288 lines
6.3 KiB
Markdown
288 lines
6.3 KiB
Markdown
A Message about Moab
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# Chapter 48
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1. This message was given concerning Moab. This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says:
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"What sorrow awaits the city of Nebo;
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it will soon lie in ruins.
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The city of Kiriathaim will be humiliated and captured;
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the fortress will be humiliated and broken down.
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2. No one will ever brag about Moab again,
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for in Heshbon there is a plot to destroy her.
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'Come,' they say, 'we will cut her off from being a nation.'
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The town of Madmen, too, will be silenced;
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the sword will follow you there.
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3. Listen to the cries from Horonaim,
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cries of devastation and great destruction.
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4. All Moab is destroyed.
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Her little ones will cry out.
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5. Her refugees weep bitterly,
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climbing the slope to Luhith.
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They cry out in terror,
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descending the slope to Horonaim.
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6. Flee for your lives!
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Hide in the wilderness!
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7. Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill,
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you will be taken captive.
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Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials,
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will be hauled off to distant lands!
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8. "All the towns will be destroyed,
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and no one will escape--
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either on the plateaus or in the valleys,
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for the LORD has spoken.
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9. Oh, that Moab had wings
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so she could fly away,
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for her towns will be left empty,
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with no one living in them.
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10. Cursed are those who refuse to do the LORD's work,
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who hold back their swords from shedding blood!
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11. "From his earliest history, Moab has lived in peace,
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never going into exile.
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He is like wine that has been allowed to settle.
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He has not been poured from flask to flask,
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and he is now fragrant and smooth.
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12. But the time is coming soon," says the LORD,
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"when I will send men to pour him from his jar.
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They will pour him out,
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then shatter the jar!
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13. At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh,
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as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.
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14. "You used to boast, 'We are heroes,
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mighty men of war.'
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15. But now Moab and his towns will be destroyed.
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His most promising youth are doomed to slaughter,"
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says the King, whose name is the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
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16. "Destruction is coming fast for Moab;
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calamity threatens ominously.
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17. You friends of Moab,
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weep for him and cry!
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See how the strong scepter is broken,
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how the beautiful staff is shattered!
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18. "Come down from your glory
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and sit in the dust, you people of Dibon,
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for those who destroy Moab will shatter Dibon, too.
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They will tear down all your towers.
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19. You people of Aroer,
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stand beside the road and watch.
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Shout to those who flee from Moab,
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'What has happened there?'
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20. "And the reply comes back,
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'Moab lies in ruins, disgraced;
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weep and wail!
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Tell it by the banks of the Arnon River:
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Moab has been destroyed!'
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21. Judgment has been poured out on the towns of the plateau--
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on Holon and Jahaz and Mephaath,
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22. on Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,
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23. on Kiriathaim and Beth-gamul and Beth-meon,
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24. on Kerioth and Bozrah--
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all the towns of Moab, far and near.
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25. "The strength of Moab has ended.
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His arm has been broken," says the LORD.
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26. "Let him stagger and fall like a drunkard,
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for he has rebelled against the LORD.
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Moab will wallow in his own vomit,
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ridiculed by all.
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27. Did you not ridicule the people of Israel?
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Were they caught in the company of thieves
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that you should despise them as you do?
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28. "You people of Moab,
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flee from your towns and live in the caves.
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Hide like doves that nest
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in the clefts of the rocks.
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29. We have all heard of the pride of Moab,
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for his pride is very great.
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We know of his lofty pride,
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his arrogance, and his haughty heart.
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30. I know about his insolence,"
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says the LORD,
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"but his boasts are empty--
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as empty as his deeds.
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31. So now I wail for Moab;
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yes, I will mourn for Moab.
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My heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.
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32. "You people of Sibmah, rich in vineyards,
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I will weep for you even more than I did for Jazer.
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Your spreading vines once reached as far as the Dead Sea,
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but the destroyer has stripped you bare!
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He has harvested your grapes and summer fruits.
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33. Joy and gladness are gone from fruitful Moab.
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The presses yield no wine.
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No one treads the grapes with shouts of joy.
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There is shouting, yes, but not of joy.
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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.
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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.
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36. My heart moans like a flute for Moab and Kir-hareseth, for all their wealth has disappeared.
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37. The people shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of burlap.
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38. There is crying and sorrow in every Moabite home and on every street. For I have smashed Moab like an old, unwanted jar.
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39. How 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."
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40. This is what the LORD says:
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"Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,
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spreading his wings over Moab.
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41. Its cities will fall,
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and its strongholds will be seized.
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Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
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like a woman in labor.
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42. Moab will no longer be a nation,
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for it has boasted against the LORD.
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43. "Terror and traps and snares will be your lot,
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O Moab," says the LORD.
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44. "Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap,
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and those who escape the trap will step into a snare.
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I will see to it that you do not get away,
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for the time of your judgment has come,"
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says the LORD.
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45. "The people flee as far as Heshbon
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but are unable to go on.
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For a fire comes from Heshbon,
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King Sihon's ancient home,
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to devour the entire land
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with all its rebellious people.
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46. "What sorrow awaits you, O people of Moab!
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The people of the god Chemosh are destroyed!
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Your sons and your daughters
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have been taken away as captives.
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47. But I will restore the fortunes of Moab
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in days to come.
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I, the LORD, have spoken!"
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This is the end of Jeremiah's prophecy concerning Moab.
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