Jeremiah 48
48
Get Out While You Can!
1-10The Message on Moab from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel:
“Doom to Nebo! Leveled to the ground!
Kiriathaim demeaned and defeated,
The mighty fortress reduced to a molehill,
Moab’s glory—dust and ashes.
Conspirators plot Heshbon’s doom:
‘Come, let’s wipe Moab off the map.’
The city of Madmen will be struck mute,
as killing follows killing.
Listen! A cry out of Horonaim:
‘Disaster—doom and more doom!’
Moab will be shattered.
Her cries will be heard clear down in Zoar.
Up the ascent of Luhith
climbers weep,
And down the descent from Horonaim,
cries of loss and devastation.
Oh, run for your lives! Get out while you can!
Survive by your wits in the wild!
You trusted in thick walls and big money, yes?
But it won’t help you now.
Your big god Chemosh will be hauled off,
his priests and managers with him.
A wrecker will wreck every city.
Not a city will survive.
The valley fields will be ruined,
the plateau pastures destroyed, just as I told you.
Cover the land of Moab with salt.
Make sure nothing ever grows here again.
Her towns will all be ghost towns.
Nobody will ever live here again.
Sloppy work in God’s name is cursed,
and cursed all halfhearted use of the sword.
11-17“Moab has always taken it easy—
lazy as a dog in the sun,
Never had to work for a living,
never faced any trouble,
Never had to grow up,
never once worked up a sweat.
But those days are a thing of the past.
I’ll put him to work at hard labor.
That will wake him up to the world of hard knocks.
That will smash his illusions.
Moab will be as ashamed of god Chemosh
as Israel was ashamed of her Bethel calf-gods,
the calf-gods she thought were so great.
For how long do you think you’ll be saying, ‘We’re tough.
We can beat anyone anywhere’?
The destruction of Moab has already begun.
Her choice young soldiers are lying dead right now.”
The King’s Decree—
his full name, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
“Yes. Moab’s doom is on countdown,
disaster targeted and launched.
Weep for Moab, friends and neighbors,
all who know how famous he’s been.
Lament, ‘His mighty scepter snapped in two like a toothpick,
that magnificent royal staff!’
18-20“Come down from your high horse, pampered beauty of Dibon.
Sit in dog dung.
The destroyer of Moab will come against you.
He’ll wreck your safe, secure houses.
Stand on the roadside,
pampered women of Aroer.
Interview the refugees who are running away.
Ask them, ‘What’s happened? And why?’
Moab will be an embarrassing memory, nothing left of the place.
Wail and weep your eyes out!
Tell the bad news along the Arnon river.
Tell the world that Moab is no more.
21-24“My judgment will come to the plateau cities: on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath; on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim; on Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon; on Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of Moab, far and near.
25“Moab’s link to power is severed.
Moab’s arm is broken.” God’s Decree.
The Sheer Nothingness of Moab
26-27“Turn Moab into a drunken lush, drunk on the wine of my wrath, a dung-faced drunk, filling the country with vomit—Moab a falling-down drunk, a joke in bad taste. Wasn’t it you, Moab, who made crude jokes over Israel? And when they were caught in bad company, didn’t you cluck and gossip and snicker?
28“Leave town! Leave! Look for a home in the cliffs,
you who grew up in Moab.
Try living like a dove
who nests high in the river gorge.
29-33“We’ve all heard of Moab’s pride,
that legendary pride,
The strutting, bullying, puffed-up pride,
the insufferable arrogance.
I know”—God’s Decree—“his rooster-crowing pride,
the inflated claims, the sheer nothingness of Moab.
But I will weep for Moab,
yes, I will mourn for the people of Moab.
I will even mourn for the people of Kir-heres.
I’ll weep for the grapevines of Sibmah
and join Jazer in her weeping—
Grapevines that once reached the Dead Sea
with tendrils as far as Jazer.
Your summer fruit and your bursting grapes
will be looted by brutal plunderers,
Lush Moab stripped
of song and laughter.
And yes, I’ll shut down the winepresses,
stop all the shouts and hurrahs of harvest.
34“Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out, and the people in Jahaz will hear the cries. They will hear them all the way from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim will be dried up.
35“I will put a stop in Moab”—God’s Decree—“to all hiking to the high places to offer burnt sacrifices to the gods.
36“My heart moans for Moab, for the men of Kir-heres, like soft flute sounds carried by the wind. They’ve lost it all. They’ve got nothing.
