Christian Standard Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1About Moab, this is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Woe to Nebo, because it is about to be destroyed; Kiriathaim will be put to shame; it will be taken captive. The fortress will be put to shame and dismayed!

1Concerning 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.

2There is no longer praise for Moab; they plan harm against her in Heshbon: Come, let's cut her off from nationhood. Also, Madmen, you will be silenced; the sword will follow you.

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, Madmen, will be silenced; The sword will follow after you.

3A voice cries out from Horonaim, "devastation and a crushing blow!"

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

4Moab will be shattered; her little ones will cry out.

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

5For on the Ascent to Luhith they will be weeping continually, and on the descent to Horonaim will be heard cries of distress over the destruction:

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.

6Flee! Save your lives! Be like a juniper bush in the wilderness.

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

7Because you trust in your works and treasures, you will be captured also. Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials.

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.

8The destroyer will move against every town; not one town will escape. The valley will perish, and the plain will be annihilated, as the LORD has said.

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.

9Make Moab a salt marsh, for she will run away; her towns will become a desolation, without inhabitant.

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

10The one who does the LORD's business deceitfully is cursed, and the one who withholds his sword from bloodshed is cursed.

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

11Moab has been left quiet since his youth, settled like wine on its dregs. He hasn't been poured from one container to another or gone into exile. So his taste has remained the same, and his aroma hasn't changed.

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.

12Therefore look, the days are coming--this is the LORD's declaration--when I will send pourers to him, who will pour him out. They will empty his containers and smash his jars.

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.

13Moab will be put to shame because of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was put to shame because of Bethel that they trusted in.

13"And Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

14How can you say, "We are warriors--valiant men for battle"?

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

15The destroyer of Moab and its towns has come up, and the best of its young men have gone down to slaughter. This is the King's declaration; the LORD of Armies is his name.

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.

16Moab's calamity is near at hand; his disaster is rushing swiftly.

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

17Mourn for him, all you surrounding nations, everyone who knows his name. Say, "How the mighty scepter is shattered, the glorious staff!"

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!'

18Come down from glory; sit on parched ground, resident of the daughter of Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses.

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.

19Stand by the highway and watch, resident of Aroer! Ask him who is fleeing or her who is escaping, "What happened?"

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?'

20Moab is put to shame, indeed dismayed. Wail and cry out! Declare by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.

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 come to the land of the plateau--to Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath,

21"Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, Jahzah and against Mephaath,

22Dibon, Nebo, Beth-diblathaim,

22against Dibon, Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,

23Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon,

23against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul and Beth-meon,

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

24against Kerioth, Bozrah and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near.

25Moab's horn is chopped off; his arm is shattered." This is the LORD's declaration.

25"The horn of Moab has been cut off and his arm broken," declares the LORD.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

30I know his outburst. This is the LORD's declaration. It is empty. His boast is empty.

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

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

31"Therefore I will wail for Moab, Even for all Moab will I cry out; I 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.

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.

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.

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"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

37"For every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins.

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.

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 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."

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."

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

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

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.

42Moab will be destroyed as a people because he has exalted himself against the LORD.

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

43Panic, pit, and trap await you, resident of Moab. This is the LORD's declaration.

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

44He who flees from the panic will fall in the pit, and he who climbs from the pit will be captured in the trap, for I will bring against Moab the year of their punishment. This is the LORD's declaration.

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.

45Those who flee will stand exhausted in Heshbon's shadow because fire has come out from Heshbon and a flame from within Sihon. It will devour Moab's forehead and the skull of the noisemakers.

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.

46Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished because your sons have been taken captive and your daughters have gone into captivity.

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

47Yet, I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the last days. This is the LORD's declaration. The judgment on Moab ends here.

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

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org