1 C oncerning Moab: `Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Wo unto Nebo, for it is spoiled, Put to shame, captured hath been Kiriathaim, Put to shame hath been the high tower, Yea, it hath been broken down.

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—

2 T here is no more praise of Moab, In Heshbon they devised against it evil: Come, and we cut it off from a nation, Also, O Madmen, thou art cut off, After thee goeth a sword.

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;

3 A voice of a cry from Horonaim, Spoiling and great destruction.

A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim: ‘Plundering and great destruction!’

4 D estroyed hath been Moab, Caused a cry to be heard have her little ones.

“Moab is destroyed; Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;

5 F or the ascent of Luhith with weeping, Go up doth weeping, For in the descent of Horonaim Adversaries a cry of desolation have 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.

6 F lee ye, deliver yourselves, Ye are as a naked thing in a wilderness.

“Flee, save your lives! And be like the juniper in the wilderness.

7 F or, because of thy trusting in thy works, And in thy treasures, even thou art captured, And gone out hath Chemosh in a removal, His priests and his heads together.

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.

8 A nd come in doth a spoiler unto every city, And no city doth escape, And perished hath the valley, And destroyed been the plain, as Jehovah said.

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.

9 G ive wings to Moab, for she utterly goeth out, And her cities are for a desolation, Without an inhabitant in them.

“Give wings to Moab, That she may flee and get away; For her cities shall be desolate, Without any to dwell in them.

10 C ursed he who is doing the work of Jehovah slothfully, And cursed he Who is withholding his sword from blood.

Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.

11 S ecure is Moab from his youth, And at rest he for his preserved things, And he hath not been emptied out from vessel unto vessel, And into captivity he hath not gone, Therefore hath his taste remained in him, And his fragrance hath not been changed.

“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.

12 T herefore, lo, days are coming, An affirmation of Jehovah, And I have sent to him wanderers, And they have caused him to wander, And his vessels they empty out, And his bottles they dash in pieces.

“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.

13 A nd ashamed hath been Moab because of Chemosh, As the house of Israel have been ashamed Because of Beth-El their confidence.

Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, As the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

14 H ow do ye say, We mighty, And men of strength for battle?

“How can you say, ‘We are mighty And strong men for the war’?

15 S poiled is Moab, and her cities hath one gone up, And the choice of its young men Have gone down to slaughter, An affirmation of the King, Jehovah of Hosts His name.

Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities; Her chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter,” says the King, Whose name is the Lord of hosts.

16 N ear is the calamity of Moab to come, And his affliction hath hasted exceedingly.

“The calamity of Moab is near at hand, And his affliction comes quickly.

17 B emoan for him, all ye round about him, And all knowing his name, say ye: How hath it been broken, the staff of strength, The rod of beauty.

Bemoan him, all you who are around him; And all you who know his name, Say, ‘How the strong staff is broken, The beautiful rod!’

18 C ome down from honour, sit in thirst, O inhabitant, daughter of Dibon, For a spoiler of Moab hath come up to thee, He hath destroyed thy fenced places.

“O daughter inhabiting Dibon, Come down from your glory, And sit in thirst; For the plunderer of Moab has come against you, He has destroyed your strongholds.

19 O n the way stand, and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer, Ask the fugitive and escaped, Say, What hath happened?

O inhabitant of Aroer, Stand by the way and watch; Ask him who flees And her who escapes; Say, ‘What has happened?’

20 P ut to shame hath been Moab, For it hath been broken down, Howl and cry, declare ye in Arnon, For spoiled is Moab,

Moab is shamed, for he is broken down. Wail and cry! Tell it in Arnon, that Moab is plundered.

21 A nd judgment hath come in unto the land of the plain -- unto Holon, And unto Jahazah, and on Mephaath,

“And judgment has come on the plain country: On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,

22 A nd on Dibon, and on Nebo, And on Beth-Diblathaim, and on Kirathaim,

On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,

23 A nd on Beth-Gamul, and on Beth-Meon,

On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,

24 A nd on Kerioth, and on Bozrah, And on all cities of the land of Moab, The far off and the near.

On Kerioth and Bozrah, On all the cities of the land of Moab, Far or near.

25 C ut down hath been the horn of Moab, And his arm hath been broken, An affirmation of Jehovah.

The horn of Moab is cut off, And his arm is broken,” says the Lord.

26 D eclare ye him drunk, For against Jehovah he made himself great And Moab hath stricken in his vomit, And he hath been for a derision -- even he.

“Make him drunk, Because he exalted himself against the Lord. Moab shall wallow in his vomit, And he shall also be in derision.

