1 A respeito de Moabe. Assim diz o Senhor dos Exércitos, o Deus de Israel: Ai de Nebo, porque foi destruída! Envergonhada está Quiriataim, já está tomada; a fortaleza está envergonhada e abatida. 2 A glória de Moabe já não é; em Hesbom tramaram contra ela, dizendo: Vinde, e eliminemo-la para que não seja mais povo; também tu, ó Madmém, serás reduzida a silêncio; a espada te perseguirá. 3 Há gritos de Horonaim: Ruína e grande destruição! 4 Destruída está Moabe; seus filhinhos fizeram ouvir gritos. 5 Pela subida de Luíte, eles seguem com choro contínuo; na descida de Horonaim, se ouvem gritos angustiosos de ruína. 6 Fugi, salvai a vossa vida, ainda que venhais a ser como o arbusto solitário no deserto. 7 Pois, por causa da tua confiança nas tuas obras e nos teus tesouros, também tu serás tomada; Quemos sairá para o cativeiro com os seus sacerdotes e os seus príncipes juntamente. 8 Virá o destruidor sobre cada uma das cidades, e nenhuma escapará; perecerá o vale, e se destruirá a campina; porque o Senhor o disse.

9 Dai asas a Moabe, porque, voando, sairá; as suas cidades se tornarão em ruínas, e ninguém morará nelas. 10 Maldito aquele que fizer a obra do Senhor relaxadamente! Maldito aquele que retém a sua espada do sangue! 11 Despreocupado esteve Moabe desde a sua mocidade e tem repousado nas fezes do seu vinho; não foi mudado de vasilha para vasilha, nem foi para o cativeiro; por isso, conservou o seu sabor, e o seu aroma não se alterou. 12 Portanto, eis que vêm dias, diz o Senhor, em que lhe enviarei trasfegadores, que o trasfegarão; despejarão as suas vasilhas e despedaçarão os seus jarros. 13 Moabe terá vergonha de Quemos, como a casa de Israel se envergonhou de Betel, sua confiança. 14 Como dizeis: Somos valentes e homens fortes para a guerra?

15 Moabe está destruído e subiu das suas cidades, e os seus jovens escolhidos desceram à matança, diz o Rei, cujo nome é Senhor dos Exércitos. 16 Está prestes a vir a perdição de Moabe, e muito se apressa o seu mal. 17 Condoei-vos dele, todos os que estais ao seu redor e todos os que lhe sabeis o nome; dizei: Como se quebrou a vara forte, o cajado formoso! 18 Desce da tua glória e assenta-te em terra sedenta, ó moradora, filha de Dibom; porque o destruidor de Moabe sobe contra ti e desfaz as tuas fortalezas. 19 Põe-te no caminho e espia, ó moradora de Aroer; pergunta ao que foge e à que escapa: Que sucedeu? 20 Moabe está envergonhado, porque foi abatido; uivai e gritai; anunciai em Arnom que Moabe está destruído. 21 Também o julgamento veio sobre a terra da campina, sobre Holom, Jasa e Mefaate, 22 sobre Dibom, Nebo e Bete-Diblataim, 23 sobre Quiriataim, Bete-Gamul e Bete-Meom, 24 sobre Queriote e Bozra, e até sobre todas as cidades da terra de Moabe, quer as de longe, quer as de perto. 25 Está eliminado o poder de Moabe, e quebrado, o seu braço, diz o Senhor.

