Jeremiah 48

Judgment Against Moab

1 Concerning Moab, this is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it is destroyed. Kiriathaim is put to shame and captured. The fortress is disgraced and shattered.”

2 “Moab’s praise is gone. In Heshbon they plot her downfall: ‘Come, let us wipe her out as a nation.’ You too, Madmen, will be silenced; The sword will chase you.”

3 “A cry comes from Horonaim, Devastation and great destruction!”

4 “Moab is shattered; Her little ones cry out.”

5 “On the ascent to Luhith they go up weeping bitterly. On the road down to Horonaim They hear cries of destruction.”

6 “Flee! Save your lives! Be like a juniper bush in the wilderness.”

Moab’s Pride Brings Her Down

7 “Because you trusted in your own works and treasures, You too will be captured. Chemosh will go into exile, Together with his priests and officials.”

8 “The destroyer will come against every city, And no city will escape. The valley will be ruined And the plateau destroyed, As the LORD has spoken.”

9 “Give wings to Moab, For she must flee away. Her cities will become a desolation, With no one living in them.”

10 “Cursed is the one who is lazy in doing the LORD’s work, And cursed is the one who keeps his sword from bloodshed.”

Moab’s False Security

11 “Moab has been at ease since youth, Settled like wine on its dregs. He has not been poured from one container to another, Nor has he gone into exile. That is why his taste remains, And his aroma has not changed.”

12 “Therefore, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will send pourers who will pour him out. They will empty his containers and smash his jars.”

13 “Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, Just as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, Their false confidence.”

Moab’s Warriors Fall

14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors, mighty men for battle’?”

15 “Moab is destroyed and her cities go up in smoke. The best of her young men go down to slaughter,” Declares the King, whose name is the LORD of armies.

16 “Moab’s disaster is near; Her calamity is coming fast.”

17 “Mourn for him, all you neighboring nations, All who know his name. Say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, The glorious staff!’”

Moab Brought Low

18 “Come down from your glory And sit on dry ground, Inhabitant of Dibon. For the destroyer of Moab has come against you; He has ruined your strongholds.”

19 “Stand by the road and watch, Inhabitant of Aroer. Ask the fugitive and the refugee, ‘What happened?’”

20 “Moab is put to shame, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out! Declare by the Arnon That Moab is destroyed.”

Judgment Spreads Across the Land

21 “Judgment has come to the plateau, To Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath,”

22 “to Dibon, Nebo, Beth-diblathaim,”

23 “to Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon,”

24 “to Kerioth, Bozrah, To all the cities of the land of Moab, Far and near.”

25 “The horn of Moab is cut off, And his arm is broken,” Declares the LORD.

Moab Humbled for Arrogance

26 “Make him drunk, Because he exalted himself against the LORD. Moab will wallow in his vomit And become a laughingstock.”

27 “Was not Israel a laughingstock to you, Was he caught among thieves That you shake your head whenever you speak of him,”

28 “Abandon the cities and live among the rocks, Inhabitants of Moab. Be like a dove nesting In the mouth of a cave.”

The Depth of Moab’s Pride

29 “We have heard of Moab’s pride, How very proud he is, His arrogance, pride, haughtiness, And self-exalting heart.”

30 “I know his insolence,” declares the LORD. “It is empty. His boasts accomplish nothing.”

31 “Therefore I wail over Moab; I cry out for all Moab. I moan for the men of Kir-heres.”

Deep Mourning

32 “I weep for you more than for Jazer, Vine of Sibmah. Your branches crossed the sea; They reached as far as Jazer. The destroyer has fallen on your summer fruit And grape harvest.”

33 “Joy and gladness are taken away From the orchards and fields of Moab. I have stopped the wine from the presses. No one treads with shouts of joy, The shouting is not joyful shouting.”

34 “The cry from Heshbon reaches Elealeh, Their voices as far as Jahaz, From Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim have dried up.”

The End of False Worship

35 “I will put an end in Moab,” declares the LORD, “to the one who offers sacrifices on the high places And burns incense to his gods.”

36 “So My heart moans like flutes for Moab, It moans like flutes for the men of Kir-heres, Because the wealth they gained has perished.”

37 “Every head is shaved, Every beard cut off. Hands are gashed, And sackcloth is worn.”

38 “On all the rooftops of Moab And in her public squares There is nothing but mourning, For I have broken Moab like an unwanted jar,” Declares the LORD.

Moab Becomes a Warning

39 “How shattered she is! Wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! Moab has become a laughingstock And a terror to all around him.”

40 “For this is what the LORD says: “Look, one flies like an eagle, Spreading his wings over Moab.”

41 “Kerioth is captured, The strongholds are seized. In that day, the hearts of Moab’s warriors Will be like the heart of a woman in labor.”

42 “Moab will be destroyed as a people, Because he exalted himself against the LORD.”

No Escape from Judgment

43 “Terror, pit, and snare await you, Inhabitant of Moab,” Declares the LORD.

44 “Whoever flees from terror Will fall into a pit, And whoever climbs out of the pit Will be caught in a snare. For I will bring these things on Moab, The year of their punishment,” Declares the LORD.

Final Word of Hope

45 “In the shadow of Heshbon The fugitives stand powerless. For fire goes out from Heshbon, A flame from Sihon, Consuming the forehead of Moab, The skulls of the noisy sons.”

46 “Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed. Your sons are taken into exile, Your daughters into captivity.”

47 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab In the days to come,” Declares the LORD.