Jeremiah 48
48
A Message about Moab
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 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,#48:2 Madmen sounds like the Hebrew word for “silence”; it should not be confused with the English word madmen. too, will be silenced;
the sword will follow you there.
3Listen to the cries from Horonaim,
cries of devastation and great destruction.
4All Moab is destroyed.
Her little ones will cry out.#48:4 Greek version reads Her cries are heard as far away as Zoar.
5Her refugees weep bitterly,
climbing the slope to Luhith.
They cry out in terror,
descending the slope to Horonaim.
6Flee for your lives!
Hide#48:6 Or Hide like a wild donkey; or Hide like a juniper shrub; or Be like [the town of] Aroer. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. in the wilderness!
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!
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.
9Oh, that Moab had wings
so she could fly away,#48:9 Or Put salt on Moab, / for she will be laid waste.
for her towns will be left empty,
with no one living in them.
10Cursed are those who refuse to do the Lord’s work,
who hold back their swords from shedding blood!
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.
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!
13At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh,
as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.#48:13 Hebrew ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.
14“You used to boast, ‘We are heroes,
mighty men of war.’
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“Destruction is coming fast for Moab;
calamity threatens ominously.
17You friends of Moab,
weep for him and cry!
See how the strong scepter is broken,
how the beautiful staff is shattered!
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.
19You people of Aroer,
stand beside the road and watch.
Shout to those who flee from Moab,
‘What has happened there?’
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!’
21Judgment has been poured out on the towns of the plateau—
on Holon and Jahaz#48:21 Hebrew Jahzah, a variant spelling of Jahaz. and Mephaath,
22on Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,
23on Kiriathaim and Beth-gamul and Beth-meon,
24on Kerioth and Bozrah—
all the towns of Moab, far and near.
25“The strength of Moab has ended.
His arm has been broken,” says the Lord.
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.
27Did you not ridicule the people of Israel?
Were they caught in the company of thieves
that you should despise them as you do?
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.
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.
30I know about his insolence,”
says the Lord,
“but his boasts are empty—
as empty as his deeds.
31So now I wail for Moab;
yes, I will mourn for Moab.
My heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.#48:31 Hebrew Kir-heres, a variant spelling of Kir-hareseth; also in 48:36.
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,#48:32 Hebrew the sea of Jazer.
but the destroyer has stripped you bare!
He has harvested your grapes and summer fruits.
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“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“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. 36My heart moans like a flute for Moab and Kir-hareseth, for all their wealth has disappeared. 37The people shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of burlap. 38There is crying and sorrow in every Moabite home and on every street. For I have smashed Moab like an old, unwanted jar. 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.”
40This is what the Lord says:
“Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,
spreading his wings over Moab.
41Its cities will fall,
and its strongholds will be seized.
Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
like a woman in labor.
42Moab will no longer be a nation,
for it has boasted against the Lord.
43“Terror and traps and snares will be your lot,
O Moab,” 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“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.
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.
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.
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Jeremiah 48: NLT
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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Yirmeyah 48
48
1Against Moav thus saith Hashem Tzva'os Elohei Yisroel: Hoy (woe, doom) unto Nevo! For it is made havoc; Kiryatayim is shamed and captured; Misgav is shamed and dismayed.
2There shall be no more tehillah (praise) of Moav; in Cheshbon they have plotted ra'ah against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be silenced, O Madmein; the cherev shall pursue thee.
3A voice of crying shall be from Choronayim, havoc and shever gadol (great destruction).
4Moav is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
5For in the Ascent of Luchit continual weeping shall go up; for in the descent of Choronayim the anguished ones have heard a cry of shever (destruction).
6Flee, save your nefesh, and be like Aro'er in the midbar.
7For because thou hast trusted in thy ma'asim (works) and in thy otzarot, thou shalt also be captured; and Kemosh shall go forth into Golus with his kohanim and his sarim together.
8And the destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the emek (valley) also shall perish, and the plain shall be shmad (destroyed), as Hashem hath spoken.
9Give wings unto Moav, that it may flee and get away; for the towns thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.
10Cursed be he that doeth the work of Hashem remiyyah (deceitfully), and cursed be he that keepeth back his cherev from bloodshed.
11Moav hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his wine dregs, and hath not been emptied from keli (vessel) to keli, neither hath he gone into Golus: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.
12But, hinei, the days come, saith Hashem, that I will send unto him wine pourers, that shall pour him out, and shall empty his kelim (vessels), and smash their jars.
