Jeremiah 48

Prophecy against Moab

1 Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,
"Woe to Nebo, for it has been destroyed;
Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured;
The lofty stronghold has been put to shame and shattered.

2 "There is praise for Moab no longer;
In Heshbon they have devised calamity against her:
'Come and let us cut her off from being a nation!'
You too, tMadmen, will be silenced;
The sword will follow after you.

3 "The sound of an outcry from Horonaim,
'Devastation and great destruction!'

4 "Moab is broken,
Her little ones have sounded out a cry of distress.

5 "For by the ascent of Luhith
They will ascend with continual weeping;
For at the descent of Horonaim
They have heard the anguished cry of destruction.

6 "Flee, save your lives,
That you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.

7 "For because of your trust in your own achievements and treasures,
Even you yourself will be captured;
And Chemosh will go off into exile
Together with his priests and his princes.

8 "A destroyer will come to every city,
So that no city will escape;
The valley also will be ruined
And the plateau will be destroyed,
As the LORD has said.

9 "Give wings to Moab,
For she will flee away;
And her cities will become a desolation,
Without inhabitants in them.

10 "Cursed be the one who does the LORD'S work negligently,
And cursed be the one who restrains his sword from blood.

11 "Moab has been at ease since his youth;
He has also been undisturbed, like wine on its dregs,
And he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into exile.
Therefore he retains his flavor,
And his aroma has not changed.12 Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.13 And Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

14 "How can you say, 'We are mighty warriors,
And men valiant for battle'?

15 "Moab has been destroyed and men have gone up to his cities;
His choicest young men have also gone down to the slaughter,"
Declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

16 "The disaster of Moab will soon come,
And his calamity has swiftly hastened.

17 "Mourn for him, all you who live around him,
Even all of you who know his name;
Say, 'How has the mighty scepter been broken,
A staff of splendor!'

18 "Come down from your glory
And sit on the parched ground,
O daughter dwelling in Dibon,
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you,
He has ruined your strongholds.

19 "Stand by the road and keep watch,
O inhabitant of Aroer;
Ask him who flees and her who escapes
And say, 'What has happened?'

20 "Moab has been put to shame, for it has been shattered.
Wail and cry out;
Declare by the Arnon
That Moab has been destroyed.

21 "Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, Jahzah and against Mephaath,22 against Dibon, Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,23 against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul and Beth-meon,24 against Kerioth, Bozrah and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near.25 The horn of Moab has been cut off and his arm broken," declares the LORD.26 "Make him drunk, for he has become arrogant toward the LORD; so Moab will wallow in his vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock.27 Now was not Israel a laughingstock to you? Or was he caught among thieves? For each time you speak about him you shake your head in scorn.

28 "Leave the cities and dwell among the crags,
O inhabitants of Moab,
And be like a dove that nests
Beyond the mouth of the chasm.

29 "We have heard of the pride of Moab-he is very proud-
Of his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance and his self-exaltation.

30 "I know his fury," declares the LORD,
"But it is futile;
His idle boasts have accomplished nothing.

31 "Therefore I will wail for Moab,
Even for all Moab will I cry out;
I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.

32 "More than the weeping for Jazer
I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah!
Your tendrils stretched across the sea,
They reached to the sea of Jazer;
Upon your summer fruits and your grape harvest
The destroyer has fallen.

33 "So gladness and joy are taken away
From the fruitful field, even from the land of Moab.
And I have made the wine to cease from the wine presses;
No one will tread them with shouting,
The shouting will not be shouts of joy. 34 From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, even to Jahaz they have raised their voice, from Zoar even to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate.35 I will make an end of Moab," declares the LORD, "the one who offers sacrifice on the high place and the one who burns incense to his gods.

36 "Therefore My heart wails for Moab like flutes; My heart also wails like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have lost the abundance it produced.37 For every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins.38 On all the housetops of Moab and in its streets there is lamentation everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable vessel," declares the LORD.39 "How shattered it is! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back-he is ashamed! So Moab will become a laughingstock and an object of terror to all around him."

