The Lord talks about the land of Moab
1The Lord who rules over all, the God of Israel, talks about the land of Moab. He says:
‘The people of Nebo are suffering
because the enemies have destroyed their city.
The people of the city of Kiriathaim
don't know what to do.
Enemies have defeated their city
and they have taken everything.
The city has strong walls,
but it will be destroyed and
the people will become ashamed and afraid.
2The people of Moab were proud
of the city but the enemies
have destroyed it.
The enemies have come into the city of Heshbon.
They want to destroy the city,
and they want no one to remember the city later.
People of the city of Madmen,
the enemies will also kill you.
They will chase you with their swords.
3The people of the city of Horonaim
shout and ask someone to help them.
The enemies have destroyed the city
and they have broken down the walls.
4The land of Moab is broken,
and people in the smallest towns
are shouting and asking someone to help them.
5Yes, they cry while they are
walking to the city of Luhith.
They go down to the city of Horonaim
and shout and ask someone to help them
because the enemies
have destroyed their cities.
6People of Moab, you must run away.
Flee and save your lives.
Go into the desert like wild donkeys.
7Because you thought that
your treasures could help you.
You thought that the things
that you have made and everything
that you have could help you.
That is why the enemies will take you away.
They will also take your god Chemosh
and its priests and officials.
8The people who destroy everything
will go to each town,
and they will destroy all the cities.
The enemies will destroy the valleys
and the Highveld of Moab.’
This is what the Lord said.
9‘The people of Moab must flee.
They must run away, that is sure.
The towns and cities of Moab
will become empty,
and no one will live there.
10People who work for the Lord,
you must know that the Lord
will punish you if you don't do your work well.
He will punish you if you don't
kill the people that you have to kill.
11Things have always gone well
with the people of Moab,
and no one has given them trouble.
They were as safe as the fine dust
that goes down to the bottom of a jar
and is left there when someone
pours wine into another jar.
Enemies did not take away
the people of Moab or catch them.
The people of Moab have not changed.
They are like wine that has not become better,
but it tastes the same and
it smells the same as before.’
12The Lord says: ‘The time has come
to send people to Moab to chase away
its people and to destroy its towns and cities,
like when people pour out wine
and empty the jars and break them into pieces.
13The god Chemosh will
not be able to help Moab.
The Israelites also thought
that the god Bethel
could help them, but it could not.
14People of Moab, you say you are soldiers
and you are ready to fight,
15but the enemies have come and they will
destroy Moab and all its towns.
They will kill
the best young soldiers of Moab.’
This is what the Lord says. He is the King who rules over all.
16‘The time will come very soon
when Moab will be destroyed.
17All of you who live around Moab,
and you who know that land,
you must feel sorry for the land
and mourn it.
You must shake your head and say:
“Moab has ruled over many people,
but its sceptre is broken,
and people will no longer serve that land.”
18People of the town of Dibon,
you must get off your beautiful chairs,
and you must sit on the ground in the dust,
because the people have come
to destroy your city,
and they have broken down your strong walls.
19People of the city of Aroer,
you must stand next to the road,
and you must look for people who flee
and ask them: “What has happened?”
20Moab has lost the war.
Yes, they have become afraid.
You must cry and ask someone to help them,
and you must tell the people at the Arnon River
that the enemies have destroyed Moab.
21The Lord punishes the people
on the Highveld, all the people
of Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath,
22Dibon, Nebo, Beth-Diblathaim,
23Kiriathaim, Beth-Gamul, Beth-Meon,
24Kerioth and Bozrah. He punishes
all towns in the land of Moab,
towns that are far or near.’
25The Lord says:
‘Moab was strong but now it is weak.
It is like a man with a broken arm.
26You must make Moab drunk
until he vomits, because
he thought that he was
more important than the Lord.
The other nations must laugh at him.
27Moab, this will happen to you
because you laughed at Israel
as someone laughs at a thief
when they catch him.
Yes, you talked about Israel,
but now you must feel sorry for yourself
and you must shake your head for yourself.
28People of Moab, you must
go away from the cities. You must go
and live among the rocks,
and you must become like doves
that make their nests at the opening of a cave.
29They told us that the people of Moab
are proud and they boast.
They think they are important
and wonderful and better than other nations.’
30The Lord says: ‘I know
how proud the people of Moab are
but they have nothing to boast about,
so they must stop doing it.
31That is why I will cry
over the Moabite people.
I will shout and ask someone
to help the Moabites.
I will mourn for the people
of the town of Kir-Hareseth.
32Vineyards of the town of Sibmah,
I will cry for you, more than
I will cry over the town of Jazer.
The branches of the vineyards grow
as far as the sea, to the town of Jazer.
The enemies have come to destroy
the fruit and grapes.
33There is no one who sings
or rejoices in the land of Moab.
I have made the wine disappear
from the wine-presses, and there is no one
who tramples the grapes and sings.
34The people of Heshbon shout
and ask someone to help them.
People in the towns of Elealeh
and Jahaz can hear them,
and so do the people in the towns of Zoar,
Horonaim and Eglath-Shelishiyah,
because there is no more water in Nimrim.’
35The Lord says:
‘I will cause the people of Moab to die,
all of them who go to
the places_of_sacrifice
and bring offerings to their gods.
36This is why I complain about the Moabites,
over the people of Kir-Hareseth.
I complain like people who are sad
and blow a flute, because
all their money and treasures
that they have saved are gone.
37Yes, all the people
have shaved their heads
and shaved their beards.
They have cut their hands and put on sack-cloth.
38People are mourning
on all the roofs and market places
because I have broken Moab
like a clay pot that no one wants.’
This is what the Lord says.
39‘The people of Moab are afraid.
They cry and flee
because they have lost the war.
All the nations around Moab laugh
because of what has happened to them,
and people become afraid when they see it.’
40Yes, the Lord says: ‘The enemies
will come down like vultures
and they will fly over Moab.
41They will defeat the towns
and all the cities that have strong walls.
The soldiers of Moab
will become afraid on that day,
like a woman who is having a baby.
42The enemies will kill the people of Moab.
They will no longer be a nation,
because they thought they were
more important than the Lord.’
43The Lord says:
‘People of Moab, you will fear
and fall into traps,
and the enemies will catch you with nets.
44Someone who fears and runs away
will fall into a hole,
and when he gets out of the hole,
they will catch him in a trap
because the time has come for Me
to punish Moab.’
This is what the Lord says.
45‘The people who run away
will come and stand in the shadow
of the town of Heshbon because they are tired.
But there will come a fire
from Heshbon and Sihon. It will burn
the heads of the people of Moab,
the people who have boasted so much.
46People of Moab, you will suffer.
The enemies have defeated
the people of Chemosh.
The enemies are taking away
their sons and daughters,
and they are becoming prisoners.’
47But the Lord says:
‘Later I will be good to the Moabites again.’
This is what the Lord said about the people of Moab.
