Concerning aMoab. Thus
says
the LORD
of hosts
, the God
of Israel
, "Woe
to bNebo
, for it has been destroyed
; cKiriathaim
has been
put
to shame
, it has been captured
; The lofty
stronghold
has been
put
to shame
and 1shattered
.
"There is praise
for Moab
no
longer
; In aHeshbon
they have devised
calamity
against
her: `Come
and let us cut
her off
from being a nation
!' You too
, 1Madmen
, will be silenced
; The sword
will follow
after
you.
"The sound of an outcry
from aHoronaim
, `Devastation
and great
destruction
!'
"Moab is broken
, Her little
ones
have sounded
out a cry
of distress.
"For by the ascent of aLuhith
They will ascend
with continual
weeping
; For at the descent
of Horonaim
They have heard
the 1anguished
cry
of destruction
.
" aFlee, save
your lives
, That you may be like a juniper
in the wilderness
.
"For because of your atrust
in your own achievements
and treasures
, Even
you yourself
will be captured
; And bChemosh
will go
off
into exile
Together
with his priests
and his princes
.
"A destroyer will come
to every
city
, So that no
city
will escape
; The valley
also will be ruined
And the aplateau
will be destroyed
, As the LORD
has said
.
"Give 1 awings
to Moab
, For she will 2flee
away
; And her cities
will become
a bdesolation
, Without
inhabitants
in them.
" aCursed be the one who does
the LORD'S
work
bnegligently
, And cursed
be the one who restrains
his csword
from blood
.
"Moab has been
aat ease
since
his youth
; He has also been
bundisturbed
, like wine on 1its dregs
, And he has not been cemptied
from vessel
to vessel
, Nor
has he gone
into exile
. Therefore
2he retains
his flavor
, And his aroma
has not changed
.
"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
1his jars
.
"And Moab will be aashamed
of bChemosh
, as the house
of Israel
was ashamed
of cBethel
, their confidence
.
"How can you say
, `We are amighty
warriors
, And men
valiant
for battle
'?
"Moab has been destroyed
and 1men have gone
up to 2his cities
; His choicest
3 ayoung
men
have also gone
down
to the slaughter
," Declares
the bKing
, whose name
is the LORD
of hosts
.
"The disaster of Moab
will asoon
come
, And his calamity
has swiftly
hastened
.
"Mourn for him, all
you who live around
him, Even all
of you who know
his name
; Say
, `How
has the mighty
1 ascepter
been broken
, A staff
of splendor
!'
" aCome down
from your glory
And sit
1on the parched
ground
, O bdaughter
dwelling
in cDibon
, For the destroyer
of Moab
has come
up against you, He has ruined
your strongholds
.
"Stand by the road
and keep
watch
, O inhabitant
of aAroer
; bAsk
him who flees
and her who escapes
And say
, `What
has happened
?'
"Moab has been
put
to shame
, for it has been
1shattered
. Wail
and cry
out; Declare
by the aArnon
That Moab
has been destroyed
.
"Judgment has also come
upon the plain
, upon Holon
, aJahzah
and against
bMephaath
,
against Dibon
, Nebo
and Beth-diblathaim
,
against Kiriathaim
, Beth-gamul
and aBeth-meon
,
against aKerioth
, Bozrah
and all
the cities
of the land
of Moab
, far
and near
.
"The ahorn of Moab
has been cut
off
and his barm
broken
," declares
the LORD
.
" aMake him drunk
, for he has 1become
barrogant
toward
the LORD
; so Moab
will 2wallow
in his vomit
, and he also
will become
a laughingstock
.
"Now was not Israel a alaughingstock
to you? Or
was he 1 bcaught
among thieves
? For each
time
you speak
about him you cshake
your head in scorn.
"Leave the cities
and dwell
among the acrags
, O inhabitants
of Moab
, And be like a bdove
that nests
Beyond
the mouth
of the chasm
.
" aWe have heard of the pride
of Moab
--he is very
proud
-- Of his haughtiness
, his bpride
, his arrogance
and 1his self-exaltation
.
"I know his afury
," declares
the LORD
, "But it is futile
; His idle
boasts
have accomplished
nothing
.
"Therefore I will awail
for Moab
, Even for all
Moab
will I cry
out; 1I will moan
for the men
of bKir-heres
.
"More than
the aweeping
for bJazer
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
.
"So agladness and joy
are taken
away
From the fruitful
field
, even from the land
of Moab
. And I have made the wine
to bcease
from the wine
presses
; No
one will tread
them with shouting
, The shouting
will not be shouts
of joy.
" aFrom the outcry at Heshbon
even to bElealeh
, even to Jahaz
they have 1raised
their voice
, from cZoar
even to Horonaim
and to Eglath-shelishiyah
; for even
the waters
of Nimrim
will become
desolate
.
"I will make an end
of Moab
," declares
the LORD
, "the one who offers
sacrifice on the ahigh
place
and the one who 1 bburns
incense
to his gods
.
"Therefore My aheart
1wails
for Moab
like flutes
; My heart
also 1wails
like flutes
for the men
of Kir-heres
. Therefore
they have blost
the abundance
it produced
.
"For aevery head
is bald
and every
beard
cut
short
; there are gashes
on all
the hands
and bsackcloth
on the loins
.
"On all the ahousetops
of Moab
and in its streets
1there
is lamentation
everywhere
; for I have broken
Moab
like an undesirable
bvessel
," declares
the LORD
.
"How 1shattered
it is! How they have wailed
! How
Moab
has turned
his back
--he is ashamed
! So Moab
will become
a laughingstock
and an aobject
of terror
to all
around
him."
For thus says
the LORD
: "Behold
, one will afly
swiftly
like an eagle
And bspread
out his wings
against
Moab
.
"Kerioth has been captured
And the strongholds
have been seized
, So the ahearts
of the mighty
men
of Moab
in that day
Will be like the heart
of a bwoman
in labor
.
"Moab will be adestroyed
from being a people
Because
he has 1become
barrogant
toward
the LORD
.
" aTerror, pit
and snare
are coming upon you, O inhabitant
of Moab
," declares
the LORD
.
"The one who aflees 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 bpunishment
," declares
the LORD
.
"In the shadow of Heshbon
The fugitives
stand
without
strength
; For a fire
has gone
forth
from Heshbon
And a aflame
from the midst
of bSihon
, And it has devoured
the cforehead
of Moab
And the scalps
of the 1riotous
revelers
.
" aWoe to you, Moab
! The people
of bChemosh
have perished
; For your sons
have been taken
away captive
And your daughters
into captivity
.
"Yet I will arestore the 1fortunes
of Moab
In the 2latter
days
," declares
the LORD
.
Thus far
the judgment
on Moab
.