Jeremiah 48
48
A Message Concerning Moab
1Concerning Moab, thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Woe to Nebo,
for it is devastated.
It is ashamed,
Kiriathaim is captured.
Misgab is ashamed,
and it is filled with terror.
2The glory of Moab is no longer.
In Heshbon they planned evil against her.
Come and let us cut her off from being a nation.
Also, Madmen, you will be silent.
After you will go the sword.
3The sound of a cry of distress arises from Horonaim,
devastation and great destruction.
4Moab is broken,
her little ones make heard#Literally “cause to hear” a cry for help.
5For the ascent of Luhith,
in weeping they go weeping,
For on the slope of Horonaim they have heard
the distresses of the cry of distress of the destruction.
6Flee! Save your life!
For#Literally “And” you must not be like the juniper tree in the desert.
7For because of your trusting in your works and in your treasures,
even you yourselves will be taken,
and Chemosh will go out into the exile,
his priests and his officials together.
8And the destroyer will come to every town,
and a town will not escape.
And the valley will be destroyed,
and the plain will be destroyed, as Yahweh has spoken.
9Give salt for Moab,
for certainly she will go to ruin,
and her towns will become as a desolation,
without#Literally “from there is not” an inhabitant in them.
10The one who does the work of Yahweh with slackness is cursed,
and the one who keeps away blood from his sword is cursed.
11Moab has been at ease from his youth,
and he has been quiet on his dregs,
and he has not been poured out from vessel to vessel,
and he has not gone into exile.
Therefore#Literally “Unto thus” his taste has remained unchanged,
and his fragrance has not changed.
12Therefore#Literally “To thus” look, days are coming,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh,
“and I will send to him decanters,#Literally “those who tilt”
and they will decant him,
and his vessels they will empty out,
and their jars they will smash.
13Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh,
just as the house of Israel were ashamed of Bethel, their trust.
14How can you say, ‘we are warriors,
and men of might for the battle.’
15Moab is destroyed,
and his towns have gone up,
and the choice of his young men have gone down to the slaughtering,”
declares#Literally “a declaration of” the King, Yahweh of hosts is his name.
16“The disaster of Moab is near to come,
and his disaster approaches very quickly.#Literally “hastens greatly”
17Mourn for him, all his surroundings,
and all those who knew his name.
Say, ‘How the staff of might is broken,
the staff of glory.’
18Come down from glory and sit on the parched ground,
O inhabitant, daughter of Dibon,
for the destroyer of Moab has come up against you,
he has destroyed your fortifications.
19Stand by the road and watch,
O inhabitant of Aroer.
Ask the man who is fleeing and the woman who is escaping,
say, ‘What has happened?’
20Moab is ashamed,
for it is filled with terror.
Wail and cry out,
tell it by Arnon that Moab is devastated.
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#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.
26“Make him drunk,
because he magnified himself against Yahweh,
and let Moab wallow in his vomit.
And he also will become a laughingstock.
27Now was not Israel the laughingstock to you?
Or was he found among thieves?
For as often as#Literally “from enough” you spoke over him
you shook your head.
28Leave the towns and dwell on the rock,
O inhabitants of Moab,
and be like the dove,
it nests on the sides of the mouth of a ravine.
29We have heard of the pride of Moab
—he is very proud—
his height, and his pride, and his arrogance,
and the haughtiness of his heart.
30I know his insolence,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh,
“and his boastings are false;#Literally “not right”
they act falsely.#Literally “not right”
31Therefore#Literally “Unto thus” over Moab I wail,
and for all of Moab I cry out,
for the people#Or “men” of Kir-heres I moan.
32More than the weeping of Jazer
I weep for you, O vine Sibmah.
Your branches cross over the sea,
up to the sea of Jazer they reach.
Upon your summer fruit and upon your vintage
the destroyer has fallen.
33And joy and rejoicing have been taken away from the fruitful land,
even from the land of Moab.
And the wine from the wine presses
I have caused to disappear.