37“Everywhere you look are signs of mourning:
heads shaved, beards cut,
Hands scratched and bleeding,
clothes ripped and torn.
38“In every house in Moab there’ll be loud lamentation, on every street in Moab, loud lamentation. As with a pottery jug that no one wants, I’ll smash Moab to bits.” God’s Decree.
39“Moab ruined!
Moab shamed and ashamed to be seen!
Moab a cruel joke!
The stark horror of Moab!”
* * *
40-42 God’s verdict on Moab. Indeed!
“Look! An eagle is about to swoop down
and spread its wings over Moab.
The towns will be captured,
the fortresses taken.
Brave warriors will double up in pain, helpless to fight,
like a woman giving birth to a baby.
There’ll be nothing left of Moab, nothing at all,
because of his defiant arrogance against me.
43-44“Terror and pit and trap
are what you have facing you, Moab.” God’s Decree.
“A man running in terror
will fall into a trap.
A man climbing out of a pit
will be caught in a trap.
This is my agenda for Moab
on doomsday.” God’s Decree.
45-47“On the outskirts of Heshbon,
refugees will pull up short, worn out.
Fire will flame high from Heshbon,
a firestorm raging from the capital of Sihon’s kingdom.
It will burn off Moab’s eyebrows,
will scorch the skull of the braggarts.
That’s all for you, Moab!
You worshipers of Chemosh will be finished off!
Your sons will be trucked off to prison camps;
your daughters will be herded into exile.
But yet there’s a day that’s coming
when I’ll put things right in Moab.
“For now, that’s the judgment on Moab.”
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Jeremiah 48: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Jeremiah 48
48
Judgment on Moab
1Against #Is. 15:1—16:14; 25:10; Ezek. 25:8–11; Amos 2:1–3; Zeph. 2:8–11Moab.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Woe to #Is. 15:2Nebo!
For it is plundered,
#Num. 32:37; Jer. 48:23; Ezek. 25:9Kirjathaim is shamed and taken;
The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—
2#Is. 16:14No more praise of Moab.
In #Is. 15:4; Jer. 49:3Heshbon they have devised evil against her:
‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’
You also shall be cut down, O #Is. 10:31Madmen!
The sword shall pursue you;
3A voice of crying shall be from #Is. 15:5; Jer. 48:5, 34Horonaim:
‘Plundering and great destruction!’
4“Moab is destroyed;
Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;
5#Is. 15:5For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;
For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
6“Flee, save your lives!
And be like the #Jer. 17:6juniper in the wilderness.
7For because you have trusted in your works and your #Ps. 52:7; Is. 59:4; Jer. 9:23; (1 Tim. 6:17)treasures,
You also shall be taken.
And #Num. 21:29; Judg. 11:24; Jer. 48:13Chemosh shall go forth into captivity,
His #Jer. 49:3priests and his princes together.
8And #Jer. 6:26the plunderer shall come against every city;
No one shall escape.
The valley also shall perish,
And the plain shall be destroyed,
As the Lord has spoken.
9“Give#Ps. 55:6 wings to Moab,
That she may flee and get away;
For her cities shall be desolate,
Without any to dwell in them.
10#Judg. 5:23; 1 Sam. 15:3, 9; 1 Kin. 20:42Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully,
And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
11“Moab has been at ease from his youth;
He #Zeph. 1:12has settled on his dregs,
And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him,
And his scent has not changed.
12“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I shall send him wine-workers
Who will tip him over
And empty his vessels
And break the bottles.
13Moab shall be ashamed of #1 Kin. 11:7Chemosh,
As the house of Israel #Hos. 10:6was ashamed of #1 Kin. 12:29; 13:32–34; Hos. 8:5, 6Bethel, their confidence.
14“How can you say, #Is. 16:6‘We are mighty
And strong men for the war’?
15Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;
Her chosen young men have #(Is. 40:30, 31); Jer. 50:27gone down to the slaughter,” says #Jer. 46:18; 51:57; Mal. 1:14the King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16“The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
And his affliction comes quickly.
17Bemoan him, all you who are around him;
And all you who know his name,
Say, #Is. 9:4; 14:4, 5‘How the strong staff is broken,
The beautiful rod!’
18“O #Is. 47:1daughter inhabiting #Num. 21:30; Josh. 13:9, 17; Is. 15:2; Jer. 48:22Dibon,
Come down from your glory,
And sit in thirst;
For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,
He has destroyed your strongholds.
