Jeremiah 48
48
Prophecies against Moab
1About Moab,#Gn 19:37; Nm 22:1; 24:17; 25:1; Dt 23:3; 34:5–6; Jdg 3:30; Ru 1:2; 2Sm 8:2; 1Kg 11:7; 2Kg 1:1; Is 15:1; Ezk 25:8–11; Am 2:1–2; Zph 2:8–9 this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says:
Woe to Nebo,#Nm 32:3; Jr 48:22 because it is about to be destroyed;
Kiriathaim will be put to shame;#Nm 32:37; Jr 48:23; Ezk 25:9 it will be taken captive.
The fortress will be put to shame and dismayed!
2There is no longer praise for Moab;
they plan harm against her in Heshbon:#Jr 48:34,45; 49:3
Come, let’s cut her off from nationhood.
Also, Madmen, you will be silenced;
the sword will follow#Jr 29:18; Am 1:11 you.
3A voice cries out from Horonaim,#Is 15:5; Jr 48:34
“devastation and a crushing blow!” #Jr 51:54
4Moab will be shattered;
her little ones will cry out.
5For on the Ascent to Luhith
they will be weeping continually,#48:5 Lit Luhith, weeping goes up with weeping
and on the descent to Horonaim
will be heard cries of distress over the destruction:#Is 15:5
6Flee! Save your lives!#Jr 51:6,45
Be like a juniper bush#48:6 Or like Aroer; Is 17:2; Jr 48:19#Is 41:19; Jr 17:6 in the wilderness.
7Because you trust in your works and treasures,
you will be captured also.
Chemosh#Nm 1:29; Jdg 11:24; 1Kg 11:7,33; 2Kg 23:13; Jr 48:13,45–47 will go into exile
with his priests and officials.#Jr 49:3
8The destroyer#Jr 6:26; 48:15,18,32 will move against every town;
not one town will escape.
The valley will perish,
and the plain will be annihilated,#Jos 13:9,17,21
as the Lord has said.
9Make Moab a salt marsh,#48:9 LXX reads a sign; Vg reads a flower; Syr, Tg read a crown#Jdg 9:45; Jr 17:6; Ezk 47:11; Zph 2:9
for she will run away;#48:9 Hb obscure
her towns will become a desolation,
without inhabitant.#Jos 8:26; Is 5:9; 6:11; Jr 2:15; 4:29; 6:8; 33:10; 34:22; 44:2,22; 51:37; Zph 3:6
10The one who does
the Lord’s business deceitfully#48:10 Or negligently is cursed,#1Kg 20:42
and the one who withholds
his sword from bloodshed is cursed.
11Moab has been left quiet since his youth,
settled like wine on its dregs.#Ps 75:8; Zph 1:12
He hasn’t been poured from one container to another
or gone into exile.
So his taste has remained the same,
and his aroma hasn’t changed.
12Therefore look, the days are coming#Jr 7:32; 16:14; 19:6; 23:7; 49:2; 51:47,52 —
this is the Lord’s declaration —
when I will send pourers to him, who will pour him out.
They will empty his containers
and smash his jars.
13Moab will be put to shame because of Chemosh,
just as the house of Israel was put to shame
because of Bethel#1Kg 12:28–33; 13:1–5; 2Kg 10:29; 23:15; Hs 4:15; Am 3:14; 4:4; 5:5–6 that they trusted in.
14How can you say, “We are warriors —
valiant men for battle”?
15The destroyer of Moab and its towns
has come up,#48:15 Or Moab is destroyed; he has come up against its cities
and the best of its young men
have gone down to slaughter.
This is the King’s declaration;
the Lord of Armies is his name.#Jr 46:18; 51:57
16Moab’s calamity is near at hand;
his disaster is rushing swiftly.
17Mourn for him, all you surrounding nations,
everyone who knows his name.
Say, “How the mighty scepter#Ps 110:2; Ezk 19:11–12,14 is shattered,
the glorious staff!”
18Come down from glory; sit on parched ground,
resident of the daughter of Dibon,#Jos 13:8–9; Jr 46:19
for the destroyer of Moab has come against you;
he has destroyed your fortresses.
19Stand by the highway and watch,
resident of Aroer!#Dt 2:36
Ask him who is fleeing or her who is escaping,#1Sm 4:13,16
“What happened?”