40 For thus says the LORD:
"Behold, one will fly swiftly like an eagle
And spread out his wings against Moab.

41 "Kerioth has been captured
And the strongholds have been seized,
So the hearts of the mighty men of Moab in that day
Will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

42 "Moab will be destroyed from being a people
Because he has become arrogant toward the LORD.

43 "Terror, pit and snare are coming upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab," declares the LORD.

44 "The one who flees from the terror
Will fall into the pit,
And the one who climbs up out of the pit
Will be caught in the snare;
For I shall bring upon her, even upon Moab,
The year of their punishment," declares the LORD.

45 "In the shadow of Heshbon
The fugitives stand without strength;
For a fire has gone forth from Heshbon
And a flame from the midst of Sihon,
And it has devoured the forehead of Moab
And the scalps of the riotous revelers.

46 "Woe to you, Moab!
The people of Chemosh have perished;
For your sons have been taken away captive
And your daughters into captivity.

47 "Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
In the latter days," declares the LORD.
Thus far the judgment on Moab.

Jeremiah 48

1 Of Moab. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe unto Nebo! for it is laid waste; Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; Misgab is put to shame and broken down.2 The praise of Moab is no more; in Heshbon they have devised evil against her: Come, and let us cut her off from being a nation. Thou also, O Madmen, shalt be brought to silence: the sword shall pursue thee.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 by the ascent of Luhith with continual weeping shall they go up; for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distress of the cry of destruction.6 Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.7 For, because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou also shalt be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his princes together.8 And the destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed; as Jehovah hath spoken.9 Give wings unto Moab, that she may fly and get her away: and her cities shall become a desolation, without any to dwell therein.10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of Jehovah negligently; and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remaineth in him, and his scent is not changed.12 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will send unto him them that pour off, and they shall pour him off; and they shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles in pieces.13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence.14 How say ye, We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war?15 Moab is laid waste, and they are gone up into his cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is Jehovah of hosts.16 The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.17 All ye that are round about him, bemoan him, and all ye that know his name; say, How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful rod!18 O thou daughter that dwellest in Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the destroyer of Moab is come up against thee, he hath destroyed thy strongholds.19 O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and watch: ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth; say, What hath been done?20 Moab is put to shame; for it is broken down: wail and cry; tell ye it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste.21 And judgment is come upon the plain country, upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath,22 and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim,23 and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon,24 and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith Jehovah.26 Make ye him drunken; for he magnified himself against Jehovah: and Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for as often as thou speakest of him, thou waggest the head.28 O ye inhabitants of Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock; and be like the dove that maketh her nest over the mouth of the abyss.29 We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud; his loftiness, and his pride, and his arrogancy, and the haughtiness of his heart.30 I know his wrath, saith Jehovah, that it is nought; his boastings have wrought nothing.31 Therefore will I wail for Moab; yea, I will cry out for all Moab: for the men of Kir-heres shall they mourn.32 With more than the weeping of Jazer will I weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah: thy branches passed over the sea, they reached even to the sea of Jazer: upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage the destroyer is fallen.33 And gladness and joy is taken away from the fruitful field and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to cease from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; the shouting shall be no shouting.34 From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, even unto Jahaz have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, to Eglath-shelishiyah: for the waters of Nimrim also shall become desolate.35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith Jehovah, him that offereth in the high place, and him that burneth incense to his gods.36 Therefore my heart soundeth for Moab like pipes, and my heart soundeth like pipes for the men of Kir-heres: therefore the abundance that he hath gotten is perished.37 For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the streets thereof there is lamentation every where; for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein none delighteth, saith Jehovah.39 How is it broken down! how do they wail! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab become a derision and a terror to all that are round about him.40 For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab.41 Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are seized, and the heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against Jehovah.43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith Jehovah.44 He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon him, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith Jehovah.45 They that fled stand without strength under the shadow of Heshbon; for a fire is gone forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and hath devoured the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.46 Woe unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh is undone; for thy sons are taken away captive, and thy daughters into captivity.47 Yet will I bring back the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith Jehovah. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.