13And Moav shall be ashamed of Kemosh, just as Bais Yisroel was ashamed of Beit-El, their confidence.
14How say ye, We are gibborim and anshei chayil for the milchamah?
15Moav is destroyed, and gone up out of her towns, and his chosen bochurim are gone down to the slaughter, saith HaMelech Hashem Tzva'os Shmo.
16The calamity of Moav is near at hand, and his affliction hasteth fast.
17All ye that are around him, bemoan him; and all ye that know shmo, say, How is the matteh oz (strong staff) broken, and the beautiful rod!
18Thou Bat that dost inhabit Divon, come down from thy kavod, and sit on parched ground; for the plunderer of Moav shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strongholds.
19O inhabitant of Aro'er, stand by the derech, and watch; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What has happened?
20Moav is shamed; for it is broken down: wail and cry out; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moav is destroyed,
21And mishpat is come upon the plain; upon Cholon, and upon Yahtzah, and upon Mepha'at,
22And upon Divon, and upon Nevo, and upon Beit-Divlatayim,
23And upon Kiryatayim, and upon Beit-Gamul, and upon Beit-Me'on,
24And upon Keriyot, and upon Botzrah, and upon all the towns of Eretz Moav, far or near.
25The keren of Moav is cut off, and his zero'a is broken, saith Hashem.
26Make ye him drunken; for he magnified himself against Hashem; Moav also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.
27For was not Yisroel a derision unto thee? Was he found among ganavim (thieves)? For since thou spoke of him, thou dost scornful head wagging.
28O ye that dwell in Moav, leave the towns, and dwell in the rock, and be like the yonah that maketh her nest in the sides of the caveʼs mouth.
29We have heard the ga'on Moav, (he is exceeding proud), his highmindedness, and his conceit, and his ga'avah, and the haughtiness of his lev.
30I know his insolence, saith Hashem; but it shall not be so; his boasts have made nothing right.
31Therefore will I wail for Moav, and I will cry out for all Moav; I shall moan for the anashim of Kir-Charesh.
32O gefen (vine) of Sivmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Yazer; thy branches are spread over the yam, they reach even to the yam Yazer; the plunderer is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.
33And simchah and gladness is taken from the carmel, and from Eretz Moav, and I have caused yayin to fail from the winepresses; none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall not be [joyful] shouting.
34From the cry of Cheshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Yahatz, have they uttered their voice, from Tzoar even unto Choronayim, as Eglat-Shelishiyah; for the mayim also of Nimrim shall be dried up.
35Moreover I will cause to cease in Moav, saith Hashem, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth ketoret to his elohim.
36Therefore Mine lev shall wail for Moav like flutes, and Mine lev shall wail like flutes for the anashim of Kir-Charesh; because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.
37For every rosh shall be shaved, and every zakan (beard) cut: upon all the hands shall be slashes, and upon the loins sackcloth.
38There shall be lamentation generally upon all the gagot (roofs) of Moav, and in the streets thereof; for I have broken Moav like a keli (vessel) wherein is no chefets (pleasure) saith Hashem.
39They shall wail, saying, How is it shattered! How hath Moav turned the back with shame! So shall Moav be a laughingstock and a horror to all them about him.
40For thus saith Hashem; Hinei, one shall fly like the nesher, and shall spread his wings over Moav.
41Keriyot is captured, and the strongholds are taken, and the lev gibborim in Moav at that day shall be as the lev isha in her birth pangs.
42And Moav shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against Hashem.
43Pachad (fear), and the pakhat (pit), and the pach (snare), shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moav, saith Hashem.
44He that fleeth from the pachad (terror) shall fall into the pakhat (pit); and he that getteth up out of the pakhat shall be caught in the pach (snare); for I will bring upon it, even upon Moav, the shnat (year of) their pekuddah (visitation), saith Hashem.
45They that fled stood under the tzel (shadow) of Cheshbon without ko'ach; for an eish shall come forth out of Cheshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sichon, and shall devour the forehead of Moav, and the crown of the head of the bnei sha'on (sons of tumult).
46Oy be unto thee, O Moav! The people of Kemosh perisheth; for thy banim are taken captives, and thy banot into captivity.
47Yet will I bring again the captives of Moav in the acharit hayamim, saith Hashem. Hinei, the mishpat Moav (judgment of Moab).
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