The Judgment on Moab

(Zephaniah 2:8-11)

1Against Moab thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: Woe to Nabo, for it is laid waste, and confounded: Cariathaim is taken: the strong city is confounded and hath trembled.

2There is no more rejoicing in Moab over Hesebon: they have devised evil. Come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Therefore shalt thou in silence hold thy peace, and the sword shall follow thee.

3A voice of crying from Oronaim: waste, and great destruction.

4Moab is destroyed: proclaim a cry for her little ones.

5For by the ascent of Luith shall the mourner go up with weeping: for in the descent of Oronaim the enemies have heard a howling of destruction.

6Flee, save your lives: and be as heath in the wilderness.

7For because thou hast trusted in thy bulwarks, and in thy treasures, thou also shalt be taken: and Chamos shall go into captivity, his priests, and his princes together.

8And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: and the valleys shall perish, and the plains shall be destroyed, for the Lord hath spoken:

9Give a flower to Moab, for in its flower it shall go out: and the cities thereof shall be desolate, and uninhabited.

10Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully: and cursed be he that withholdeth his sword from blood.

11Moab hath been fruitful from his youth, and hath rested upon his lees: and hath not been poured out from vessel to vessel, nor hath gone into captivity : therefore his taste hath remained in him, and his scent is not changed.

12Therefore behold the days come, saith the Lord, and I will send him men that shall order and overturn his bottles, and they shall cast him down, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles one against another. 13And Moab shall be ashamed of Chamos, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, in which they trusted.

14How do you say: We are valiant, and stout men in battle?

15Moab is laid waste, and they have cast down her cities: and her choice young men are gone down to the slaughter: saith the king, whose name is the Lord of hosts.

16The destruction of Moab is near to come: the calamity thereof shall come on exceeding swiftly.

17Comfort him, all you that are round about him, and all you that know his name, say: How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful rod?

18Come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst, O dwelling of the daughter of Dibon: because the spoiler of Moab is come up to thee, he hath destroyed thy bulwarks.

19Stand in the way, and look out, O habitation of Aroer: inquire of him that fleeth: and say to him that hath escaped: What Is done?

20Moab is confounded, because he is overthrown: howl ye, and cry, tell ye it in Amen, that Moab is wasted.

21And judgment is come upon the plain country: upon Helon, and upon Jasa, and upon Mephaath. 22And upon Dibon, and upon Nabo, and upon the house of Deblathaim, 23And upon Cariathaim, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Bethmaon, 24And upon Carioth, and upon Bosra: and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. 25The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord. 26Make him drunk, because he lifted up himself against the Lord: and Moab shall dash his hand in his own vomit, and he also shall be in derision. 27For Israel hath been a derision unto thee: as though thou hadst found him amongst thieves: for thy words therefore, which thou hast spoken against him, thou shalt be led away captive.

28Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, you that dwell in Moab: and be ye Iike the dove that maketh her nest in the mouth of the hole in the highest place.

29We have heard the pride of Moab, he is exceeding proud: his haughtiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the loftiness of his heart.

30I know, saith the Lord, his boasting, and that the strength thereof is not according to it, neither hath it endeavoured to do according as it was able.

31Therefore will I lament for Moab, and I will cry out to all Moab, for the men of the brick wall that mourn.

32O vineyard of Sabama, I will weep for thee, with the mourning of Jazer: thy branches are gone over the sea, they are come even to the sea of Jazer: the robber hath rushed in upon thy harvest and thy vintage.

33Joy and gladness is taken away from Carmel, and from the land of Moab, and I have taken away the wine out of the presses: the treader of the grapes shall not sing the accustomed cheerful tune.

34From the cry of Hesebon even to Eleale, and to Jasa, they have uttered their voice: from Segor to Oronaim, as a heifer of three years old: the waters also of Nemrim shall be very bad. 35And I will take away from Moab, saith the Lord, him that offereth in the high places, and that sacrificeth to his gods.

36Therefore my heart shall sound for Moab like pipes: and my heart a sound like pipes for the men of the brick wall: because he hath done more than he could, therefore they have perished. 37For every head shall be bald, and every beard shall be shaven: all hands shall be tied together, and upon every back there shall be haircloth. 38Upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof general mourning: because I have broken Moab as an useless vessel, saith the Lord. 39How is it overthrown, and they have howled! How hath Moab bowed down the neck, and is confounded ! And Moab shall be a derision, and an example to all round about him.

40Thus saith the Lord: Behold he shall fly as an eagle, and shall stretch forth his wings to Moab.

41Carioth is taken, and the strong holds are won: and the heart of the valiant men of Moab in that day shall be as the heart of a woman in labour.

42And Moab shall cease to be a people : because he hath gloried against the Lord.

43Fear, and the pit, and the snare come upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord.

44He that shall flee from the fear, shall fall into the pit: and he that shall get up out of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon Moab the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.

45They that fled from the snare stood in the shadow of Hesebon: but there came a fire out of Kesebon, and a flame out of the midst of Seen, and it shall devour part of Moab. and the crown of the head of the children of tumult.

46Woe to thee, Moab, thou hast perished, O people of Chamos: for thy sons, and thy daughters are taken captives.

47And I will bring back the captivity of Moab in the last days, saith the Lord. Hitherto the judgments of Moab.