Mourn for him, all you who surround him, everyone who knows his name; tell how the mighty scepter is shattered— the glorious staff!
18
Come down from your glory; sit on parched ground, O daughter dwelling in Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses.
19
Stand by the road and watch, O dweller of Aroer! Ask the man fleeing or the woman escaping, ‘What has happened?’
20
Moab is put to shame, for it has been shattered. Wail and cry out! Declare by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.
21
Judgment has come upon the high plain— upon Holon, Jahzah,(f) and Mephaath,
22
upon Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,
23
upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,
24
upon Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns of Moab, those far and near.
25
The horn of Moab has been cut off, and his arm is broken,”
26
declares the LORD. “Make him drunk, because he has magnified himself against the LORD; so Moab will wallow in his own vomit, and he will also become a laughingstock.
27
Was not Israel your object of ridicule? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.
28
Abandon the towns and settle among the rocks, O dwellers of Moab! Be like a dove that nests at the mouth of a cave.
29
We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his proud arrogance and haughtiness of heart.
30
I know his insolence,” declares the LORD, “but it is futile. His boasting is as empty as his deeds.
31
Therefore I will wail for Moab; I will cry out for all of Moab; I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.(g)
32
I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah, more than I weep for Jazer. Your tendrils have extended to the sea;(h) they reach even to Jazer.(i) The destroyer has descended on your summer fruit and grape harvest.
33
Joy and gladness are removed from the orchard and from the fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; their shouts are not for joy.
34
There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh; they raise their voices to Jahaz, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim have dried up.
35
In Moab, declares the LORD, I will bring an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods.
36
Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres, because the wealth they acquired has perished.
37
For every head is shaved and every beard is clipped; on every hand is a gash, and around every waist is sackcloth.
38
On all the rooftops of Moab and in the public squares, everyone is mourning; for I have shattered Moab like an unwanted jar,”
39
declares the LORD. “How shattered it is! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule and horror to all those around him.”
40
For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
41
Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
42
Moab will be destroyed as a nation because he vaunted himself against the LORD.
43
Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,”
44
declares the LORD. “Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,”
45
declares the LORD. “Those who flee will stand helpless in Heshbon’s shadow, because fire has gone forth from Heshbon and a flame from within Sihon. It devours the foreheads of Moab and the skulls of the sons of tumult.
46
Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished; for your sons have been taken into exile and your daughters have gone into captivity.
47
Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,(j)” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.

Footnotes

(a)48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.
(b)48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for silenced.
(c)48:4 Hebrew; LXX her cries are heard as far away as Zoar
(d)48:6 Or like a wild donkey or like Aroer
(e)48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away
(f)48:21 Jahzah is a variant of Jahaz; see verse 34.
(g)48:31 Kir-heres is a variant of Kir-hareseth; also in verse 36; see Isaiah 16:7.
(h)48:32 Probably the Dead Sea
(i)48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and LXX; most Hebrew manuscripts to the Sea of Jazer
(j)48:47 Or restore the fortunes of Moab
(Isaiah 15:1–9)
1
Of Moab. The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo! For it is laid waste. Kiriathaim is disappointed. It is taken. Misgab (a) 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.
3
The sound of a cry from Horonaim, desolation and great destruction!
4
Moab is destroyed. Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
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.
6
Flee! Save your lives! Be like the juniper bush in the wilderness.
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.
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 the LORD has spoken.
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.
10
“Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD negligently; and cursed is he 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.
12
Therefore behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “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.
13
Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.
14
“How do you say, ‘We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war’?
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 the LORD of Armies.
16
“The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hurries fast.
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!’
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.
19
Inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way and watch. Ask him who flees, and her who escapes; 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.
21
Judgment has come on the plain country— on Holon, on Jahzah, on Mephaath,
22
on Dibon, on Nebo, on Beth Diblathaim,
23
on Kiriathaim, on Beth Gamul, on Beth Meon,
24
on Kerioth, on Bozrah, and on all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
25
The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken,” says the LORD.
26
“Make him drunk, for he magnified himself against the LORD. Moab will wallow in his vomit, and he also will be in derision.
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.
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.
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.
30
I know his wrath,” says the LORD, “that it is nothing; his boastings 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.
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.
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.
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.
35
Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab,” says the LORD, “him who offers in the high place, and him who burns incense 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.
37
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped. There are cuttings on all the hands, and sackcloth on the waist.
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 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.”
40
For the LORD says: “Behold, he will fly as an eagle, and will spread 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.
42
Moab will be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against the LORD.
43
Terror, the pit, and the snare are on you, inhabitant 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 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.
46
Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone; for your sons are taken away captive, and your daughters into captivity.
47
“Yet I will reverse the captivity of Moab in the latter days,” says the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

Footnotes

(a)48:1 or, The stronghold
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