Jeremiah 48:1-23

1The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, spoke this message about Moab: ‘Nebo city is in terrible trouble! It will soon become a heap of stones. The people of Kiriathaim city will be ashamed. Its enemies will take it for themselves. They will knock down its strong buildings, and its people will be ashamed.

2People will no longer praise Moab. In Heshbon, Moab's enemies will decide how to destroy the nation. They will say, “We must completely destroy Moab!” The town of Madmen will become silent, as a great army chases out the people.

3The people of Horonaim will shout for help, because a strong army is destroying them.

4Moab will come to an end! Its children will cry loudly.

5They will go up the hill to Luhith. They will weep as they go. As they go down the road towards Horonaim, they will cry about their town that the enemy is destroying.

6People say, “Run away to save your lives! Go and live in the desert.”

7People of Moab, you trusted your riches and your skills to save you. Because of that, your enemies will catch you. They will even take your god Chemosh away as prisoner, together with his priests and officers.

8Your cruel enemy will attack every town. No town or city will escape. The enemy will destroy every place in the valley, and every place on the high ground. They will become heaps of stones. I, the Lord, tell you this!

9Dig a grave to bury Moab! Its land will become like a desert. Its cities will become heaps of stones. Nobody will live in them.’

10The Lord will curse anyone who refuses to do his work! He will punish anyone who does not use his sword to kill his enemies!

11The Lord said, ‘Moab's people have lived in peace since they first became a nation. No enemy has taken them away to a foreign land as their prisoners. They have been like the wine in a bottle that nobody has moved. Nobody has poured it into another bottle, so its taste and smell have never changed. Moab has always been the same.

12But the time will soon come when I will send people to attack Moab. They will pour out Moab's people like somebody pours wine out of a bottle. They will pour out all the wine so that the bottles are empty. And they will break the bottles into pieces!

13Then Moab's people will be ashamed because their god Chemosh has not saved them. They will be like the Israelites who trusted in their idol at Bethel and they became ashamed.

14Men of Moab, you should no longer say, “We are brave soldiers who know how to fight.”

15I am the King, the Lord Almighty, and I tell you this: The enemy will soon destroy Moab and its cities. They will kill its strongest young men.

16Moab will soon come to an end. Terrible trouble will quickly destroy it.

17You nations that live around Moab, you know how famous it has been. But now you must weep for it. Say, “Moab's royal power is finished! They no longer have great power to rule!”

18You people who live in Dibon must stop being proud. Come down from the places where people give you honour. Sit on the ground in the dirt. Moab's cruel enemy has arrived. They will cause your strong buildings to become heaps of stones.

19You people who live in Aroer, stand beside the road and watch. Ask the people who are running away what has happened.

20They will reply, “The enemy has won against Moab and its people are ashamed. So weep and cry out! Stand beside the Arnon river and tell the news. Tell people that the enemy has destroyed Moab.”

21The Lord has judged the cities on the high ground and he will soon punish them: Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,

22Dibon, Nebo and Beth-Diblathaim,

23Kiriathaim, Beth-Gamul and Beth-Meon,