New King James Version

Christian Standard Bible

1Against Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo! For it is plundered, Kirjathaim is shamed and taken; The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—

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!

2No more praise of Moab. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: ‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’ You also shall be cut down, O Madmen! The sword shall pursue you;

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.

3A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim: ‘Plundering and great destruction!’

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

4“Moab is destroyed; Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;

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

5For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping; For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

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:

6“Flee, save your lives! And be like the juniper in the wilderness.

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

7For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, You also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, His priests and his princes together.

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

8And the plunderer shall come against every city; No one shall escape. The valley also shall perish, And the plain shall be destroyed, As the LORD has spoken.

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.

9“Give wings to Moab, That she may flee and get away; For her cities shall be desolate, Without any to dwell in them.

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

10Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.

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

11“Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has settled on his dregs, And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, Nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, And his scent has not changed.

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.

12“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I shall send him wine-workers Who will tip him over And empty his vessels And break the bottles.

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.

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

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.

14“How can you say, ‘We are mighty And strong men for the war’?

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

15Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities; Her chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter,” says the King, Whose name is the LORD of hosts.

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.

16“The calamity of Moab is near at hand, And his affliction comes quickly.

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

17Bemoan him, all you who are around him; And all you who know his name, Say, ‘How the strong staff is broken, The beautiful rod!’

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

18“O daughter inhabiting Dibon, Come down from your glory, And sit in thirst; For the plunderer of Moab has come against you, He has destroyed your strongholds.

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.

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

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

20Moab is shamed, for he is broken down. Wail and cry! Tell it in Arnon, that Moab is plundered.

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

21“And judgment has come on the plain country: On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,

21"Judgment has come to the land of the plateau--to Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath,

22On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,

22Dibon, Nebo, Beth-diblathaim,

23On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,

23Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon,

24On Kerioth and Bozrah, On all the cities of the land of Moab, Far or near.

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

25The horn of Moab is cut off, And his arm is broken,” says the LORD.

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

26“Make him drunk, Because he exalted himself against the LORD. Moab shall wallow in his vomit, And he shall also be in derision.

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.

27For was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him, You shake your head in scorn.

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

28You who dwell in Moab, Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, And be like the dove which makes her nest In the sides of the cave’s mouth.

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

29“We have heard the pride of Moab (He is exceedingly proud), Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, And of the haughtiness of his heart.”

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

30“I know his wrath,” says the LORD, “But it is not right; His lies have made nothing right.

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

31Therefore I will wail for Moab, And I will cry out for all Moab; I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.

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

32O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of Jazer. Your plants have gone over the sea, They reach to the sea of Jazer. The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.

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.

33Joy and gladness are taken From the plentiful field And from the land of Moab; I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses; No one will tread with joyous shouting— Not joyous shouting!

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“From the cry of Heshbon to Elealeh and to Jahaz They have uttered their voice, From Zoar to Horonaim, Like a three-year-old heifer; For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.

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.

35“Moreover,” says the LORD, “I will cause to cease in Moab The one who offers sacrifices in the high places And burns incense to his gods.

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 shall wail like flutes for Moab, And like flutes My heart shall wail For the men of Kir Heres. Therefore the riches they have acquired have perished.

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.

37“For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped; On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth—

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

38A general lamentation On all the housetops of Moab, And in its streets; For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the LORD.

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“They shall wail: ‘How she is broken down! How Moab has turned her back with shame!’ So Moab shall be a derision And a dismay to all those about her.”

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 thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, And spread his wings over Moab.

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

41Kerioth is taken, And the strongholds are surprised; The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.

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.

42And Moab shall be destroyed as a people, Because he exalted himself against the LORD.

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

43Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you, O inhabitant of Moab,” says the LORD.

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

44“He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit, And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For upon Moab, upon it I will bring The year of their punishment,” says 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.

45“Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon Because of exhaustion. But a fire shall come out of Heshbon, A flame from the midst of Sihon, And shall devour the brow of Moab, The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.

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.

46Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh perish; For your sons have been taken captive, And your daughters captive.

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

47“Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab In the latter days,” says the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

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

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

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