New King James Version

English Standard Version

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—

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;

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;

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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 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“Give wings to Moab, That she may flee and get away; For her cities shall be desolate, Without any to dwell 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 he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from 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.

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.

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 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.

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 shall be ashamed of Chemosh, As the house of Israel was ashamed 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 are mighty And strong men for the war’?

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

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

16The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens 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!’

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“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.

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.

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 way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has 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, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste.

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

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

22On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,

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

23On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,

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

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

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

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

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

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 magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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 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 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“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.

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.

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 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 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.

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

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

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 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“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.”

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

40For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly 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 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;

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

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

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

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

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 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“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.

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.

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

46Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters 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 latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

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

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.