The Prophecy concerning Moab

481 Concerning Moab: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold[1] will be disgraced and shattered. 2 Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon[2] people will plot her downfall: 'Come, let us put an end to that nation.' You, the people of Madmen,[3] will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you. 3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction. 4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out.[4] 5 They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go; on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard. 6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush[5] in the desert. 7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive, and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials. 8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the Lord has spoken. 9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste[6] ; her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them. 10 "A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed! 11 "Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs, not poured from one jar to another- she has not gone into exile. So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged. 12 But days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will send men who pour from pitchers, and they will pour her out; they will empty her pitchers and smash her jars. 13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel.

Other Translations of Jeremiah 48:1-13

King James Version

The Prophecy concerning Moab

481 Against Moab thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab Misgab: or, the high place is confounded and dismayed. 2 There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee. 3 A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction. 4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. 5 For in the going up of Luhith continual continual...: Heb. weeping with weeping weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. 6 Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath the heath: or, a naked tree in the wilderness. 7 For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together. 8 And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the Lord hath spoken. 9 Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein. 10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, deceitfully: or, negligently and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. 11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained remained: Heb. stood in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles. 13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.

English Standard Version

The Prophecy concerning Moab

481 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; 2 the 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. 3 "A voice! A cry from Horonaim, 'Desolation and great destruction!' 4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have made a cry. 5 For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping;Hebrew weeping goes up with weeping for at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distressed crySeptuagint (compare Isaiah 15:5) heard the cry of destruction. 6 Flee! Save yourselves! You will be like a juniper in the desert! 7 For, 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. 8 The 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. 9 "Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 "Cursed is he who does the 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 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. 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 hisSeptuagint, Aquila; Hebrew their jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

The Message

The Prophecy concerning Moab

481 The Message on Moab from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel: "Doom to Nebo! Leveled to the ground! Kiriathaim demeaned and defeated, The mighty fortress reduced to a molehill, 2 Moab's glory - dust and ashes. Conspirators plot Heshbon's doom: 'Come, let's wipe Moab off the map.' Dungface Dimon will loudly lament, as killing follows killing. 3 Listen! A cry out of Horonaim: 'Disaster - doom and more doom!' 4 Moab will be shattered. Her cries will be heard clear down in Zoar. 5 Up the ascent of Luhith climbers weep, And down the descent from Horonaim, cries of loss and devastation. 6 Oh, run for your lives! Get out while you can! Survive by your wits in the wild! 7 You trusted in thick walls and big money, yes? But it won't help you now. Your big god Chemosh will be hauled off, his priests and managers with him. 8 A wrecker will wreck every city. Not a city will survive. The valley fields will be ruined, the plateau pastures destroyed, just as I told you. 9 Cover the land of Moab with salt. Make sure nothing ever grows here again. Her towns will all be ghost towns. Nobody will ever live here again. 10 Sloppy work in God's name is cursed, and cursed all halfhearted use of the sword. 11 "Moab has always taken it easy - lazy as a dog in the sun, Never had to work for a living, never faced any trouble, Never had to grow up, never once worked up a sweat. 12 But those days are a thing of the past. I'll put him to work at hard labor. That will wake him up to the world of hard knocks. That will smash his illusions. 13 Moab will be as ashamed of god Chemosh as Israel was ashamed of her Bethel calf-gods, the calf-gods she thought were so great.

New King James Version

The Prophecy concerning Moab

481 Against Moab. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Woe to Nebo! For it is plundered, Kirjathaim is shamed and taken; The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed-- 2 No more praise of Moab. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: 'Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.' You also shall be cut down, O Madmen! The sword shall pursue you; 3 A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim: 'Plundering and great destruction!' 4 "Moab is destroyed; Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard; 5 For 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 juniper in the wilderness. 7 For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, You also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, His priests and his princes together. 8 And the 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 wings to Moab, That she may flee and get away; For her cities shall be desolate, Without any to dwell in them. 10 Cursed 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 has 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 Chemosh, As the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

New Living Translation

The Prophecy concerning Moab

481 This message was given concerning Moab. This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: "What sorrow awaits the city of Nebo; it will soon lie in ruins. The city of Kiriathaim will be humiliated and captured; the fortress will be humiliated and broken down. 2 No one will ever brag about Moab again, for in Heshbon there is a plot to destroy her. 'Come,' they say, 'we will cut her off from being a nation.' The town of Madmen, too, will be silenced; the sword will follow you there. 3 Listen to the cries from Horonaim, cries of devastation and great destruction. 4 All Moab is destroyed. Her little ones will cry out. 5 Her refugees weep bitterly, climbing the slope to Luhith. They cry out in terror, descending the slope to Horonaim. 6 Flee for your lives! Hide in the wilderness! 7 Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials, will be hauled off to distant lands! 8 "All the towns will be destroyed, and no one will escape- either on the plateaus or in the valleys, for the Lord has spoken. 9 Oh, that Moab had wings so she could fly away, for her towns will be left empty, with no one living in them. 10 Cursed are those who refuse to do the Lord 's work, who hold back their swords from shedding blood! 11 "From his earliest history, Moab has lived in peace, never going into exile. He is like wine that has been allowed to settle. He has not been poured from flask to flask, and he is now fragrant and smooth. 12 But the time is coming soon," says the Lord, "when I will send men to pour him from his jar. They will pour him out, then shatter the jar! 13 At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh, as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 48:1-13

Commentary on Jeremiah 48:1-13

(Read Jeremiah 48:1-13)

The Chaldeans are to destroy the Moabites. We should be thankful that we are required to seek the salvation of men's lives, and the salvation of their souls, not to shed their blood; but we shall be the more without excuse if we do this pleasant work deceitfully. The cities shall be laid in ruins, and the country shall be wasted. There will be great sorrow. There will be great hurry. If any could give wings to sinners, still they could not fly out of the reach of Divine indignation. There are many who persist in unrepented iniquity, yet long enjoy outward prosperity. They had been long corrupt and unreformed, secure and sensual in prosperity. They have no changes of their peace and prosperity, therefore their hearts and lives are unchanged, Psalm 55:19.