Jeremiah 48

A Message Concerning Moab

¹Concerning Moab, thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel:

“Woe to Nebo,

It is ashamed,

Misgab is ashamed,

²The glory of Moab is no longer.

Come and let us cut her off from being a nation.

Also, Madmen, you will be silent.

³The sound of a cry of distress arises from Horonaim,

⁴Moab is broken,

⁵For the ascent of Luhith,

For on the slope of Horonaim they have heard

⁶Flee! Save your life!

⁷For because of your trusting in your works and in your treasures,

and Chemosh will go out into the exile,

⁸And the destroyer will come to every town,

And the valley will be destroyed,

⁹Give salt for Moab,

and her towns will become as a desolation,

¹⁰The one who does the work of Yahweh with slackness is cursed,

¹¹Moab has been at ease from his youth,

Therefore his taste has remained unchanged,

¹²Therefore look, days are coming,” declares Yahweh,[#Literally “To thus”; #Literally “a declaration of”]

¹³Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh,

¹⁴How can you say, ‘we are warriors,

¹⁵Moab is destroyed,

and the choice of his young men have gone down to the slaughtering,”

¹⁶“The disaster of Moab is near to come,

¹⁷Mourn for him, all his surroundings,

Say, ‘How the staff of might is broken,

¹⁸Come down from glory and sit on the parched ground,

for the destroyer of Moab has come up against you,

¹⁹Stand by the road and watch,

Ask the man who is fleeing and the woman who is escaping,

²⁰Moab is ashamed,

Wail and cry out,

²¹Judgment has also come to the land of the plain, to Holon, and to Jahaz, and on Mephaath,

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

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

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

²⁵The horn of Moab is cut off and his arm is broken,” declares Yahweh.[#Literally “a declaration of”]

²⁶“Make him drunk,

and let Moab wallow in his vomit.

²⁷Now was not Israel the laughingstock to you?

For as often as you spoke over him

²⁸Leave the towns and dwell on the rock,

and be like the dove,

²⁹We have heard of the pride of Moab

his height, and his pride, and his arrogance,

³⁰I know his insolence,” declares Yahweh,[#Literally “a declaration of”]

³¹Therefore over Moab I wail,[#Literally “Unto thus”]

³²More than the weeping of Jazer

Your branches cross over the sea,

Upon your summer fruit and upon your vintage

³³And joy and rejoicing have been taken away from the fruitful land,

And the wine from the wine presses

He will not tread with exuberant shouts.

³⁴From the cry for help of Heshbon, up to Elealeh,

from Zoar up to Horonaim, up to Eglath-shelishiyah,

³⁵And I will cause to disappear for Moab,” declares Yahweh,[#Literally “a declaration of”]

³⁶Therefore my heart moans for Moab like the flute.[#Literally “Unto thus”; #Hebrew “flutes”]

³⁷For on every head is baldness,

On all the hands, slashes,

³⁸On all the roofs of Moab, and in its public squares,

For I have broken Moab like a vessel,

³⁹“How it is filled with terror! How they wail!

So Moab has become as a derision,

⁴⁰For thus says Yahweh,

“Look, like an eagle he will swoop down,

⁴¹Kerioth will be taken,

and the hearts of the warriors of Moab will be on that day

⁴²And Moab will be destroyed from being a people,

⁴³Dread, and pit, and a trapping net are against you,

⁴⁴“He who flees before the dread[#Literally “from the face of”]

and the one who climbs up from the pit

for I will bring on Moab

⁴⁵“In the shadow of Heshbon

for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,

And it has eaten the forehead of Moab,

⁴⁶Woe to you, Moab!

For your sons have been taken into captivity,

⁴⁷Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab[#Hebrew “fortune”]

Thus far is the judgment of Moab.