20Moab is put to shame, indeed dismayed.
Wail and cry out!#Is 14:31; Jr 25:34; 47:2; Ezk 21:12
Declare by the Arnon
that Moab is destroyed.
21“Judgment has come to the land of the plateau#Jos 13:17–19 — to Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath, 22Dibon, Nebo, Beth-diblathaim, 23Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon,#Jos 13:17 24Kerioth,#Jr 48:41; Am 2:2 Bozrah, and all the towns of the land of Moab, those far and near. 25Moab’s horn is chopped off;#Ps 75:10; Lm 2:3; Am 3:14 his arm is shattered.”#Jb 38:15; Ps 10:15; 37:17; Ezk 30:21–24
This is the Lord’s declaration.
26“Make him drunk, because he has exalted himself against the Lord.#Jr 48:42 Moab will wallow in his own vomit, and he will also become a laughingstock. 27Wasn’t Israel a laughingstock to you?#Gn 38:23; Jb 12:4; Ps 44:14; Jr 20:7; 48:39; Lm 2:15–17; 3:14 Was he ever found among thieves?#Jr 2:26 For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.”#2Kg 19:21; Jb 2:11; 16:4; 42:11; Ps 22:7; 64:8; 69:20; 109:25; Is 37:22; 51:19; Jr 15:5; 18:16; Lm 2:15; Nah 3:7
28Abandon the towns! Live in the cliffs,
residents of Moab!
Be like a dove
that nests inside the mouth of a cave.#Is 2:19–21
29We have heard of Moab’s pride,
great pride, indeed —
his insolence, arrogance, pride,
and haughty heart.
30I know his outburst.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
It is empty.
His boast is empty.
31Therefore, I will wail over Moab.
I will cry out for Moab, all of it;
he will moan for the men of Kir-heres.
32I will weep for you, vine of Sibmah,
with more than the weeping for Jazer.
Your tendrils have extended to the sea;
they have reached to the sea and to Jazer.#48:32 Some Hb mss read reached as far as Jazer
The destroyer has fallen on your summer fruit and grape harvest.
33Gladness and celebration are taken from the fertile field
and from the land of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine from the winepresses;
no one will tread with shouts of joy.
The shouting is not a shout of joy.#Is 16:7–10
34“There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh; they make their voices heard as far as Jahaz#Is 15:4–6 — from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah — because even the Waters of Nimrim have become desolate. 35In Moab, I will stop” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “the one who offers sacrifices on the high place and burns incense to his gods.#Jr 11:12–13; 18:15 36Therefore, my heart moans like flutes for Moab,#Is 15:5 and my heart moans like flutes for the people of Kir-heres. And therefore, the wealth he has gained has perished. 37Indeed, every head is bald and every beard is chopped short.#Is 15:2–3; Jr 47:5 On every hand is a gash#Lv 19:28; 21:5; Jr 5:7; 41:5; 47:5 and sackcloth#Jr 4:8; 6:26; 49:3 around the waist. 38On all the rooftops of Moab and in her public squares, everyone is mourning because I have shattered Moab like a jar no one wants.”#Jr 22:28 This is the Lord’s declaration. 39“How broken it is! They wail! How Moab has turned his back! He is ashamed. Moab will become a laughingstock and a shock to all those around him.”#Is 16:6–11; Zph 2:9–10
40For this is what the Lord says:
Look! He will swoop down like an eagle
and spread his wings against Moab.#Dt 28:49; Jr 49:22
41The towns have#48:41 Or Kerioth has been captured,
and the strongholds seized.
In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors
will be like the heart of a woman with contractions.#Is 13:8; Jr 49:22
42Moab will be destroyed as a people
because he has exalted himself against the Lord.#Jr 48:26
43Panic,#Jr 30:5; 49:5 pit, and trap
await you, resident of Moab.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
44He who flees from the panic will fall in the pit,
and he who climbs from the pit
will be captured in the trap,
for I will bring against Moab
the year of their punishment.#Jr 23:12
This is the Lord’s declaration.#Is 24:17–18
45Those who flee will stand exhausted in Heshbon’s shadow
because fire has come out from Heshbon
and a flame from within Sihon.
It will devour Moab’s forehead
and the skull of the noisemakers.
46Woe to you, Moab!
