Isa 16 | HCSB | STEP | Send lambs to the ruler of the land , from Sela in the desert to the mountain of Daughter Zion .

Isaiah 16

1 Send lambs to the ruler of the land, ^a

from Sela in the desert ^b
to the mountain of Daughter ^{▼▼Zion: Originally a term for the fortified section of Jerusalem and then, by extension, used for the temple and the city of Jerusalem both in the present time and in the future}Zion.
2 Like a bird fleeing,
forced from the nest,
the daughters of Moab
will be at the fords of the Arnon.

3 Give us counsel and make a decision.
Shelter us at noonday
with shade that is as dark as night.
Hide the refugees; ^d
do not betray the one who flees.
4 Let my refugees stay with you;
be a refuge for Moab ^{▼▼Or you; Moab – be a refuge for him} from the aggressor.

When the oppressor has gone,
destruction has ended,
and marauders have vanished from the land.
5 Then in the tent of David
a throne will be established by faithful love. ^f
A judge who seeks what is right
and is quick to execute justice
will sit on the throne forever.

6 We have heard of Moab’s pride ^g –
how very proud he is –
his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance,
and his empty boasting.
7 Therefore let Moab wail;
let every one of them wail for Moab.
Mourn, you who are completely devastated,
for the raisin cakes ^h of Kir-hareseth. ⁱ
8 For Heshbon’s terraced vineyards
and the grapevines of Sibmah have withered.
The rulers of the nations
have trampled its choice vines
that reached as far as Jazer ^j
and spread to the desert.
Their shoots spread out
and reached the Dead Sea. ^k
9 So I join with Jazer
to weep for the vines of Sibmah;
I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears.
Triumphant shouts have fallen silent ^{▼▼Or Battle cries have fallen}
over your summer fruit and your harvest.
10 Joy and rejoicing ^m have been removed from the orchard;
no one is singing or shouting for joy in the vineyards. ⁿ
No one tramples grapes ^{▼▼Lit wine} in the winepresses.
I have put an end to the shouting.
11 Therefore I moan like the sound of a lyre for Moab, ^p
as does my innermost being for Kir-heres.
12 When Moab appears on the ^{▼▼high place(s): An ancient place of worship most often associated with pagan religions, usually built on an elevated location}high place,
when he tires ^{▼▼DSS read place, he will tire} himself out ^s
and comes to his sanctuary to pray,
it will do him no good. ^t

13 This is the message that the Lord previously announced about Moab. 14 And now the Lord says, “In three years, as a hired worker counts years, ^u Moab’s splendor will become an object of contempt, in spite of a very large population. And those who are left will be few and weak.”