He will not tread with exuberant shouts.#Hebrew “exuberant shout”
Exuberant shouts#Hebrew “Exuberant shout” will not be exuberant shouts.#Hebrew “exuberant shout”
34From the cry for help of Heshbon, up to Elealeh,
up to Jahaz, they give their voice,
from Zoar up to Horonaim, up to Eglath-shelishiyah,
for even the waters of Nimrim have become as a desolation.
35And I will cause to disappear for Moab,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh,
“the one who presents a sacrifice at a high place,
and the one who burns a smoke offering to his gods.
36Therefore#Literally “Unto thus” my heart moans for Moab like the flute.#Hebrew “flutes”
It moans for the people#Or “men” of Kir-heres like the flute.#Hebrew “flutes”
Therefore#Literally “Unto thus” the wealth they gained has perished.
37For on every head is baldness,
and every beard is trimmed.
On all the hands, slashes,
and on the loins, sackcloth.
38On all the roofs of Moab, and in its public squares,
there is wailing everywhere.
For I have broken Moab like a vessel,
there is no delight in it,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.
39“How it is filled with terror! How they wail!
How Moab has turned his back! He is disgraced!
So Moab has become as a derision,
and as a terror for all his surrounding peoples.”
40For thus says Yahweh,
“Look, like an eagle he will swoop down,
and he will spread out his wings against Moab.
41Kerioth will be taken,
and the strongholds will be conquered,
and the hearts#Hebrew “heart” of the warriors of Moab will be on that day
like the heart of a woman who is in labor.
42And Moab will be destroyed from being a people,
because against Yahweh he magnified himself.
43Dread, and pit, and a trapping net are against you,
O inhabitant of Moab,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.
44“He who flees before#Literally “from the face of” the dread
will fall into the pit,
and the one who climbs up from the pit
will be caught in the trapping net,
for I will bring on Moab
the year of their punishment,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.
45“In the shadow of Heshbon
fugitives stand without strength,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
and a flame from Sihon.
And it has eaten the forehead of Moab,
and the skulls#Hebrew “skull” of the people#Or “sons” of tumult.
46Woe to you, Moab!
The people of Chemosh have perished.
For your sons have been taken into captivity,
and your daughters into captivity.
47Yet I will restore the fortunes#Hebrew “fortune” of Moab
in the last of the days,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.
Thus far#Literally “Up to here” is the judgment of Moab.
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Jeremiah 48: LEB
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Jeremiah 48
48
1This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Moab: Disaster is coming to the town of Nebo, because it will be destroyed. The town of Kiriathaim will be captured and humiliated; the fortress will be torn down and its people shamed. 2No one praises Moab anymore. People in Heshbon are plotting, “We will destroy Moab as a nation. People of the town of Madmen, we will silence you too—you will be attacked by swords and chased down.”
3Listen to the cries from Horonaim: “Violence and terrible destruction!” 4Moab will be smashed. Hear the little ones crying for help. 5People weep as they go up to Luhith; and as they come down to Horonaim their sad cries at the destruction echo around.
6Run away! Save yourselves! Be like a scrawny tamarisk tree in the desert! 7It's because you put your confidence in what you do and what you own that you too will be captured. Your god Chemosh will be taken into exile along with his priests and leaders. 8The invaders will attack every town; not a single one will escape destruction. The valley will be ruined, and the plain will be destroyed, for the Lord has spoken.
9Put up gravestones in Moab,#48:9. This is one of the most problematic lines in Jeremiah. Other proposed translations include, “Put salt on the land of Moab,” “Give Moab wings so it can fly away,” “Give a flower to Moab,” etc. The Septuagint translates “Set marks upon Moab,” or “Place signs on Moab.” because the country will become a wasteland. Its towns will be turned into ruins where no one lives. 10A curse on those who don't do the Lord's work properly. A curse on those who don't use their swords to kill. 11The people of Moab have been living comfortably since the country was founded. They're like wine that hasn't been disturbed, not poured from one container to another. So the taste and fragrance remains the same. They haven't experienced exile.
12But watch out, the time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will send them “winemakers” who will pour them out like wine. They will empty out the Moabites, and smash them like jars. 13Then the Moabites will feel let down by Chemosh, just as the people of Israel felt let down when they trusted in the golden calf idol at Bethel.#48:13. See 1 Kings 12.
