Jer 48-49 | ESV | STEP | Concerning 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 ;

1 ^aConcerning Moab.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:

“Woe to ^bNebo, for it is laid waste!
^cKiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken;
the fortress is put to shame ^dand broken down;
2 the renown of Moab is no more.
In ^eHeshbon they planned disaster against her:
‘Come, let us cut her off ^ffrom being a nation!’
You also, O ^gMadmen, shall be brought to silence;
the sword shall pursue you.
3 “A voice! A cry from ^hHoronaim,
‘Desolation and great destruction!’
4 Moab is destroyed;
her little ones have made a cry.
5 ⁱFor at the ascent of Luhith
they go up weeping; ^{▼▼Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping}
for ^kat the descent of Horonaim
they have heard the distressed cry ^{▼▼Septuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry} of destruction.
6 Flee! Save yourselves!
You will be like ^ma juniper in the desert!
7 For, ⁿbecause you trusted in your works and your treasures,
you also shall be taken;
and ^oChemosh ^pshall go into exile
with ^qhis priests and his officials.
8 ^rThe destroyer shall come upon every city,
and no city shall escape;
the valley shall perish,
and ^sthe plain shall be destroyed,
as the Lord has spoken.
9 “Give wings to Moab,
for she would fly away;
her cities shall become a desolation,
with no inhabitant in them.
10 ^t“Cursed is he who does ^uthe work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth
and has ^vsettled 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.
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 ^{▼▼Septuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their} jars in pieces. 13 Then ^xMoab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as ^ythe house of Israel was ashamed of ^zBethel, their confidence.

14 “How do you say, ‘We are heroes
and mighty men of war’?
15 The destroyer of ^aaMoab and his cities has come up,
and the choicest of his young men have ^abgone down to slaughter,
declares ^acthe King, ^adwhose name is the Lord of hosts.
16 The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
and his affliction hastens swiftly.
17 ^aeGrieve for him, all you who are around him,
and all who know his name;
say, ^af‘How the mighty scepter is broken,
the glorious staff.’
18 ^ag“Come down from your glory,
and sit on the parched ground,
O inhabitant of ^ahDibon!
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you;
he has destroyed your strongholds.
19 ^aiStand by the way ^ajand watch,
O inhabitant of ^akAroer!
Ask him who flees and her who escapes;
say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is put to shame, for it is broken;
^alwail and cry!
Tell it beside ^amthe Arnon,
that ^anMoab is laid waste.
21 “Judgment has come upon ^aothe tableland, upon Holon, and ^apJahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and ^aqDibon, and ^arNebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and ^asKiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and ^atBeth-meon, 24 and ^auKerioth, and ^avBozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 ^awThe horn of Moab is cut off, and ^axhis arm is broken, declares the Lord.

26 ^ay“Make him drunk, ^azbecause he magnified himself against the Lord, so that Moab shall ^bawallow in his vomit, ^bband he too shall be held in derision. 27 ^bcWas not Israel a derision to you? ^bdWas he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him ^beyou wagged your head?

28 ^bf“Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock,
O inhabitants of Moab!
Be ^bglike the dove that nests
in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.
29 ^bhWe 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.
30 I know his insolence, declares the Lord;
^bihis boasts are false,
his deeds are false.
31 ^bjTherefore I wail for Moab;
I cry out for all Moab;
for the men of ^bkKir-hareseth I mourn.
32 More than for ^blJazer I weep for you,
^bmO vine of ^bnSibmah!
^boYour branches passed over the sea,
reached to the Sea of ^bpJazer;
on your summer fruits and your grapes
the destroyer has fallen.
33 ^bqGladness 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.
34 ^br“From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to ^bsHoronaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the Lord, him who offers sacrifice in ^btthe high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of ^buKir-hareseth. ^bvTherefore the riches they gained have perished.

37 ^bw“For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. ^bxOn all the hands are gashes, and ^byaround the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like ^bza vessel for which no one cares, declares the Lord. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! ^caHow Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab ^cbhas become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.”

40 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, ^ccone shall fly swiftly like an eagle
^cdand spread his wings against Moab;
41 ^cethe cities shall be taken
and the strongholds seized.
^cfThe heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day
like the heart of ^cga woman in her birth pains;
42 Moab shall be ^chdestroyed and be no longer a people,
because ^cihe magnified himself against the Lord.
43 ^cjTerror, pit, and snare
are before you, O inhabitant of Moab!

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

declares the Lord.
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 ^clthe forehead of Moab,
the crown of ^cmthe sons of tumult.
46 ^cnWoe to you, O Moab!
The people of ^coChemosh are undone,
for your sons have been taken captive,
and your daughters into captivity.
47 ^cpYet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
in the latter days, declares the Lord.”
Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

Jeremiah 49

Judgment on Ammon

1 ^cqConcerning the Ammonites.

Thus says the Lord:

“Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then has ^crMilcom ^csdispossessed Gad,
and his people settled in its cities?
2 Therefore, behold, the days are coming,
declares the Lord,
when I will cause ^ctthe battle cry to be heard
against ^cuRabbah of the Ammonites;
it shall become a desolate ^cvmound,
and its villages shall be burned with fire;
then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him,
says the Lord.
3 “Wail, O ^cwHeshbon, for Ai is laid waste!
Cry out, O daughters of ^cxRabbah!
^cyPut on sackcloth,
lament, and run to and fro among the hedges!
For ^czMilcom shall go into exile,
^dawith his priests and his officials.
4 Why do you boast of your valleys, ^{▼▼Hebrew boast of your valleys, your valley flows}
^dcO faithless daughter,
^ddwho trusted in her treasures, saying,
‘Who will come against me?’
5 Behold, ^deI will bring terror upon you,
declares the Lord God of hosts,
from all who are around you,
and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him,
with none to gather the fugitives.
6 “But ^dfafterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the Lord.”