26 Embriagai-o, porque contra o Senhor se engrandeceu; Moabe se revolverá no seu vômito e será ele também objeto de escárnio. 27 Pois Israel não te foi também objeto de escárnio? Mas, acaso, foi achado entre ladrões, para que meneies a cabeça, falando dele? 28 Deixai as cidades e habitai no rochedo, ó moradora de Moabe; sede como as pombas que se aninham nos flancos da boca do abismo. 29 Ouvimos falar da soberba de Moabe, que de fato é extremamente soberba, da sua arrogância, do seu orgulho, da sua sobranceria e da altivez do seu coração. 30 Conheço, diz o Senhor, a sua insolência, mas isso nada é; as suas gabarolices nada farão. 31 Por isso, uivarei por Moabe, sim, gritarei por todo o Moabe; pelos homens de Quir-Heres lamentarei. 32 Mais que a Jazer, te chorarei a ti, ó vide de Sibma; os teus ramos passaram o mar, chegaram até ao mar de Jazer; mas o destruidor caiu sobre os teus frutos de verão e sobre a tua vindima. 33 Tirou-se, pois, o folguedo e a alegria do campo fértil e da terra de Moabe; pois fiz cessar nos lagares o vinho; já não pisarão uvas com júbilo; o júbilo não será júbilo. 34 Ouve-se o grito de Hesbom até Eleale e Jasa, e de Zoar se dão gritos até Horonaim e Eglate-Selisias; porque até as águas do Ninrim se tornaram em assolação. 35 Farei desaparecer de Moabe, diz o Senhor, quem sacrifique nos altos e queime incenso aos seus deuses.

36 Por isso, o meu coração geme como flautas por causa de Moabe, e como flautas geme por causa dos homens de Quir-Heres; porquanto já se perdeu a abundância que ajuntou. 37 Porque toda cabeça ficará calva, e toda barba, rapada; sobre todas as mãos haverá incisões, e sobre os lombos, pano de saco. 38 Sobre todos os eirados de Moabe e em todas as suas praças há pranto, porque fiz Moabe em pedaços, como vasilha de barro que não agrada, diz o Senhor. Como está desfalecido! 39 Como uivam! Como, de vergonha, virou Moabe as costas! Assim, se tornou Moabe objeto de escárnio e de espanto para todos os que estão em seu redor. 40 Porque assim diz o Senhor: Eis que voará como a águia e estenderá as suas asas contra Moabe. 41 São tomadas as cidades, e ocupadas, as fortalezas; naquele dia, o coração dos valentes de Moabe será como o coração da mulher que está em dores de parto. 42 Moabe será destruído, para que não seja povo, porque se engrandeceu contra o Senhor. 43 Terror, cova e laço vêm sobre ti, ó moradora de Moabe, diz o Senhor. 44 Quem fugir do terror cairá na cova, e, se sair da cova, o laço o prenderá; porque trarei sobre ele, sobre Moabe, o ano do seu castigo.

45 Os que fogem param sem forças à sombra de Hesbom; porém sai fogo de Hesbom e labareda do meio de Seom e devora as têmporas de Moabe e o alto da cabeça dos filhos do tumulto. 46 Ai de ti, Moabe! Pereceu o povo de Quemos, porque teus filhos ficaram cativos, e tuas filhas, em cativeiro.

47 Contudo, mudarei a sorte de Moabe, nos últimos dias, diz o Senhor. Até aqui o juízo contra Moabe.

1 Of Moab. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Woe unto Nebo! for it is laid waste; Kiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken; Misgab is put to shame and broken down. 2 The praise of Moab is no more; in Heshbon they have devised evil against her: Come, and let us cut her off from being a nation. Thou also, O Madmen, shalt be brought to silence; the sword shall pursue thee. 3 The sound of a cry from Horonaim, desolation and great destruction! 4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. 5 For by the ascent of Luhith with continual weeping shall they go up; for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distress of the cry of destruction. 6 Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness. 7 For, because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou also shalt be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, his priests and his princes together. 8 And the destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed; as Jehovah hath spoken. 9 Give wings unto Moab, that she may fly and get her away: and her cities shall become a desolation, without any to dwell therein. 10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of Jehovah negligently; and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.

