Jeremiah 48:1-13 - Compare All Versions

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Concerning Moab: This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold will be disgraced and shattered. Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon people will plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’ You, the people of Madmen, will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you. Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction. Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out. They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go; on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard. Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush in the desert. Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive, and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials. The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the LORD has spoken. Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste; her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them. “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD’s work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed! “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs, not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile. So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged. But days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out; they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars. Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.

Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo, for it is laid waste! Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; the fortress is put to shame and broken down; the renown of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they planned disaster against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!’ You also, O Madmen, shall be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue you. “A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!’ Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry of destruction. Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert! For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials. The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD has spoken. “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. “Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his jars in pieces. Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

This 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. No 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, too, will be silenced; the sword will follow you there. Listen to the cries from Horonaim, cries of devastation and great destruction. All Moab is destroyed. Her little ones will cry out. Her refugees weep bitterly, climbing the slope to Luhith. They cry out in terror, descending the slope to Horonaim. Flee for your lives! Hide in the wilderness! Because 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! “All the towns will be destroyed, and no one will escape— either on the plateaus or in the valleys, for the LORD has spoken. Oh, that Moab had wings so she could fly away, for her towns will be left empty, with no one living in them. Cursed are those who refuse to do the LORD’s work, who hold back their swords from shedding blood! “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. But 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! At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh, as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.

About Moab,  this is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Woe to Nebo,  because it is about to be destroyed; Kiriathaim will be put to shame;  it will be taken captive. The fortress will be put to shame and dismayed! There is no longer praise for Moab; they plan harm against her in Heshbon:  Come, let’s cut her off from nationhood. Also, Madmen, you will be silenced; the sword will follow   you. A voice cries out from Horonaim,  “devastation and a crushing blow! ”  Moab will be shattered; her little ones will cry out. For on the Ascent to Luhith they will be weeping continually,  and on the descent to Horonaim will be heard cries of distress over the destruction:  Flee! Save your lives!  Be like a juniper bush  , in the wilderness. Because you trust in your works and treasures, you will be captured also. Chemosh  will go into exile with his priests and officials.  The destroyer  will move against every town; not one town will escape. The valley will perish, and the plain will be annihilated,  as the LORD has said. Make Moab a salt marsh,  , for she will run away;  her towns will become a desolation, without inhabitant.  The one who does the  LORD’s business deceitfully  is cursed,  and the one who withholds his sword from bloodshed is cursed. Moab has been left quiet since his youth, settled like wine on its dregs.  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. Therefore look, the days are coming   — 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. Moab will be put to shame because of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was put to shame because of Bethel  that they trusted in.

Against Moab thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed. There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee. A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction. Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness. For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together. And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken. Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein. Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles. And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence.

Against Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe to Nebo! For it is plundered, Kirjathaim is shamed and taken; The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed— No more praise of Moab. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: ‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’ You also shall be cut down, O Madmen! The sword shall pursue you; A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim: ‘Plundering and great destruction!’ “Moab is destroyed; Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard; For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping; For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. “Flee, save your lives! And be like the juniper in the wilderness. For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, You also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, His priests and his princes together. And the 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. “Give wings to Moab, That she may flee and get away; For her cities shall be desolate, Without any to dwell in them. Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood. “Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has 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. “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. Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, As the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

The 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. “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!’

Concerning Moab. This is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: “Woe to Nebo, for it has been destroyed; Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured; The high stronghold has been put to shame and shattered. “There is no longer praise for Moab; In Heshbon they have devised disaster against her: ‘Come and let’s cut her off from being a nation!’ You too, Madmen, will be silenced; The sword will follow you. “The sound of an outcry from Horonaim, ‘Devastation and great destruction!’ “Moab is broken, Her little ones have sounded out a cry of distress. “For they will go up by the ascent of Luhith With continual weeping; For at the descent of Horonaim They have heard the anguished cry of destruction. “Flee, save yourselves, So that you may be like a juniper in the wilderness. “For because of your trust in your own achievements and treasures, You yourself will also be captured; And Chemosh will go off into exile Together with his priests and his leaders. “A destroyer will come to every city, So that no city will escape; The valley also will be ruined And the plateau will be destroyed, As the LORD has said. “Give wings to Moab, For she will flee away; And her cities will become a desolation, Without inhabitants in them. “Cursed is the one who does the LORD’S work negligently, And cursed is the one who restrains his sword from blood. ¶“Moab has been at ease since his youth; He has also been peaceful, like wine on its dregs, And he has not been poured from vessel to vessel, Nor has he gone into exile. Therefore he retains his flavor, And his aroma has not changed. Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will pour out his vessels and smash his jars. And Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

