1This is what the Lord Jehovah said about MOAB: »Pity the people of Nebo. Their town is destroyed! Kiriathaim is captured, its mighty fortress torn down, and its people put to shame. 2»The splendor of Moab is gone. The enemy has captured Heshbon and plot to destroy the nation of Moab. The town of Madmen will be silenced. Armies will march against it. 3»The people of Horonaim cry out: »Violence! Destruction!« 4Moab has been destroyed! Listen to the children crying. 5Hear the sound of their sobs along the road up to Luhith, the cries of distress on the way down to Horonaim. 6»Quick, run for your lives!« They say. »Run like a wild desert donkey!« 7Moab, you trusted in your strength and your wealth, but now even you will be conquered. Your god Chemosh will go into exile, along with his princes and priests. 8Not a town will escape the destruction. Both valley and plain will be ruined. I Jehovah have spoken. 9»Set up a tombstone for Moab. It will soon be destroyed. Its towns will be left in ruins, and no one will live there again. 10»Curse those who do not do Jehovah’s work with all their heart! Curse those who do not slash and kill! 11Jehovah said: »Moab has always lived secure and has never been taken into exile. Moab is like wine left to settle undisturbed and never poured from jar to jar. Its flavor has never been ruined, and it tastes as good as ever. 12»‘So now, the time is coming when I will send people to pour Moab out like wine. They will empty its wine jars and break them in pieces. 13»Then the Moabites will be disillusioned with their god Chemosh. The same as the Israelites were disillusioned with Bethel, their trusted god. 14»‘Men of Moab, why do you claim to be heroes, brave soldiers tested in war?’« 15»‘Moab and its cities are destroyed. Its finest young men have been slaughtered. ‘I am the king, the Lord Jehovah, and I have spoken! 16»Moab's doom approaches. Its ruin is coming soon. 17»Mourn for that nation, you that live nearby, all of you that know its fame. Say: ‘Its powerful rule has been broken. Its glory and might are no more.’ 18»You that live in Dibon come down from your place of honor and sit on the ground in the dust. Moab's destroyer is here and has left its forts in ruins. 19»You that live in Aroer stand by the road and wait. Ask those who are running away, say, ‘What has happened?’ 20»Moab has fallen, they will answer; weep for it because it is disgraced. Announce along the Arnon River that Moab is destroyed! 21»Judgment has come on the cities of the plateau: on Holon, Jahzah, Mephaath, 22»Dibon, Nebo, Beth Diblathaim, 23»Kiriathaim, Bethgamul, Bethmeon, 24»Kerioth, and Bozrah. Judgment has come on all the cities of Moab, far and near. 25»‘Moab's might has been crushed. Its power has been destroyed. I Jehovah have spoken. 26»‘Jehovah said: ‘Make Moab drunk, because it has rebelled against me. Moab will roll in its own vomit and people will laugh. 27»‘Moab, remember how you made fun of the people of Israel? You treated them as though they had been caught with a gang of robbers. 28»‘You people who live in Moab, leave your towns! Go and live on the cliffs! Be like the dove that makes its nest in the sides of a ravine.’« 29»Moab is very proud! I have heard how proud, arrogant, and conceited the people are, how much they think of themselves.« 30»‘Jehovah says: ‘I know Moab’s great pride, but it is of no use. Moab’s bragging gains nothing. 31»‘I cry with sadness for Moab, yes for everyone in Moab. I moan for the people from the town of Kir-Hareseth. 32»‘I weep with the people of the town of Jazer. And what of the grapevines of the town of Sibmah? In the past your vines spread all the way to the sea, as far as the sea of Jazer. But the destroyer has taken over your fruit and grapes. 33« ‘Joy and gladness are taken from the fruitful orchards and fields and from the land of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the wine presses. No one walks on the grapes with shouts of joy. There are shouts, but they are not shouts of joy. 34»‘Their crying can be heard from Moabite towns. It can be heard from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz, from Zoar as far away as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah three year old heifer. Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up. 35»‘I will stop Moab from making burnt offerings at the places of worship. I will stop Moab from burning incense to their gods, says Jehovah. 36»‘My heart cries sadly for Moab like a flute playing a funeral song. It cries like a flute for the people from Kir Hareseth. The money they made has all been taken away. 37»‘They have all shaved their heads and cut off their beards. They have all made gashes on their hands, and everyone is wearing sackcloth.’« 38»‘People are weeping on every roof in Moab and in every public square. There is only sadness, because I have broken Moab like a jar no one wants,’ say Jehovah. 39‘Moab has been shattered! Cry out! Moab has been disgraced. It is in ruins and all the surrounding nations make fun of it.’ I Jehovah have spoken. 40»This is what Jehovah says: ‘Look! Someone is coming like an eagle diving down from the sky and spreading its wings over Moab. 41»The towns of Moab will be captured. The strong walled cities will be defeated. Then Moab’s warriors will be frightened like a woman who is giving birth.’« 42»‘The nation of Moab will be destroyed. This is because they thought they were greater than Jehovah. 43»‘Fear, deep pits, and traps wait for you people of Moab,’ says Jehovah. 44»‘People will run out of fear, but they will fall into the pits. Those who climb out of the pits will be caught in the traps.’ »I will bring the year of punishment to Moab,« says Jehovah. 45‘Helpless people have run to find protection in Heshbon, the city that King Sihon once ruled, but it is in flames. It has burned up leaders of Moab and destroyed those proud people.’ 46»‘Pity the people of Moab! The people who worshiped Chemosh have been destroyed. Their sons and daughters have been taken away as prisoners. 47»‘In the future, however, I will make good things happen to Moab. It will be prosperous again,’ says Jehovah. As of now the judgement of Moab.’«