Moab at Ease From His Youth

¹ Of Moab. Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo! For it is laid waste. Kiriathaim is disappointed. It is taken. Misgab is put to shame and broken down. ² The praise of Moab is no more. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: ‘Come! Let’s cut her off from being a nation.’ You also, Madmen, will be brought to silence. The sword will pursue you. ³ The sound of a cry from Horonaim, desolation and great destruction! ⁴ Moab is destroyed. Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard. ⁵ For they will go up by the ascent of Luhith with continual weeping. For at the descent of Horonaim they have heard the distress of the cry of destruction. ⁶ Flee! Save your lives! Be like the juniper bush in the wilderness. ⁷ For, because you have trusted in your works and in your treasures, you also will be taken. Chemosh will go out into captivity, his priests and his princes together. ⁸ The destroyer will come on every city, and no city will escape; the valley also will perish, and the plain will be destroyed, as Yahweh has spoken. ⁹ Give wings to Moab, that she may fly and get herself away: and her cities will become a desolation, without anyone to dwell in them. ¹⁰ “Cursed is he who does the work of Yahweh negligently; and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood. ¹¹ “Moab has been at ease from his youth, and he has settled on his dregs, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither has he gone into captivity; therefore his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. ¹² Therefore behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will send to him those who pour off, and they will pour him off; and they will empty his vessels, and break their containers in pieces. ¹³ Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. ¹⁴ “How do you say, ‘We are mighty men, and valiant men for the war’? ¹⁵ Moab is laid waste, and they have gone up into his cities, and his chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter,” says the King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies. ¹⁶ “The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hurries fast. ¹⁷ All you who are around him, bemoan him; and all you who know his name, say, ‘How the strong staff is broken, the beautiful rod!’ ¹⁸ “You daughter who dwells in Dibon, come down from your glory, and sit in thirst; for the destroyer of Moab has come up against you. He has destroyed your strongholds. ¹⁹ Inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way and watch. Ask him who flees, and her who escapes; say, ‘What has been done?’ ²⁰ Moab is disappointed; for it is broken down. Wail and cry! Tell it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. ²¹ Judgment has come on the plain country— on Holon, on Jahzah, on Mephaath, ²² on Dibon, on Nebo, on Beth Diblathaim, ²³ on Kiriathaim, on Beth Gamul, on Beth Meon, ²⁴ on Kerioth, on Bozrah, and on all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. ²⁵ The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken,” says Yahweh.