Jeremiah 48

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 On Moab. Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: Wretched Nebo, for it has been ravaged, Kiriathaim hasbeen shamed and taken, shame and distraction on the citadel,	1 Against Moab, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Woe upon Nebo! For it has been devastated and confounded. Kiriathaim has been seized; the strong one has been confounded and has trembled.
2 the pride of Moab is no more! At Heshbon they plotted her downfal , 'Come, let us put an end to her asa nation!' And you too, inhabitants of Madmen, wil be silenced, the sword wil be after you.	2 There is no longer any rejoicing in Moab over Heshbon. They have devised evil. ‘Come and let us destroy it as a nation.’ Then you will be utterly silenced, and the sword will pursue you.
3 A cry of agony goes up from Horonaim, 'Devastation! Dire calamity.	3 A voice of clamor from Horonaim: devastation and great destruction!
4 Moab has been shattered,' the agonised cries of her little ones ring out.	4 Moab has been crushed. Announce an outcry for her little ones.
5 Up the slope of Luhith, weeping they go. On the road down to Horonaim is heard the shriek of disaster,	5 For, along the ascent of Luhith, the mourner will ascend with weeping. For, on the descent of Horonaim, the enemies have heard the wailing of devastation.
6 'Away! Flee for your lives like the wild donkey into the desert!'	6 Flee, save your lives! And you shall be like a saltcedar tree in the desert.
7 Yes, since you relied on your deeds and your wealth, you wil be captured too. Chemosh wil go intoexile, with al his priests and princes.	7 For because you have had faith in your fortifications and in your storehouses, you too will be seized. And Chemosh will go into captivity: his priests and his leaders together.
8 The despoiler wil descend on every town, not one will escape; the Valley wil be ravaged, the Plain beplundered as Yahweh has said.	8 And the despoiler will overwhelm every city, and not a single city will be saved. And the valleys will perish, and the fields will be destroyed. For the Lord has spoken.
9 Give Moab wings so that she can fly away, for her towns wil be laid in ruins where no one wil ever liveagain.	9 Give a blossom to Moab. For it will depart when it is blossoming. And its cities will become desolate and uninhabited.
10 (Accursed be he who does Yahweh's work negligently! Accursed be he who deprives his sword ofblood!)	10 Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully. And cursed is he who prohibits his sword from blood.
11 From his youth Moab lived at ease, he settled on his lees, never having been decanted, never havinggone into exile: and so he kept his own flavour, his aroma was unchanged.	11 Moab has been fertile from his youth, and he has rested amid his brood. And he has not been transferred from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into the transmigration. Therefore, his taste has remained with him, and his scent has not changed.
12 And so the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shal send him decanters to decant him; theywil empty his pitchers and break his wine jars to bits.	12 Because of this, behold, the days are approaching, says the Lord, when I will send to him those who will line up and knock down his bottles, and they will knock him down and empty his vessels, and they will break their bottles against one another.
13 Moab wil be shamed by Chemosh then, as the House of Israel was shamed by Bethel in which theyput their trust.	13 And Moab will be confounded by Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was shamed by Bethel, in which they had faith.
14 How can you say, 'We are heroes, sturdy fighting men'?	14 How can you say: ‘We are strong and robust men of battle?’
15 Moab has been ravaged, his cities scaled, the flower of his youth goes down to the slaughter,declares the King, whose name is Yahweh Sabaoth.	15 Moab has been devastated, and they have cut down her cities. And her elect young men have descended to slaughter. So says the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16 Moab's ruin is coming soon, his downfal comes at top speed.	16 The passing away of Moab draws near and arrives. Its evil will rush forward with great speed.
17 Grieve for him, all you living near him, all you who knew his name. Say, 'How shattered it is, thatmighty rod, that splendid sceptre!'	17 Console him, all you who surround him and all you who know his name. Say: ‘How has the strong staff become broken, the glorious staff?’
18 Come down from your glory, sit on the parched ground, daughter of Dibon, for the despoiler of Moabhas advanced on you, he has destroyed your strongholds.	18 Descend from your glory, and sit in thirst, O habitation of the daughter of Dibon! For the destroyer of Moab has ascended to you; he has dissipated your fortifications.
19 Stand by the roadside, keep watch, daughter of Aroer. Question fugitive and runaway, ask, 'What hashappened?'	19 Stand in the way, and gaze out, O habitation of Aroer! Question him who is fleeing, and say to him who has escaped: ‘What has happened?’
20 'Moab has been shattered and shamed. Wail and shriek! Shout along the Arnon, Moab has been laidwaste!'	20 Moab has been confounded, because he has been conquered. Wail and cry out! Announce it in Arnon: Moab has been devastated,
21 Judgement has also come on the Plain, on Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath,	21 and judgment has arrived upon the land of the plains: upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath,
22 Dibon, Nebo, Beth-Diblathaim,	22 and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon the house of Deblathaim,
23 Kiriathaim, Beth-Gamul, Beth-Meon,	23 and upon Kiriathaim, and upon the house of Gamul, and upon the house of Meon,
24 Kerioth, Bozrah, and al the towns of Moab, far and near.	24 and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, those far away and those nearby.
25 Moab's horn has been cut off, his arm is broken, Yahweh declares.	25 The horn of Moab has been cut away, and his arm has been crushed, says the Lord.
26 Make him drunk! He has set himself up against Yahweh; let Moab wal ow in his vomit and become alaughing-stock in his turn.	26 Inebriate him, for he has lifted himself up against the Lord. And Moab will thrust his hand into his own vomit, and also now he himself will become a derision.