14How on earth can you Moabites say, “We're heroes, strong men ready to fight in battle”? 15Moab is going to be destroyed and its towns conquered. Its finest young men will be killed, declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty. 16Moab's doom is about to happen; destruction is rushing down on them.
17Mourn for them, all you surrounding nations, everyone who knows them! Let others know how the great scepter has been smashed, the rod that once proudly ruled!
18Come down from your glory and sit on the dusty ground, you who live in Dibon, for Moab's destroyer will come and attack you, destroying your fortresses. 19Stand at the roadside and watch, you who live in Aroer. Ask the men and women who are running away to escape, “What's happened?”
20Moab has been humiliated because it has been defeated. Weep and wail! Shout out beside the River Arnon that Moab has been destroyed! 21Punishment has arrived on the towns of the high plain—on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath, 22on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23on Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24on Kerioth, Bozrah, and on all the towns of Moab, whether far away or nearby.
25Moab's strength is gone; their power has been broken, declares the Lord. 26Make the people of Moab drunk, because they defied the Lord. Then they will roll around in their own vomit, as people laugh at them.
27Didn't you Moabites used to ridicule the Israelites? But they weren't ever found to be thieves, were they? Yet whenever you talk about them, you shake your heads in contempt.
28You people living in Moab, run from your towns, go and live among the rocks. Be like a dove nesting on the cliffs at the entrance to a ravine.
29We know all about how pompous Moabites are, how extremely proud and conceited they are, arrogantly thinking so highly of themselves.
30I'm well aware of how disrespectful they are, declares the Lord, but it doesn't matter. They make empty boasts, and what they do is just as empty.
31So I will weep for Moab; I will cry out for all the Moabites; I will mourn for the people of Kir-heres. 32will weep for you, people of the town of Sibmah with its vineyards, more than I weep for the town of Jazer. Your vines have spread to the sea, and all the way to Jazer. But the destroyer has stolen your harvest of summer fruit and grapes. 33There's no more celebration and happiness in Moab's orchards and fields. I have stopped the grape juice flowing from the winepresses. No one shouts for joy as they tread out the grapes. No, their shouts now are not because of joy!
34Cries for help reach from Heshbon to Elealeh and all the way to Jahaz. They're shouting out from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah, for even the water in the Nimrim Brook has dried up.
35I'm going to finish off those in Moab who sacrifice on the pagan high places and burn incense to their gods, declares the Lord. 36So I mourn inside like a flute playing a sad song for Moab; like a flute playing a funeral tune for the people of Kir-heres, because they've lost everything of value that they worked for.
37As signs of their mourning,#48:37. “As signs of their mourning”: supplied for clarity. every head is shaved, every beard is trimmed, every hand has a gash, and every waist is wearing sackcloth. 38Everyone is mourning on all the flat roofs and streets of Moab, because I have smashed the country like a jar nobody wants, declares the Lord.
39Moab is completely shattered! Listen to them cry! See how the Moabites turn away in shame! All the surrounding nations are horrified at what's happened to the country, and ridicule its people.
40This is what the Lord says: Watch as an enemy like an eagle swoops down, spreading its wings as it attacks Moab. 41Kirioth has been conquered, and the fortresses captured. At that time Moab's warriors will be as scared as a woman in labor. 42Moab will cease to exist as a nation because they defied the Lord.
43You people living in Moab, what's waiting for you are terror, traps, and snares, declares the Lord. 44You will run away in terror and fall into a trap, and when you climb out of the trap, you'll be caught in a snare. I will do this to the Moabites at the time when they're punished, declares the Lord.
45Those who run away will be left defenseless in Heshbon where they went for protection, because fire blazes out from Heshbon, a fire from where Sihon once reigned. It burns up the whole country of Moab and its defiant people.#48:45. Literally, “It consumes the foreheads of Moab and the skulls of the sons of tumult.”
46What a disaster has come to you Moabites! The people of Chemosh have been wiped out. Your sons and daughters have been taken prisoner and have gone into exile.
47But even so, later on, I will bring the people of Moab back from exile, declares the Lord. This is the end of the description of the judgment on Moab.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com