Judgment on Edom

7 Concerning ^dgEdom.

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

^dh“Is wisdom no more in ^diTeman?
^djHas counsel perished from the prudent?
^dkHas their wisdom vanished?
8 ^dlFlee, turn back, dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of ^dmDedan!
For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,
^dnthe time when I punish him.
9 ^doIf grape gatherers came to you,
would they not leave ^dpgleanings?
^dqIf thieves came by night,
would they not destroy only enough for themselves?
10 ^drBut I have stripped Esau bare;
^dsI have uncovered his hiding places,
and he is not able to conceal himself.
His children are destroyed, and his brothers,
and his neighbors; and ^dthe is no more.
11 ^duLeave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive;
^dvand let your widows trust in me.”
12 For thus says the Lord: ^dw“If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, ^dxwill you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink. 13 ^dyFor I have sworn by myself, declares the Lord, that ^dzBozrah shall become ^eaa horror, a taunt, a waste, and a curse, and all her cities shall be perpetual wastes.”

14 ^ebI have heard a message from the Lord,
and an envoy has been sent among the nations:
^ec“Gather yourselves together and come against her,
and rise up for battle!
15 For behold, I will make you small among the nations,
despised among mankind.
16 The horror you inspire has deceived you,
and the pride of your heart,
you who live in the clefts of the rock, ^{▼▼Or of Sela}
who hold the height of the hill.
Though you ^eemake your nest as high as the eagle’s,
I will bring you down from there,

declares the Lord.
17 ^ef“Edom shall become a horror. ^egEveryone who passes by it will be horrified ^ehand will hiss because of all its disasters. 18 ^eiAs when Sodom and Gomorrah and their ^ejneighboring cities were overthrown, says the Lord, ^ekno man shall dwell there, ^elno man shall sojourn in her. 19 ^emBehold, ^enlike a lion coming up from ^eothe jungle of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make him ^{▼▼Septuagint, Syriac them} run away from her. And I will appoint over her whomever I choose. ^eqFor who is like me? ^erWho will summon me? ^esWhat shepherd can stand before me? 20 Therefore hear the plan that the Lord has made against ^etEdom and the purposes that he has formed against the inhabitants of ^euTeman: ^evEven the little ones of the flock shall be dragged away. Surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 21 At the sound of their fall ^ewthe earth shall tremble; the sound of their cry shall be heard at the Red Sea. 22 Behold, ^exone shall mount up and fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against ^eyBozrah, and the heart of the warriors of Edom shall be in that day like the heart ^ezof a woman in her birth pains.”

Judgment on Damascus

23 Concerning ^faDamascus:

^fb“Hamath and ^fcArpad are confounded,
for they have heard bad news;
they melt in fear,
^fdthey are troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet.
24 ^feDamascus has become feeble, ^ffshe turned to flee,
and panic seized her;
anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her,
as ^fgof a woman in labor.
25 How is ^fhthe famous city not forsaken,
the city of my joy?
26 ^fiTherefore her young men shall fall in her squares,
and all her soldiers shall be destroyed in that day,

declares the Lord of hosts.
27 And ^fjI will kindle a fire in the wall of ^fkDamascus,
and it shall devour the strongholds of ^flBen-hadad.”

Judgment on Kedar and Hazor

28 Concerning ^fmKedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down.

Thus says the Lord:
^fn“Rise up, advance against ^foKedar!
Destroy ^fpthe people of the east!
29 ^fqTheir tents and their flocks shall be taken,
their ^frcurtains and all their goods;
their camels shall be led away from them,
and men shall cry to them: ^fs‘Terror on every side!’
30 ^ftFlee, wander far away, dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor!

declares the Lord.
For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
has made a plan against you
and formed a purpose against you.
31 ^fu“Rise up, advance against a nation ^fvat ease,
^fwthat dwells securely,

declares the Lord,
^fxthat has no gates or bars,
that dwells alone.
32 ^fyTheir camels shall become plunder,
their herds of livestock a spoil.
^fzI will scatter to every wind
^gathose who cut the corners of their hair,
and I will bring their calamity
from every side of them,

declares the Lord.
33 Hazor shall become ^gba haunt of jackals,
an everlasting waste;
^gcno man shall dwell there;
^gdno man shall sojourn in her.”

Judgment on Elam

34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning ^geElam, in the beginning of the reign of ^gfZedekiah king of Judah.

35 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will break ^ggthe bow of ^ghElam, the mainstay of their might. 36 And I will bring upon ^giElam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. And I will scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of ^gjElam shall not come. 37 I will ^gkterrify ^glElam before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, ^gmmy fierce anger, declares the Lord. ^gnI will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them, 38 and I will set my throne in ^goElam and destroy their king and officials, declares the Lord.

39 “But in the latter days ^gpI will restore the fortunes of ^gqElam, declares the Lord.”