19O inhabitant of #Deut. 2:36; Josh. 12:2; Is. 17:2Aroer,
#1 Sam. 4:13, 14, 16Stand by the way and watch;
Ask him who flees
And her who escapes;
Say, ‘What has happened?’
20Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.
#Is. 16:7Wail and cry!
Tell it in #Num. 21:13Arnon, that Moab is plundered.
21“And judgment has come on the plain country:
On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,
22On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24On #Jer. 48:41; Amos 2:2Kerioth and Bozrah,
On all the cities of the land of Moab,
Far or near.
25#Ps. 75:10; Zech. 1:19–21The horn of Moab is cut off,
And his #Ezek. 30:21arm is broken,” says the Lord.
26“Make#Jer. 25:15 him drunk,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
Moab shall wallow in his vomit,
And he shall also be in derision.
27For #Zeph. 2:8was not Israel a derision to you?
#Jer. 2:26Was he found among thieves?
For whenever you speak of him,
You shake your head in #Lam. 2:15; (Mic. 7:8–10)scorn.
28You who dwell in Moab,
Leave the cities and #Ps. 55:6, 7dwell in the rock,
And be like #Song 2:14the dove which makes her nest
In the sides of the cave’s mouth.
29“We have heard the #Is. 16:6; Zeph. 2:8, 10pride of Moab
(He is exceedingly proud),
Of his loftiness and arrogance and #Jer. 49:16pride,
And of the haughtiness of his heart.”
30“I know his wrath,” says the Lord,
“But it is not right;
#Is. 16:6; Jer. 50:36His lies have made nothing right.
31Therefore #Is. 15:5; 16:7, 11I will wail for Moab,
And I will cry out for all Moab;
I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
32#Is. 16:8, 9O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of #Num. 21:32; Is. 16:10Jazer.
Your plants have gone over the sea,
They reach to the sea of Jazer.
The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.
33#Is. 16:10; Jer. 25:10; Joel 1:12Joy and gladness are taken
From the plentiful field
And from the land of Moab;
I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses;
No one will tread with joyous shouting—
Not joyous shouting!
34“From#Is. 15:4–6 the cry of Heshbon to #Num. 32:3, 37Elealeh and to Jahaz
They have uttered their voice,
#Is. 15:5, 6From Zoar to Horonaim,
Like a three-year-old heifer;
For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.
35“Moreover,” says the Lord,
“I will cause to cease in Moab
#Is. 15:2; 16:12The one who offers sacrifices in the high places
And burns incense to his gods.
36Therefore #Is. 15:5; 16:11My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab,
And like flutes My heart shall wail
For the men of Kir Heres.
Therefore #Is. 15:7the riches they have acquired have perished.
37“For #Is. 15:2, 3; Jer. 16:6; 41:5; 47:5every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;
On all the hands shall be cuts, and #Gen. 37:34; Is. 15:3; 20:2on the loins sackcloth—
38A general lamentation
On all the #Is. 15:3housetops of Moab,
And in its streets;
For I have #Jer. 22:28broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.
39“They shall wail:
‘How she is broken down!
How Moab has turned her back with shame!’
So Moab shall be a derision
And a dismay to all those about her.”
40For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, #Deut. 28:49; Jer. 49:22; Hos. 8:1; Hab. 1:8one shall fly like an eagle,
And #Is. 8:8spread his wings over Moab.
41Kerioth is taken,
And the strongholds are surprised;
#Is. 13:8; 21:3; Jer. 30:6; Mic. 4:9, 10The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
42And Moab shall be destroyed #Ps. 83:4; Jer. 48:2as a people,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
43#Is. 24:17, 18; Lam. 3:47Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.
44“He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit,
And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the #1 Kin. 19:17; Is. 24:18; Amos 5:19snare.
For upon Moab, upon it #Jer. 11:23I will bring
The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.
45“Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon
Because of exhaustion.
But #Num. 21:28, 29a fire shall come out of Heshbon,
A flame from the midst of #Num. 21:21, 26; Ps. 135:11Sihon,
And #Num. 24:17shall devour the brow of Moab,
The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.
46#Num. 21:29Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh perish;
For your sons have been taken captive,
And your daughters captive.
47“Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab
#Jer. 49:6, 39In the latter days,” says the Lord.
Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.