11 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 remaineth in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will send unto him them that pour off, and they shall pour him off; and they shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles in pieces. 13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence. 14 How say ye, We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war? 15 Moab is laid waste, and they are gone up into his cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is Jehovah of hosts. 16 The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast. 17 All ye that are round about him, bemoan him, and all ye that know his name; say, How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful rod! 18 O thou daughter that dwellest in Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the destroyer of Moab is come up against thee, he hath destroyed thy strongholds. 19 O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and watch: ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth; say, What hath been done? 20 Moab is put to shame; for it is broken down: wail and cry; tell ye it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. 21 And judgment is come upon the plain country, upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath, 22 and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim, 23 and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon, 24 and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith Jehovah.

26 Make ye him drunken; for he magnified himself against Jehovah: and Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision. 27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for as often as thou speakest of him, thou waggest the head. 28 O ye inhabitants of Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock; and be like the dove that maketh her nest over the mouth of the abyss. 29 We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud; his loftiness, and his pride, and his arrogancy, and the haughtiness of his heart. 30 I know his wrath, saith Jehovah, that it is nought; his boastings have wrought nothing. 31 Therefore will I wail for Moab; yea, I will cry out for all Moab: for the men of Kir-heres shall they mourn. 32 With more than the weeping of Jazer will I weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah: thy branches passed over the sea, they reached even to the sea of Jazer: upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage the destroyer is fallen. 33 And gladness and joy is taken away from the fruitful field and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to cease from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; the shouting shall be no shouting. 34 From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, even unto Jahaz have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, to Eglath-shelishiyah: for the waters of Nimrim also shall become desolate. 35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith Jehovah, him that offereth in the high place, and him that burneth incense to his gods.

36 Therefore my heart soundeth for Moab like pipes, and my heart soundeth like pipes for the men of Kir-heres: therefore the abundance that he hath gotten is perished. 37 For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the streets thereof there is lamentation every where; for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein none delighteth, saith Jehovah. 39 How is it broken down! how do they wail! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab become a derision and a terror to all that are round about him. 40 For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread out his wings against Moab. 41 Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are seized, and the heart of the mighty men of Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. 42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against Jehovah. 43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith Jehovah. 44 He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon him, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith Jehovah.

45 They that fled stand without strength under the shadow of Heshbon; for a fire is gone forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and hath devoured the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones. 46 Woe unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh is undone; for thy sons are taken away captive, and thy daughters into captivity. 47 Yet will I bring back the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith Jehovah. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

1 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.

2 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.

3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction.

4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out. [^4]

5 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.

6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush "in the desert.

7 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.

8 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.

9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste "; her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.

10 "A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed!

11 "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.

12 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.

13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.

14 "How can you say, 'We are warriors, men valiant in battle'?

15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter," declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty.

16 "The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly.

17 Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame; say, 'How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff!'

18 "Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon, for the one who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities.

19 Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer. Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, 'What has happened?'

20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out! Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.

21 Judgment has come to the plateau — to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,

22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,

23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,

24 to Kerioth and Bozrah — to all the towns of Moab, far and near.

25 Moab's horn "is cut off; her arm is broken," declares the LORD.

26 "Make her drunk, for she has defied the LORD. Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule.

27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves, that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her?

28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab. Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.

29 "We have heard of Moab's pride — how great is her arrogance! — of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart.

30 I know her insolence but it is futile," declares the LORD, "and her boasts accomplish nothing.

31 Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.

32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah. Your branches spread as far as the sea "; they reached as far as "Jazer. The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes.

33 Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy. Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy.

34 "The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz, from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.

35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods," declares the LORD.

36 "So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.

37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.

38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squares there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants," declares the LORD.

39 "How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her."

40 This is what the LORD says: "Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab.

41 Kerioth "will be captured and the strongholds taken. 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 nation because she defied the LORD.

43 Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab," declares the LORD.

44 "Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit, whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment," declares the LORD.

45 "In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless, for a fire has gone out from Heshbon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon; it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters.

46 Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed; your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity.

47 "Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come," declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.