27 A nd was not Israel the derision to thee? Among thieves was he found? For since thy words concerning him, Thou dost bemoan thyself.

For was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him, You shake your head in scorn.

28 F orsake cities, and dwell in a rock, Ye inhabitants of Moab, And be as a dove making a nest in the passages of a pit's mouth.

You who dwell in Moab, Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, And be like the dove which makes her nest In the sides of the cave’s mouth.

29 W e have heard of the arrogance of Moab, Exceeding proud! His haughtiness, and his arrogance, And his pride, and the height of his heart,

“We have heard the pride of Moab (He is exceedingly proud), Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, And of the haughtiness of his heart.”

30 I -- I have known, an affirmation of Jehovah, His wrath, and not right, His devices -- not right they have done.

“I know his wrath,” says the Lord, “But it is not right; His lies have made nothing right.

31 T herefore for Moab I howl, even for Moab -- all of it, I cry for men of Kir-Heres, it doth mourn,

Therefore I will wail for Moab, And I will cry out for all Moab; I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.

32 W ith the weeping of Jazer, I weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah, Thy branches have passed over a sea, Unto the sea of Jazer they have come, On thy summer fruits, and on thy harvest, A spoiler hath fallen.

O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of Jazer. 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 A nd removed hath been joy and gladness From the fruitful field, Even from the land of Moab, And wine from wine-presses I have caused to cease, Shouting doth not proceed, The shouting no shouting!

Joy 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 B ecause of the cry of Heshbon unto Elealeh, Unto Jahaz they have given their voice, From Zoar unto Horonaim, A heifer of the third, For even waters of Nimrim become desolations.

“From the cry of Heshbon to Elealeh and to Jahaz They have uttered their voice, From Zoar to Horonaim, Like a three-year-old heifer; For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.

35 A nd I have caused to cease to Moab, An affirmation of Jehovah, Him who is offering in a high place, And him who is making perfume to his god.

“Moreover,” says the Lord, “I will cause to cease in Moab The one who offers sacrifices in the high places And burns incense to his gods.

36 T herefore my heart for Moab as pipes doth sound, And my heart for men of Kir-Heres As pipes doth sound, Therefore the abundance he made did perish.

Therefore My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab, And like flutes My heart shall wail For the men of Kir Heres. Therefore the riches they have acquired have perished.

37 F or every head bald, and every beard diminished, On all hands cuttings, and on the loins -- sackcloth.

“For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped; On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth—

38 O n all roofs of Moab, and in her broad-places, All of it -- lamentation, For I have broken Moab as a vessel in which there is no pleasure, An affirmation of Jehovah.

A general lamentation On all the housetops of Moab, And in its streets; For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.

39 H ow hath it been broken down! they have howled, How hath Moab turned the neck ashamed, And Moab hath been for a derision. And for a terror to all round about her.

“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.”

40 F or thus said Jehovah: Lo, as an eagle he doth flee, And hath spread his wings unto Moab.

For thus says the Lord: “Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, And spread his wings over Moab.

41 C aptured have been the cities, And the strongholds are caught, And the heart of the mighty of Moab Hath been in that day as the heart of a distressed woman.

Kerioth is taken, And the strongholds are surprised; The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.

42 A nd Moab hath been destroyed from a people, For against Jehovah he exerted himself.

And Moab shall be destroyed as a people, Because he exalted himself against the Lord.

43 F ear, and a snare, and a gin, for thee, O inhabitant of Moab -- an affirmation of Jehovah,

Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you, O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.

44 W hoso is fleeing because of the fear falleth into the snare, And whoso is coming up from the snare is captured by the gin, For I bring in unto her -- unto Moab -- The year of their inspection, An affirmation of Jehovah.

“He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit, And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For upon Moab, upon it I will bring The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.

45 I n the shadow of Heshbon stood powerless have fugitives, For fire hath gone forth from Heshbon, And a flame from within Sihon, And it consumeth the corner of Moab, And the crown of the sons of Shaon.

“Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon Because of exhaustion. But a fire shall come out of Heshbon, A flame from the midst of Sihon, And shall devour the brow of Moab, The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.

46 W o to thee, O Moab, Perished hath the people of Chemosh, For thy sons were taken with the captives, And thy daughters with the captivity.

Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh perish; For your sons have been taken captive, And your daughters captive.

47 A nd I have turned back the captivity of Moab, In the latter end of the days, An affirmation of Jehovah! Hitherto the judgment of Moab.

“Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab In the latter days,” says the Lord. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.