Jeremiah 48:24-41

24Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns of the land of Moab, those far and near.

25Moab’s horn is chopped off; his arm is shattered.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

26“Make him drunk, because he has exalted himself against the Lord. Moab will wallow in his own vomit, and he will also become a laughingstock.

27Wasn’t Israel a laughingstock to you? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.”

28Abandon the towns! Live in the cliffs, residents of Moab! Be like a dove that nests inside the mouth of a cave.

29We have heard of Moab’s pride, great pride, indeed — his insolence, arrogance, pride, and haughty heart.

30I know his outburst. This is the Lord’s declaration. It is empty. His boast is empty.

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

32I will weep for you, vine of Sibmah, with more than the weeping for Jazer. Your tendrils have extended to the sea; they have reached to the sea and to Jazer. The destroyer has fallen on your summer fruit and grape harvest.

33Gladness and celebration are taken from the fertile field and from the land of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the winepresses; no one will tread with shouts of joy. The shouting is not a shout of joy.

34“There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh; they make their voices heard as far as Jahaz  — from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah — because even the Waters of Nimrim have become desolate.

35In Moab, I will stop” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “the one who offers sacrifices on the high place and burns incense to his gods.

36Therefore, my heart moans like flutes for Moab, and my heart moans like flutes for the people of Kir-heres. And therefore, the wealth he has gained has perished.

37Indeed, every head is bald and every beard is chopped short. On every hand is a gash and sackcloth around the waist.

38On all the rooftops of Moab and in her public squares, everyone is mourning because I have shattered Moab like a jar no one wants.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

39“How broken it is! They wail! How Moab has turned his back! He is ashamed. Moab will become a laughingstock and a shock to all those around him.”

40For this is what the Lord says: Look! He will swoop down like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab.

41The towns have been captured, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman with contractions.