Jeremiah 48

Judgment on Moab

1 Against *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;

3 A voice of crying shallbe 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.

7 For 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.

8 And *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.

13 Moab 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’?

15 Moab 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.

17 Bemoan 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.

19 O 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?’

20 Moab 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,

22 On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,

23 On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,

24 On *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.

27 For *Zeph. 2:8was not Israel a derision to you?

*Jer. 2:26Was he found among thieves?

For whenever you speak of him,

You shake yourheadin*Lam. 2:15; (Mic. 7:8–10)scorn.

28 You 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.

31 Therefore *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.

36 Therefore *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 shallbe bald, and every beard clipped;

On all the hands shallbe cuts, and *Gen. 37:34; Is. 15:3; 20:2on the loins sackcloth—

38 A 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."

40 For 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.

41 Kerioth 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.

42 And 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 shallbe 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.