Berean Study Bible

English Standard Version

1Concerning Moab, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it will be devastated. Kiriathaim will be captured and disgraced; the fortress will be shattered and dismantled.

1Concerning 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;

2There is no longer praise for Moab; in Heshbon they devise evil against her: ‘Come, let us cut her off from nationhood.’ You too, O people of Madmen, will be silenced; the sword will pursue you.

2the 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.

3A voice cries out from Horonaim: ‘Devastation and great destruction!’

3“A voice! A cry from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!’

4Moab will be shattered; her little ones will cry out.

4Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry.

5For on the ascent to Luhith they weep bitterly as they go, and on the descent to Horonaim cries of distress resound over the destruction:

5For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed cry of destruction.

6‘Flee! Run for your lives! Become like a juniper in the desert.’

6Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert!

7Because you trust in your works and treasures, you too will be captured, and Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials.

7For, 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.

8The destroyer will move against every city, and not one town will escape. The valley will also be ruined, and the high plain will be destroyed, as the LORD has said.

8The 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.

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

9“Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them.

10Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.

10“Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

11Moab has been at ease from youth, settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel or gone into exile. So his flavor has remained the same, and his aroma is unchanged.

11“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.

12Therefore behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will send to him wanderers, who will pour him out. They will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.

12“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.

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

13Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

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

14“How do you say, ‘We are heroes and mighty men of war’?

15Moab has been destroyed and its towns have been invaded; the best of its young men have gone down in the slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts.

15The destroyer of Moab and his cities has come up, and the choicest of his young men have gone down to slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

16Moab’s calamity is at hand, and his affliction is rushing swiftly.

16The calamity of Moab is near at hand, and his affliction hastens swiftly.

17Mourn for him, all you who surround him, everyone who knows his name; tell how the mighty scepter is shattered—the glorious staff!

17Grieve for him, all you who are around him, and all who know his name; say, ‘How the mighty scepter is broken, the glorious staff.’

18Come down from your glory; sit on parched ground, O daughter dwelling in Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses.

18“Come down from your glory, and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitant of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds.

19Stand by the road and watch, O dweller of Aroer! Ask the man fleeing or the woman escaping, ‘What has happened?’

19Stand by the way and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer! Ask him who flees and her who escapes; say, ‘What has happened?’

20Moab is put to shame, for it has been shattered. Wail and cry out! Declare by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed.

20Moab is put to shame, for it is broken; wail and cry! Tell it beside the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste.

21Judgment has come upon the high plain—upon Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,

21“Judgment has come upon the tableland, upon Holon, and Jahzah, and Mephaath,

22upon Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,

22and Dibon, and Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,

23upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,

23and Kiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,

24upon Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the towns of Moab, those far and near.

24and Kerioth, and Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near.

25The horn of Moab has been cut off, and his arm is broken,” declares the LORD.

25The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, declares the LORD.

26“Make him drunk, because he has magnified himself against the LORD; so Moab will wallow in his own vomit, and he will also become a laughingstock.

26“Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the LORD, so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision.

27Was not Israel your object of ridicule? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.

27Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head?

28Abandon the towns and settle among the rocks, O dwellers of Moab! Be like a dove that nests at the mouth of a cave.

28“Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, O inhabitants of Moab! Be like the dove that nests in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.

29We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his proud arrogance and haughtiness of heart.

29We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.

30I know his insolence,” declares the LORD, “but it is futile. His boasting is as empty as his deeds.

30I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.

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

31Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn.

32I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah, more than I weep for Jazer. Your tendrils have extended to the sea; they reach even to Jazer. The destroyer has descended on your summer fruit and grape harvest.

32More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen.

33Joy and gladness are removed from the orchard and from the fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; their shouts are not for joy.

33Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy.

34There is a cry from Heshbon to Elealeh; they raise their voices to Jahaz, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim have dried up.

34“From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate.

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

35And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the LORD, him who offers sacrifice in the high place and makes offerings to his god.

36Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres, because the wealth they acquired has perished.

36Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished.

37For every head is shaved and every beard is clipped; on every hand is a gash, and around every waist is sackcloth.

37“For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth.

38On all the rooftops of Moab and in the public squares, everyone is mourning; for I have shattered Moab like an unwanted jar,” declares the LORD.

38On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the LORD.

39“How shattered it is! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule and horror to all those around him.”

39How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.”

40For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.

40For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab;

41Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

41the cities shall be taken and the strongholds seized. The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;

42Moab will be destroyed as a nation because he vaunted himself against the LORD.

42Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.

43Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,” declares the LORD.

43Terror, pit, and snare are before you, O inhabitant of Moab! declares the LORD.

44“Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.

44He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For I will bring these things upon Moab, the year of their punishment, declares the LORD.

45“Those who flee will stand helpless in Heshbon’s shadow, because fire has gone forth from Heshbon and a flame from within Sihon. It devours the foreheads of Moab and the skulls of the sons of tumult.

45“In the shadow of Heshbon fugitives stop without strength, for fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the house of Sihon; it has destroyed the forehead of Moab, the crown of the sons of tumult.

46Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished; for your sons have been taken into exile and your daughters have gone into captivity.

46Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone, for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity.

47Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.

47Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the LORD.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

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ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.