¹Of Moab . The LORD of Armies , the God of Israel , says :

“Woe to Nebo !

For it is laid waste .

Kiriathaim is disappointed.

It is taken .

Misgab is put to shame

and broken down .

²The praise of Moab is no more .

In Heshbon they have devised evil against her :

‘Come ! Let ’s cut her off from being a nation .’

You also , Madmen , will be brought to silence .

The sword will pursue you .

³The sound of a cry from Horonaim ,

desolation and great destruction !

⁴Moab is destroyed .

Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard .

⁵For they will go up by the ascent of Luhith with continual weeping .

For at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distress of the cry of destruction .

⁶Flee ! Save your lives !

Be like the juniper bush in the wilderness .

⁷For , because you have trusted in your works and in your treasures,

you also will be taken .

Chemosh will go out into captivity ,

his priests and his princes together .

⁸The destroyer will come on every city ,

and no city will escape ;

the valley also will perish,

and the plain will be destroyed , as the LORD has spoken.

⁹Give wings to Moab ,

that she may fly and get herself away :

and her cities will become a desolation ,

without anyone to dwell in them .

¹⁰“Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD negligently ;

and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood .

¹¹“Moab has been at ease from his youth ,

and he has settled on his dregs ,

and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel ,

neither has he gone into captivity ;

therefore his taste remains in him ,

and his scent is not changed .

¹²Therefore behold , the days come ,” says the LORD ,

“that I will send to him those who pour off ,

and they will pour him off ;

and they will empty his vessels ,

and break their containers in pieces .

¹³Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh ,

as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel , their confidence .

¹⁴“How do you say, ‘We are mighty men ,

and valiant men for the war ’?

¹⁵Moab is laid waste ,

and they have gone up into his cities ,

and his chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter ,”

says the King , whose name is the LORD of Armies .

¹⁶“The calamity of Moab is near to come,

and his affliction hurries fast .

¹⁷All you who are around him , bemoan him ;

and all you who know his name , say,

‘How the strong staff is broken ,

the beautiful rod !’

¹⁸“You daughter who dwells in Dibon ,

come down from your glory ,

and sit in thirst ;

for the destroyer of Moab has come up against you .

He has destroyed your strongholds .

¹⁹Inhabitant of Aroer , stand by the way and watch .

Ask him who flees , and her who escapes ;

say, ‘What has been done ?’

²⁰Moab is disappointed;

for it is broken down .

Wail and cry !

Tell it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste .

²¹Judgement has come on the plain country—

on Holon , on Jahzah , on Mephaath ,

²²on Dibon , on Nebo , on Beth Diblathaim,

²³on Kiriathaim , on Beth Gamul, on Beth Meon,

²⁴on Kerioth , on Bozrah ,

and on all the cities of the land of Moab , far or near .

²⁵The horn of Moab is cut off ,

and his arm is broken ,” says the LORD .

²⁶“Make him drunk ,

for he magnified himself against the LORD .

Moab will wallow in his vomit ,

and he also will be in derision .

²⁷For wasn’t Israel a derision to you ?

Was he found amongst thieves ?

For as often as you speak of him ,

you shake your head.

²⁸You inhabitants of Moab , leave the cities , and dwell in the rock .

Be like the dove that makes her nest over the mouth of the abyss.

²⁹“We have heard of the pride of Moab .

He is very proud in his loftiness , his pride ,

his arrogance , and the arrogance of his heart .

³⁰I know his wrath ,” says the LORD , “that it is nothing ;

his boastings have done nothing .

³¹Therefore I will wail for Moab .

Yes , I will cry out for all Moab .

They will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.

³²With more than the weeping of Jazer

I will weep for you , vine of Sibmah .

Your branches passed over the sea .

They reached even to the sea of Jazer .

The destroyer has fallen on your summer fruits

and on your vintage .

³³Gladness and joy is taken away from the fruitful field

and from the land of Moab .

I have caused wine to cease from the wine presses .

No one will tread with shouting .

The shouting will be no shouting .

³⁴From the cry of Heshbon even to Elealeh,

even to Jahaz they have uttered their voice ,

from Zoar even to Horonaim , to Eglath Shelishiyah;

for the waters of Nimrim will also become desolate .

³⁵Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab ,” says the LORD ,

“him who offers in the high place ,

and him who burns incense to his gods.

³⁶Therefore my heart sounds for Moab like flutes ,

and my heart sounds like flutes for the men of Kir Heres.

Therefore the abundance that he has gotten has perished.

³⁷For every head is bald ,

and every beard clipped .

There are cuttings on all the hands ,

and sackcloth on the waist .

³⁸On all the housetops of Moab ,

and in its streets , there is lamentation everywhere ;

for I have broken Moab like a vessel in which no one delights ,” says the LORD .

³⁹“How it is broken down !

How they wail !

How Moab has turned the back with shame!

So will Moab become a derision

and a terror to all who are around him .”

⁴⁰For the LORD says : “Behold , he will fly as an eagle ,

and will spread out his wings against Moab .

⁴¹Kerioth is taken ,

and the strongholds are seized .

The heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day

will be as the heart of a woman in her pangs .

⁴²Moab will be destroyed from being a people ,

because he has magnified himself against the LORD .

⁴³Terror , the pit , and the snare are on you ,

inhabitant of Moab ,” says the LORD .

⁴⁴“He who flees from the terror will fall into the pit ;

and he who gets up out of the pit will be taken in the snare ,

for I will bring on him , even on Moab ,

the year of their visitation ,” says the LORD .

⁴⁵“Those who fled stand without strength under the shadow of Heshbon ;

for a fire has gone out of Heshbon ,

and a flame from the middle of Sihon ,

and has devoured the corner of Moab ,

and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones .

⁴⁶Woe to you , O Moab !

The people of Chemosh are undone;

for your sons are taken away captive ,

and your daughters into captivity .

⁴⁷“Yet I will reverse the captivity of Moab in the latter days ,”

says the LORD .

Thus far is the judgement of Moab .