The people of Chemosh have perished
because your sons have been taken captive
and your daughters have gone into captivity.#Nm 21:28–29
47Yet, I will restore the fortunes#48:47 Or will end the captivity of Moab in the last days.#Jr 49:6,39
This is the Lord’s declaration.
The judgment on Moab ends here.
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Jeremiah 48: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Jeremiah 48
48
1Concerning Moab. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God#GodHebrew: Elohim of Israel: Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled; Kirjathaim is put to shame, it is taken; Misgab is put to shame and dismayed. 2Moab's praise is no more; in Heshbon they have devised evil against her: Come, and let us cut her off from being a nation. Thou also, O Madmen, shalt be cut down; the sword shall pursue thee. 3A voice of crying from Horonaim; wasting and great destruction! 4Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. 5For by the ascent of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the descent of Horonaim is heard the anguish of the cry of destruction. 6Flee, save your lives, and be like a shrub in the wilderness. 7For because thou hast confided in thy works and in thy treasures, thou also shalt be taken, and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his princes together. 8And the waster shall come upon every city, that not a city shall escape; and the valley shall perish, and the plateau shall be destroyed: as Jehovah hath said. 9Give wings unto Moab, that she may flee and get away; and the cities thereof shall become a desolation, without inhabitant. 10Cursed be he that doeth the work of Jehovah negligently, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood! 11Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and hath settled on his lees; he hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste hath remained in him, and his scent is not changed. 12Therefore behold, days come, saith Jehovah, that I will send unto him pourers that shall pour him off, and shall empty his vessels, and break in pieces his flagons. 13And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.
14How do ye say, We are mighty, and men of valour for the war? 15Moab is laid waste, and his cities are gone up in smoke, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is Jehovah of hosts. 16The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast. 17All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful rod! 18Come down from thy glory and sit in the drought, O inhabitress, daughter of Dibon; the spoiler of Moab is come up against thee, thy strongholds hath he destroyed. 19Stand by the way, and watch, inhabitress of Aroer; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth; say, What is done? 20Moab is put to shame; for he is broken down: howl and cry; tell it in Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21And judgment is come upon the country of the plateau; upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath; 22and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim; 23and upon Kirjathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon; 24and upon Kerijoth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith Jehovah. 26Make him drunken, for he magnified himself against Jehovah; and Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision. 27For was not Israel a derision unto thee? Was he found among thieves, that as oft as thou didst speak of him, thou didst shake the head? 28Leave the cities, and dwell in the rocks, ye inhabitants of Moab, and be like the dove, that maketh her nest in the sides of the cave's mouth. 29We have heard of the arrogance of Moab, — he is very proud; — his loftiness, and his arrogance, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. 30I know his wrath, saith Jehovah; his pratings are vain: they do not as they say. 31Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab: for the men of Kir-heres shall there be moaning. 32O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with more than the weeping of Jaazer: thy shoots passed over the sea, they reached to the sea of Jaazer. The spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage. 33And joy and gladness is taken away from the fruitful field and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: they shall no more tread with shouting; the shouting shall be no shouting. 34Because of the cry from Heshbon, unto Elaleh, unto Jahaz have they uttered their voice, from Zoar unto Horonaim, unto Eglath-shelishijah: for even the waters of Nimrim shall become desolations. 35And I will cause to cease in Moab, saith Jehovah, him that offereth in the high place, and him that burneth incense to his gods. 36Therefore my heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and my heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kir-heres; because the abundance that he hath gotten is perished. 37For every head is bald, and every beard clipped; upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth. 38It is wholly lamentation upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the public places thereof; for I have broken Moab, like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith Jehovah. 39They howl, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! And Moab shall be a derision and a terror to all that are round about him. 40For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread forth his wings over Moab. 41Kerijoth is taken, and the strongholds are seized, and at that day the heart of the mighty men of Moab shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. 42And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against Jehovah. 43Fear, and the pit, and the snare shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith Jehovah. 44He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon her, upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith Jehovah. 45They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon powerless; for a fire hath come forth from Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and hath consumed the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the sons of tumult. 46Woe to thee, Moab! The people of Chemosh is undone; for thy sons are taken away in captivity, and thy daughters are captives. 47But I will turn the captivity of Moab at the end of the days, saith Jehovah. Thus far is the judgement of Moab.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.