New King James Version

New Living Translation

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—

1This message was given concerning Moab. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “What sorrow awaits the city of Nebo; it will soon lie in ruins. The city of Kiriathaim will be humiliated and captured; the fortress will be humiliated 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;

2No one will ever brag about Moab again, for in Heshbon there is a plot to destroy her. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘we will cut her off from being a nation.’ The town of Madmen, too, will be silenced; the sword will follow you there.

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

3Listen to the cries from Horonaim, cries of devastation and great destruction.

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

4All Moab is destroyed. 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.

5Her refugees weep bitterly, climbing the slope to Luhith. They cry out in terror, descending the slope to Horonaim.

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

6Flee for your lives! Hide 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 have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials, will be hauled off to distant lands!

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.

8“All the towns will be destroyed, and no one will escape— either on the plateaus or in the valleys, for 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.

9Oh, that Moab had wings so she could fly away, for her towns will be left empty, with no one living in them.

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

10Cursed are those who refuse to do the LORD’s work, who hold back their swords from shedding blood!

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“From his earliest history, Moab has lived in peace, never going into exile. He is like wine that has been allowed to settle. He has not been poured from flask to flask, and he is now fragrant and smooth.

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.

12But the time is coming soon,” says the LORD, “when I will send men to pour him from his jar. They will pour him out, then shatter the jar!

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

13At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh, as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.

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

14“You used to boast, ‘We are heroes, 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.

15But now Moab and his towns will be destroyed. His most promising youth are doomed to slaughter,” says the King, whose name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

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

16“Destruction is coming fast for Moab; calamity threatens ominously.

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!’

17You friends of Moab, weep for him and cry! See how the strong scepter is broken, how the beautiful staff is shattered!

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 in the dust, you people of Dibon, for those who destroy Moab will shatter Dibon, too. They will tear down all your towers.

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

19You people of Aroer, stand beside the road and watch. Shout to those who flee from Moab, ‘What has happened there?’

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

20“And the reply comes back, ‘Moab lies in ruins, disgraced; weep and wail! Tell it by the banks of the Arnon River: Moab has been destroyed!’

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

21Judgment has been poured out on the towns of the plateau— on Holon and Jahaz and Mephaath,

22On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,

22on Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,

23On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,

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

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

24on Kerioth and Bozrah— all the towns of Moab, far and near.

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

25“The strength of Moab has ended. His arm has been broken,” says 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“Let him stagger and fall like a drunkard, for he has rebelled against the LORD. Moab will wallow in his own vomit, ridiculed by all.

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.

27Did you not ridicule the people of Israel? Were they caught in the company of thieves that you should despise them as you do?

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“You people of Moab, flee from your towns and live in the caves. Hide like doves that nest in the clefts of the rocks.

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 all heard of the pride of Moab, for his pride is very great. We know of his lofty pride, his arrogance, and his haughty heart.

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

30I know about his insolence,” says the LORD, “but his boasts are empty— as empty as his deeds.

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

31So now I wail for Moab; yes, I will mourn for Moab. My heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.

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.

32“You people of Sibmah, rich in vineyards, I will weep for you even more than I did for Jazer. Your spreading vines once reached as far as the Dead Sea, but the destroyer has stripped you bare! He has harvested your grapes and summer fruits.

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!

33Joy and gladness are gone from fruitful Moab. The presses yield no wine. No one treads the grapes with shouts of joy. There is shouting, yes, but not 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“Instead, their awful cries of terror can be heard from Heshbon clear across to Elealeh and Jahaz; from Zoar all the way to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up now.

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.

35“I will put an end to Moab,” says the LORD, “for the people offer sacrifices at the pagan shrines and burn incense to their false 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.

36My heart moans like a flute for Moab and Kir-hareseth, for all their wealth has disappeared.

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

37The people shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of burlap.

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.

38There is crying and sorrow in every Moabite home and on every street. For I have smashed Moab like an old, unwanted jar.

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 shattered! Hear the wailing! See the shame of Moab! It has become an object of ridicule, an example of ruin to all its neighbors.”

40For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, And spread his wings over Moab.

40This is what the LORD says: “Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle, spreading his wings over 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.

41Its cities will fall, and its strongholds will be seized. Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish like a woman in labor.

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

42Moab will no longer be a nation, for it has boasted against the LORD.

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

43“Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, O Moab,” says 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.

44“Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will step into a snare. I will see to it that you do not get away, for the time of your judgment has come,” says 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“The people flee as far as Heshbon but are unable to go on. For a fire comes from Heshbon, King Sihon’s ancient home, to devour the entire land with all its rebellious people.

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

46“What sorrow awaits you, O people of Moab! The people of the god Chemosh are destroyed! Your sons and your daughters have been taken away as captives.

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

47But I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come. I, the LORD, have spoken!” This is the end of Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning Moab.

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

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.