International Standard Version

English Standard Version

1To Moab: This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: "How terrible for Nebo, for it's laid waste. Kiriathaim is put to shame, it's captured. The fortress is put to shame, it's shattered.

1Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down;

2The pride of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they plotted evil against her: 'Come and let's eliminate her as a nation.' Madmen will also be silenced, and the sword will pursue you.

2the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!’ You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you.

3The sound of crying will come from Horonaim, devastation and great destruction.

3“A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!’

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

4Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.

5Indeed, at the ascent of Luhith people will go up with bitter weeping. At the descent of Horonaim the anguished cries over the destruction will be heard.

5For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry of destruction.

6Flee, save your lives, and you will be like a wild donkey in the desert.

6Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!

7But, because you trust in your deeds and your riches, you will also be captured. Chemosh will go out into exile, along with his priests and officials.

7For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials.

8A destroyer will come to every town and no town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed." This is what the LORD has said!

8The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken.

9"Put salt on Moab for she will surely fall. Her towns will become desolate places, without any inhabitants in them.

9“Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them.

10Cursed is the one who is slack in doing the LORD's work. Cursed is the one who holds back his sword from shedding blood.

10“Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

11Moab has been at ease from his youth. He has been undisturbed like wine on its dregs and not poured from vessel to vessel. He has not gone into exile. Therefore, his flavor has remained, and his aroma has not changed.

11“Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed.

12"Therefore, look, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I'll send those who tip over vessels to him, and they'll tip him over. They'll empty his vessels and shatter his jars.

12“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his jars in pieces.

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

13Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

14"How can you say, 'We're strong warriors, and soldiers ready for battle'?

14“How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war’?

15Moab will be destroyed, and the enemy will come up against her cities. Her finest young men will go down to slaughter," declares the King, whose name is the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

15The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

16"Moab's disaster is near at hand, and his calamity is coming very quickly.

16The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.

17Mourn for him, all who live around him, and all who know his name. Say, 'Oh how the mighty rod is broken, the glorious staff.'

17Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.’

18"Come down from glory, and sit on parched ground, O woman who lives in Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab will come up against you to destroy you. He will destroy your strongholds.

18“Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.

19Stand by the road and keep watch, O woman who lives in Aroer. Ask the man who flees and the woman who escapes. Say, 'What happened'?

19Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?’

20Moab will be put to shame, for it will be destroyed. Wail and cry out. Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.

20Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste.

21Judgment has come to the plateau: to Holon and Jahzah, and against Mephaath,

21“Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath,

22Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,

22and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,

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

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

24against Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns in the land of Moab, both far and near.

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

25The strength of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken," declares the LORD.

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

26"Make him drunk for he has exalted himself against the LORD. Moab will wallow in his vomit, and he will be the object of mocking.

26“Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision.

27Wasn't Israel an object of mocking for you? Wasn't he treated like a thief, so that whenever you spoke about him you shook your head in contempt?

27Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head?

28Abandon the cities, and live on the cliffs, you inhabitants of Moab. Be like a dove that builds a nest by the mouth of a cave.

28“Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.

29We have heard about Moab's pride— he's very proud— his haughtiness, his arrogance, his insolence, and his conceit.

29We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.

30I know his gall," declares the LORD, "and it's futile; the boasting that they do is futile.

30I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.

31Therefore, I'll wail for Moab, and for the whole of Moab I'll cry out, for the men of Kir-heres I'll moan.

31Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.

32More than the weeping for Jazer, I'll weep for you, vine of Sibmah. Your branches spread out to the sea, and reached as far as the Sea of Jazer. On your summer fruit and grapes the destroyer will fall.

32More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.

33Gladness and rejoicing will be taken away from the fruitful land. From the land of Moab I'll cause the wine in the wine presses to stop flowing. The workers won't tread the grapes with a loud shout. There will be no shout!

33Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy.

34"From the cry of Heshbon, to Elealeh, to Jahaz they have lifted up their voice. From Zoar to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah, even the waters of Nimrim will become a desolate place.

34“From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate.

35In Moab," declares the LORD, "I'll put an end to the one who offers a burnt offering on the high place and to the one who burns incense to his gods.

35And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god.

36Therefore my heart wails for Moab like flutes and my heart wails for the men of Kir-heres like flutes. Therefore they'll lose the abundance they produced.

36Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished.

37Indeed every head will be bald and every beard cut short. There will be gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins.

37“For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth.

38On all the housetops of Moab and in the streets there will be nothing but mourning, for I'll break Moab like a vessel that no one wants," declares the LORD.

38On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD.

39"How it will be shattered! How they'll wail! How Moab will turn his back in shame! Moab will be an object of ridicule and terror to all those around him."

39How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.”

40For this is what the LORD says: "Look, like an eagle one will fly swiftly and spread his wings against Moab.

40For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;

41The towns will be captured and the strongholds seized. On that day the hearts of the warriors of Moab will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

41the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;

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

42Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.

43Terror, pit, and trap will be used against you who live in Moab," declares the LORD.

43Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.

44"The one who flees from the terror will fall into a pit. And the one who comes up out of the pit will be caught in a trap. For I'll bring upon her, that is upon Moab, the time of her punishment," declares the LORD.

44He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD.

45"The fugitives will stand without strength in the shadow of Heshbon, for fire will go out from Heshbon and a flame from the middle of Sihon. It will devour the forehead of Moab and the heads of the rebellious people.

45“In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.

46How terrible for you, Moab! The people of Chemosh will perish. Indeed, your sons will be taken into captivity, and your daughters as well.

46Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.

47But I'll restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days," declares the LORD. This concludes the judgment on Moab.

47Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.