Jeremiah, 48

1. On Moab. Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: Wretched Nebo, for it has been ravaged, Kiriathaim has been shamed and taken, shame and distraction on the citadel,

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

2. the pride of Moab is no more! At Heshbon they plotted her downfall, 'Come, let us put an end to her as a nation!' And you too, inhabitants of Madmen, will be silenced, the sword will be after you.

2. the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned evil 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.

3. A cry of agony goes up from Horonaim, 'Devastation! Dire calamity.

3. "Hark! a cry from Horona'im, `Desolation and great destruction!'

4. Moab has been shattered,' the agonised cries of her little ones ring out.

4. Moab is destroyed; a cry is heard as far as Zo'ar.

5. Up the slope of Luhith, weeping they go. On the road down to Horonaim is heard the shriek of disaster,

5. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; for at the descent of Horona'im they have heard the cry of destruction.

6. 'Away! Flee for your lives like the wild donkey into the desert!'

6. Flee! Save yourselves! Be like a wild ass in the desert!

7. Yes, since you relied on your deeds and your wealth, you will be captured too. Chemosh will go into exile, with all his priests and princes.

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

8. The despoiler will descend on every town, not one will escape; the Valley will be ravaged, the Plain be plundered as Yahweh has said.

8. The 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 Moab wings so that she can fly away, for her towns will be laid in ruins where no one will ever live again.

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

10. (Accursed be he who does Yahweh's work negligently! Accursed be he who deprives his sword of 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. From his youth Moab lived at ease, he settled on his lees, never having been decanted, never having gone into exile: and so he kept his own flavour, his aroma was unchanged.

11. "Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his lees; 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. And so the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shall send him decanters to decant him; they will empty his pitchers and break his wine jars to bits.

12. "Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I shall send to him tilters who will tilt him, and empty his vessels, and break his jars in pieces.

13. Moab will be shamed by Chemosh then, as the House of Israel was shamed by Bethel in which they put their trust.

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

14. How can you say, 'We are heroes, sturdy fighting men'?

14. "How do you say, `We are heroes and mighty men of war'?

15. Moab has been ravaged, his cities scaled, the flower of his youth goes down to the slaughter, declares the King, whose name is Yahweh Sabaoth.

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

16. Moab's ruin is coming soon, his downfall comes at top speed.

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

17. Grieve for him, all you living near him, all you who knew his name. Say, 'How shattered it is, that mighty rod, that splendid sceptre!'

17. Bemoan him, all you who are round about him, and all who know his name; say, `How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.'

18. Come down from your glory, sit on the parched ground, daughter of Dibon, for the despoiler of Moab has advanced on 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.

19. Stand by the roadside, keep watch, daughter of Aroer. Question fugitive and runaway, ask, 'What has happened?'

19. Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aro'er! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, `What has happened?'

20. 'Moab has been shattered and shamed. Wail and shriek! Shout along the Arnon, Moab has been laid waste!'

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

21. Judgement has also come on the Plain, on Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath,

21. "Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Meph'a-ath,

22. Dibon, Nebo, Beth-Diblathaim,

22. and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblatha'im,

23. Kiriathaim, Beth-Gamul, Beth-Meon,

23. and Kiriatha'im, and Beth-ga'mul, and Beth-me'on,

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

24. and Ker'i-oth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near.

25. Moab's horn has been cut off, his arm is broken, Yahweh declares.

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

26. Make him drunk! He has set himself up against Yahweh; let Moab wallow in his vomit and become a laughing-stock in his turn.

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.

27. Was Israel not a laughing-stock to you? Was he caught red-handed with the thieves, for you to shake your head whenever you mention him?

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

28. Leave the towns, make the rocks your home, inhabitants of Moab. Learn from the dove that makes its nest in the walls of the gaping gorge.

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 about Moab's pride, so very proud! What arrogance! What pride! What conceit! What a haughty heart!

29. We 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 all about his presumption, Yahweh declares, his empty boasting, those empty deeds of his!

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

31. -and so I lament for Moab, for all Moab I raise my cry and mourn for the people of Kir-Heres.

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

32. More than for Jazer I weep for you, vineyard of Sibmah: your shoots stretched beyond the sea, they reached all the way to Jazer. On your harvest and vintage the despoiler has descended.

32. More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached as far as Jazer; upon your summer fruits and your vintage the destroyer has fallen.

33. Gladness and joy have vanished from the orchards of Moab. I have dried up the wine in the presses, the treader of grapes treads no more, the joyful shouting has ceased.

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

34. The cries of Heshbon and Elealeh can be heard as far as Jahaz. The shrieks resound from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-Shelishiyah, for even the Waters of Nimrim have become a wasteland.

34. "Heshbon and Ele-a'leh cry out; as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zo'ar to Horona'im and Eg'lath-shelish'iyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate.

35. And in Moab I shall make an end, Yahweh declares, of anyone offering sacrifice on the high places and anyone offering incense to his gods.

35. And I will bring to an end in Moab, says the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and burns incense to his god.

36. That is why my heart sobs like a flute for Moab, sobs like a flute for the people of Kir-Heres, since the wealth he had acquired is lost.

36. Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-he'res; therefore the riches they gained have perished.

37. Yes, every head is shaved, every beard cut off, gashes are on every hand, sackcloth round every waist.

37. "For every head is shaved and every beard cut off; upon all the hands are gashes, and on the loins is sackcloth.

38. On all the housetops of Moab and in all its squares there is nothing but lamenting, for I have broken Moab like an unwanted pot, Yahweh declares.

38. On 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, says the LORD.

39. How shattered he is! Wail! Moab so shamefully in retreat! Moab has become a laughing-stock, a thing of horror to all his neighbours.

39. How 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 round about him."

40. For Yahweh says this: (Look, like an eagle, he will hover, spreading his wings over Moab.)

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

41. The towns have been captured, the strongholds seized. (And the heart of Moab's warriors, that day, will be like that of a woman in labour pains.)

41. the 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 pangs;

42. Moab will be destroyed, no longer a people, for setting itself up against Yahweh.

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

43. Terror, the pit and the snare for you, inhabitant of Moab, Yahweh declares.

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

44. And anyone who escapes from terror will fall into the pit, and anyone who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare. Yes, I shall bring all this on Moab when the year comes for punishing them, Yahweh declares.

44. He 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 in the year of their punishment, says the LORD.

45. In the shelter of Heshbon the fugitives have paused, exhausted. But fire will burst from Heshbon, a flame from the palace of Sihon, consuming the brows of Moab, the head of a turbulent brood.

45. "In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength; for a fire has gone forth from Heshbon, a flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.

46. Disaster for you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are lost! For your sons have been taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.

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

47. But I shall bring back Moab's captives in the final days, Yahweh declares. Thus far the judgement on Moab.

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