Jeremiah 48 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

A Message about Moab

Jer 48:1This 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.

Jer 48:2

Jer 48:2No 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,[fn] too, will be silenced;
the sword will follow you there.

Jer 48:3

Jer 48:3Listen to the cries from Horonaim,
cries of devastation and great destruction.

Jer 48:4

Jer 48:4All Moab is destroyed.
Her little ones will cry out.[fn]

Jer 48:5

Jer 48:5Her refugees weep bitterly,
climbing the slope to Luhith.
They cry out in terror,
descending the slope to Horonaim.

Jer 48:6

Jer 48:6Flee for your lives!
Hide[fn] in the wilderness!

Jer 48:7

Jer 48:7Because 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!

Jer 48:8

Jer 48:8“All the towns will be destroyed,
and no one will escape—
either on the plateaus or in the valleys,
for the LORD has spoken.

Jer 48:9

Jer 48:9Oh, that Moab had wings
so she could fly away,[fn]
for her towns will be left empty,
with no one living in them.

Jer 48:10

Jer 48:10Cursed are those who refuse to do the LORD’s work,
who hold back their swords from shedding blood!

Jer 48:11

Jer 48:11“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.

Jer 48:12

Jer 48:12But 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!

Jer 48:13

Jer 48:13At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh,
as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.[fn]

Jer 48:14

Jer 48:14“You used to boast, ‘We are heroes,
mighty men of war.’

Jer 48:15

Jer 48:15But now Moab and his towns will be destroyed.
His most promising youth are doomed to slaughter,”
says the King, whose name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

Jer 48:16

Jer 48:16“Destruction is coming fast for Moab;
calamity threatens ominously.

Jer 48:17

Jer 48:17You friends of Moab,
weep for him and cry!
See how the strong scepter is broken,
how the beautiful staff is shattered!

Jer 48:18

Jer 48:18“Come down from your glory
and sit in the dust, you people of Dibon,
for those who destroy Moab will shatter Dibon, too.
They will tear down all your towers.

Jer 48:19

Jer 48:19You people of Aroer,
stand beside the road and watch.
Shout to those who flee from Moab,
‘What has happened there?’

Jer 48:20

Jer 48:20“And the reply comes back,
‘Moab lies in ruins, disgraced;
weep and wail!
Tell it by the banks of the Arnon River:
Moab has been destroyed!’

Jer 48:21

Jer 48:21Judgment has been poured out on the towns of the plateau—
on Holon and Jahaz[fn] and Mephaath,

Jer 48:22

Jer 48:22on Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,

Jer 48:23

Jer 48:23on Kiriathaim and Beth-gamul and Beth-meon,

Jer 48:24

Jer 48:24on Kerioth and Bozrah—
all the towns of Moab, far and near.

Jer 48:25

Jer 48:25“The strength of Moab has ended.
His arm has been broken,” says the LORD.

Jer 48:26

Jer 48:26“Let him stagger and fall like a drunkard,
for he has rebelled against the LORD.
Moab will wallow in his own vomit,
ridiculed by all.

Jer 48:27

Jer 48:27Did you not ridicule the people of Israel?
Were they caught in the company of thieves
that you should despise them as you do?

Jer 48:28

Jer 48:28“You people of Moab,
flee from your towns and live in the caves.
Hide like doves that nest
in the clefts of the rocks.

Jer 48:29

Jer 48:29We have all heard of the pride of Moab,
for his pride is very great.
We know of his lofty pride,
his arrogance, and his haughty heart.

Jer 48:30

Jer 48:30I know about his insolence,”
says the LORD,
“but his boasts are empty—
as empty as his deeds.

Jer 48:31

Jer 48:31So now I wail for Moab;
yes, I will mourn for Moab.
My heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.[fn]

Jer 48:32

Jer 48:32“You people of Sibmah, rich in vineyards,
I will weep for you even more than I did for Jazer.
Your spreading vines once reached as far as the Dead Sea,[fn]
but the destroyer has stripped you bare!
He has harvested your grapes and summer fruits.

Jer 48:33

Jer 48:33Joy and gladness are gone from fruitful Moab.
The presses yield no wine.
No one treads the grapes with shouts of joy.
There is shouting, yes, but not of joy.

Jer 48:34

Jer 48:34“Instead, their awful cries of terror can be heard from Heshbon clear across to Elealeh and Jahaz; from Zoar all the way to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up now.

Jer 48:35

Jer 48:35“I will put an end to Moab,” says the LORD, “for the people offer sacrifices at the pagan shrines and burn incense to their false gods.

Jer 48:36

Jer 48:36My heart moans like a flute for Moab and Kir-hareseth, for all their wealth has disappeared.

Jer 48:37

Jer 48:37The people shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of burlap.

Jer 48:38

Jer 48:38There is crying and sorrow in every Moabite home and on every street. For I have smashed Moab like an old, unwanted jar.

Jer 48:39

Jer 48:39How it is shattered! Hear the wailing! See the shame of Moab! It has become an object of ridicule, an example of ruin to all its neighbors.”

Jer 48:40

Jer 48:40This is what the LORD says:
“Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,
spreading his wings over Moab.

Jer 48:41

Jer 48:41Its cities will fall,
and its strongholds will be seized.
Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
like a woman in labor.

Jer 48:42

Jer 48:42Moab will no longer be a nation,
for it has boasted against the LORD.

Jer 48:43

Jer 48:43“Terror and traps and snares will be your lot,
O Moab,” says the LORD.

Jer 48:44

Jer 48:44“Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap,
and those who escape the trap will step into a snare.
I will see to it that you do not get away,
for the time of your judgment has come,”
says the LORD.

Jer 48:45

Jer 48:45“The people flee as far as Heshbon
but are unable to go on.
For a fire comes from Heshbon,
King Sihon’s ancient home,
to devour the entire land
with all its rebellious people.

Jer 48:46

Jer 48:46“O Moab, they weep for you!
The people of the god Chemosh are destroyed!
Your sons and your daughters
have been taken away as captives.

Jer 48:47

Jer 48:47But I will restore the fortunes of Moab
in days to come.
I, the LORD, have spoken!” This is the end of Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning Moab.