Concerning Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Woe (judgment is coming) to [the city of] Nebo, for it has been destroyed! Kiriathaim has been shamed, it has been captured; Misgab [the high fortress] has been shamed, broken down and crushed. [Is 15-16; 25:10-12; Ezek 25:8-11; Amos 2:1-3; Zeph 2:8-11] “The glory of Moab is no more; In Heshbon they planned evil against her, Saying, ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!’ You also, O [city of] Madmen, shall be silenced; The sword will pursue you. “The sound of an outcry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!’ “Moab is destroyed; Her little ones have called out a cry of distress [to be heard as far as Zoar]. “For the Ascent of Luhith Will be climbed by [successive groups of] fugitives with continual weeping; For on the descent of Horonaim They have heard the distress of the cry of destruction. “Run! Save your lives, That you may be like a juniper in the wilderness. “For because you have trusted in your works [your hand-made idols] and in your treasures [instead of in God], Even you yourself will be captured; And Chemosh [your disgusting god cannot rescue you, but] will go away into exile [along with the fugitives] Together with his priests and his princes. “And the destroyer will come upon every city; No city will escape. The [Jordan] valley also will be ruined And the plain will be devastated, As the LORD has said. “Give a gravestone to Moab, For she will fall into ruins; Her cities (pastures, farms) will be desolate, Without anyone to live in them. “Cursed is the one who does the work of the LORD negligently, And cursed is the one who restrains his sword from blood [in executing the judgment of the LORD]. ¶“Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has also been undisturbed, and settled like wine on his dregs, And he has not been emptied from one vessel to another, Nor has he gone into exile. Therefore his flavor remains in him, And his scent has not changed. Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “when I will send to Moab those who will tip him over and who will empty his vessels and break his [earthenware] jars in pieces. And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh [his worthless, disgusting god], as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their [misplaced] confidence. [1 Kin 12:28, 29]

The LORD God of Israel who rules over all spoke about Moab. “Sure to be judged is Nebo! Indeed, it will be destroyed! Kiriathaim will suffer disgrace. It will be captured! Its fortress will suffer disgrace. It will be torn down! People will not praise Moab any more. The enemy will capture Heshbon and plot how to destroy Moab, saying, ‘Come, let’s put an end to that nation!’ City of Madmen, you will also be destroyed. A destructive army will march against you. Cries of anguish will arise in Horonaim, ‘Oh, the ruin and great destruction!’ “Moab will be crushed. Her children will cry out in distress. Indeed they will climb the slopes of Luhith, weeping continually as they go. For on the road down to Horonaim they will hear the cries of distress over the destruction. They will hear, ‘Run! Save yourselves! Even if you must be like a lonely shrub in the desert!’ “Moab, you trust in the things you do and in your riches. So you too will be conquered. Your god Chemosh will go into exile along with his priests and his officials. The destroyer will come against every town. Not one town will escape. The towns in the valley will be destroyed. The cities on the high plain will be laid waste. I, the LORD, have spoken! Set up a gravestone for Moab, for it will certainly be laid in ruins! Its cities will be laid waste and become uninhabited.” A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD’s work! A curse on anyone who keeps from carrying out his destruction! “From its earliest days Moab has lived undisturbed. It has never been taken into exile. Its people are like wine allowed to settle undisturbed on its dregs, never poured out from one jar to another. They are like wine which tastes like it always did, whose aroma has remained unchanged. But the time is coming when I will send men against Moab who will empty it out. They will empty the towns of their people, then will lay those towns in ruins. I, the LORD, affirm it! The people of Moab will be disappointed by their god Chemosh. They will be as disappointed as the people of Israel were when they put their trust in the calf god at Bethel.