27 Was Israel not a laughing-stock to you? Was he caught red-handed with the thieves, for you to shakeyour head whenever you mention him?	27 For Israel had been a derision to them. It was as if you had discovered him among thieves. Because of your own words, then, which you have spoken against him, you will be led away captive.
28 Leave the towns, make the rocks your home, inhabitants of Moab. Learn from the dove that makes itsnest in the wal s of the gaping gorge.	28 Relinquish the cities, and live upon a rock, O inhabitants of Moab, and be like a dove nesting at the mouth of an opening at the summit.
29 We have heard about Moab's pride, so very proud! What arrogance! What pride! What conceit! Whata haughty heart!	29 We have listened to the arrogance of Moab; he is very proud: his exaltation, and arrogance, and pride, and the loftiness of his heart.
30 -I know al about his presumption, Yahweh declares, his empty boasting, those empty deeds of his!	30 I myself know, says the Lord, his boasting, and that his ability is not in accord with it, nor is it in accord with what he has been striving to do.
31 -and so I lament for Moab, for al Moab I raise my cry and mourn for the people of Kir-Heres.	31 For this reason, I will wail over Moab, and I will cry out to all of Moab, to the men on the brick wall who are lamenting.
32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, vineyard of Sibmah: your shoots stretched beyond the sea, they reached al the way to Jazer. On your harvest and vintage the despoiler has descended.	32 O vineyard of Sibmah, I will weep for you, with the mourning of Jazer. Your offshoots have crossed over the sea. They have reached even to the sea of Jazer. The despoiler has rushed over your harvest and your vintage.
33 Gladness and joy have vanished from the orchards of Moab. I have dried up the wine in the presses,the treader of grapes treads no more, the joyful shouting has ceased.	33 Rejoicing and exultation has been taken away from Carmel and from the land of Moab. And I have taken the wine from the winepresses. The treader of grapes will no longer sing the usual rhythmic chant.
34 The cries of Heshbon and Elealeh can be heard as far as Jahaz. The shrieks resound from Zoar toHoronaim and Eglath-Shelishiyah, for even the Waters of Nimrim have become a wasteland.	34 From the outcry of Heshbon, even to Elealeh and Jahzah, they have uttered their voice; from Zoar, even to Horonaim, like a three year old calf. So too, the waters of Nimrim will be very bad.
35 And in Moab I shal make an end, Yahweh declares, of anyone offering sacrifice on the high placesand anyone offering incense to his gods.	35 And I will take away from Moab, says the Lord, the one who makes offerings in exalted places, and the one who sacrifices to his gods.
36 That is why my heart sobs like a flute for Moab, sobs like a flute for the people of Kir-Heres, since thewealth he had acquired is lost.	36 Because of this, my heart will resound for Moab, like the pipes, and my heart will make a sound like the pipes for the men on the brick wall. For he has done more than he was able, yet still they have perished.
37 Yes, every head is shaved, every beard cut off, gashes are on every hand, sackcloth round everywaist.	37 For every head will be bald, and every beard will be shaved. All the hands will be bound together, and there will be haircloth on every back.
38 On al the housetops of Moab and in al its squares there is nothing but lamenting, for I have brokenMoab like an unwanted pot, Yahweh declares.	38 Over all the rooftops of Moab, and in its streets, everyone will mourn. For I have crushed Moab like a useless vessel, says the Lord.
39 How shattered he is! Wail! Moab so shameful y in retreat! Moab has become a laughing-stock, a thingof horror to al his neighbours.	39 How was it conquered, so that they would wail? How is it that Moab has cast down his neck and been confounded? And Moab will be a derision and an example to everyone around him.”
40 For Yahweh says this: (Look, like an eagle, he wil hover, spreading his wings over Moab.)	40 Thus says the Lord: “Behold, he will fly like the eagle, and he will extend his wings to Moab.
41 The towns have been captured, the strongholds seized. (And the heart of Moab's warriors, that day,wil be like that of a woman in labour pains.)	41 Kerioth has been captured, and the fortifications have been taken. And in that day, the heart of the strong ones of Moab will be like the heart of a woman giving birth.
42 Moab wil be destroyed, no longer a people, for setting itself up against Yahweh.	42 And Moab will cease to be a people. For he has been glorified against the Lord.
43 Terror, the pit and the snare for you, inhabitant of Moab, Yahweh declares.	43 Terror and the pit and the snare will overwhelm you, O inhabitant of Moab, says the Lord.
44 And anyone who escapes from terror wil fal into the pit, and anyone who climbs out of the pit wil becaught in the snare. Yes, I shall bring all this on Moab when the year comes for punishing them, Yahwehdeclares.	44 Whoever flees from the terror will fall into the pit. And whoever climbs out of the pit will be seized by the snare. For I will lead over Moab the year of their visitation, says the Lord.
45 In the shelter of Heshbon the fugitives have paused, exhausted. But fire wil burst from Heshbon, aflame from the palace of Sihon, consuming the brows of Moab, the head of a turbulent brood.	45 Those fleeing from the snare stood in the shadow of Heshbon. For a fire has gone forth from Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and it will devour the portion of Moab, and the top of the head of the sons of tumult.
46 Disaster for you, Moab! The people of Chemosh are lost! For your sons have been taken into exileand your daughters into captivity.	46 Woe to you, O Moab! You have been ruined, O people of Chemosh! For your sons and your daughters have been taken into captivity.
47 But I shal bring back Moab's captives in the final days, Yahweh declares. Thus far the judgement onMoab.	47 But I will convert the captivity of Moab in the last days, says the Lord.” Such are the judgments of Moab thus far.