Jeremiah 48

Prophecy against Moab

1Concerning 1Moab. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Woe to 2Nebo, for it has been destroyed; 3Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured; The lofty stronghold has been put to shame and 4shattered.2There is praise for Moab no longer; In 5Heshbon they have devised calamity against her: ‘Come and let us cut her off from being a nation!’ You too, 6Madmen, will be silenced; The sword will follow after you.3The sound of an outcry from 7Horonaim, ‘Devastation and great destruction!’4Moab is broken, Her little ones have sounded out a cry of distress.5For by the ascent of 8Luhith They will ascend with continual weeping; For at the descent of Horonaim They have heard the 9anguished cry of destruction.610Flee, save your lives, That you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.7For because of your 11trust in your own achievements and treasures, Even you yourself will be captured; And 12Chemosh will go off into exile Together with his priests and his princes.8A destroyer will come to every city, So that no city will escape; The valley also will be ruined And the 13plateau will be destroyed, As the Lord has said.9Give 1415wings to Moab, For she will 16flee away; And her cities will become a 17desolation, Without inhabitants in them.1018Cursed be the one who does the Lord’s work 19negligently, And cursed be the one who restrains his 20sword from blood.

11“Moab has been 21at ease since his youth; He has also been 22undisturbed, like wine on 23its dregs, And he has not been 24emptied from vessel to vessel, Nor has he gone into exile. Therefore 25he retains his flavor, And his aroma has not changed. 12Therefore 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 26his jars. 13And Moab will be 27ashamed of 28Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of 29Bethel, their confidence.14How can you say, ‘We are 30mighty warriors, And men valiant for battle’?15Moab has been destroyed and 31men have gone up to 32his cities; His choicest 3334young men have also gone down to the slaughter,” Declares the 35King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.16“The disaster of Moab will 36soon come, And his calamity has swiftly hastened.17Mourn for him, all you who live around him, Even all of you who know his name; Say, ‘How has the mighty 3738scepter been broken, A staff of splendor!’1839Come down from your glory And sit 40on the parched ground, O 41daughter dwelling in 42Dibon, For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you, He has ruined your strongholds.19Stand by the road and keep watch, O inhabitant of 43Aroer; 44Ask him who flees and her who escapes And say, ‘What has happened?’20Moab has been put to shame, for it has been 45shattered. Wail and cry out; Declare by the 46Arnon That Moab has been destroyed.

21“Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, 47Jahzah and against 48Mephaath, 22against Dibon, Nebo and Beth-diblathaim, 23against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul and 49Beth-meon, 24against 50Kerioth, Bozrah and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25The 51horn of Moab has been cut off and his 52arm broken,” declares the Lord. 26“53Make him drunk, for he has 54become 55arrogant toward the Lord; so Moab will 56wallow in his vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock. 27Now was not Israel a 57laughingstock to you? Or was he 5859caught among thieves? For each time you speak about him you 60shake your head in scorn.28Leave the cities and dwell among the 61crags, O inhabitants of Moab, And be like a 62dove that nests Beyond the mouth of the chasm.2963We have heard of the pride of Moab--he is very proud-- Of his haughtiness, his 64pride, his arrogance and 65his self-exaltation.30I know his 66fury,” declares the Lord, “But it is futile; His idle boasts have accomplished nothing.31Therefore I will 67wail for Moab, Even for all Moab will I cry out; 68I will moan for the men of 69Kir-heres.32More than the 70weeping for 71Jazer 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.33So 72gladness and joy are taken away From the fruitful field, even from the land of Moab. And I have made the wine to 73cease from the wine presses; No one will tread them with shouting, The shouting will not be shouts of joy. 3474From the outcry at Heshbon even to 75Elealeh, even to Jahaz they have 76raised their voice, from 77Zoar even to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate. 35I will make an end of Moab,” declares the Lord, “the one who offers sacrifice on the 78high place and the one who 7980burns incense to his gods.

36“Therefore My 81heart 82wails for Moab like flutes; My heart also 83wails like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have 84lost the abundance it produced. 37For 85every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and 86sackcloth on the loins. 38On all the 87housetops of Moab and in its streets 88there is lamentation everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable 89vessel,” declares the Lord. 39“How 90shattered it is! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back--he is ashamed! So Moab will become a laughingstock and an 91object of terror to all around him.”

40For thus says the Lord: “Behold, one will 92fly swiftly like an eagle And 93spread out his wings against Moab.41Kerioth has been captured And the strongholds have been seized, So the 94hearts of the mighty men of Moab in that day Will be like the heart of a 95woman in labor.42Moab will be 96destroyed from being a people Because he has 97become 98arrogant toward the Lord.4399Terror, pit and snare are coming upon you, O inhabitant of Moab,” declares the Lord.44“The one who 100flees 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 101punishment,” declares the Lord.

45“In the shadow of Heshbon The fugitives stand without strength; For a fire has gone forth from Heshbon And a 102flame from the midst of 103Sihon, And it has devoured the 104forehead of Moab And the scalps of the 105riotous revelers.46106Woe to you, Moab! The people of 107Chemosh have perished; For your sons have been taken away captive And your daughters into captivity.47Yet I will 108restore the 109fortunes of Moab In the 110latter days,” declares the Lord.

Thus far the judgment on Moab.