¶ Against Moab¹ thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo²! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab³ is confounded and dismayed.

There shall be no more⁴ praise of Moab: in Heshbon⁵ they have devised evil against it; come⁶, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt⁷ be cut down⁸, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee.

A voice¹⁰ of crying shall be from Horonaim¹¹, spoiling and great destruction.

Moab¹² is destroyed; her¹³ little ones have caused a cry to be heard.

For in the going up of Luhith¹⁴ continual weeping¹⁵ shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

Flee¹⁶, save your lives, and be like¹⁷ the heath¹⁸ in the wilderness.

For because¹⁹ thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh²⁰ shall go forth into captivity with his priests²¹ and his princes together.

And the spoiler²² shall come upon every city, and no²³ city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken.

Give wings²⁴ unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities²⁵ thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.

¶ Cursed²⁶ be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully²⁷, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.

Moab hath been²⁸ at ease from his youth, and he hath²⁹ settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied³⁰ from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained³² in him, and his scent is not changed.

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will send unto him wanderers³³, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty³⁴ his vessels, and break their bottles.

And Moab shall be ashamed³⁵ of Chemosh, as the³⁶ house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.

¶ How³⁷ say ye, We³⁸ are mighty and strong men for the war?

Moab is spoiled³⁹, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen⁴⁰ young men are gone⁴¹ down to the slaughter, saith⁴² the King, whose⁴³ name is the LORD of hosts.

The calamity of Moab is near⁴⁴ to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.

All ye that are about him, bemoan⁴⁵ him; and all ye that know his name, say, How⁴⁶ is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!

Thou daughter⁴⁷ that dost inhabit Dibon⁴⁸, come down from thy glory, and sit⁴⁹ in thirst; for the spoiler⁵⁰ of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong holds.

O inhabitant⁵¹ of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask⁵² him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done?

¶ Moab is confounded⁵³; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon⁵⁴, that Moab is spoiled,

And judgment is come upon the plain⁵⁵ country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah⁵⁶, and upon Mephaath,

And upon Dibon⁵⁹, and upon Nebo, and upon Bethdiblathaim⁶⁰,

And upon Kiriathaim⁶³, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Bethmeon⁶⁶,

And upon Kerioth⁶⁹, and upon Bozrah⁷⁰, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.

The horn⁷³ of Moab is cut off, and his⁷⁴ arm is broken, saith the LORD.

Make ye him⁷⁵ drunken: for he⁷⁶ magnified himself against the LORD: Moab also shall wallow⁷⁷ in his vomit, and he also⁷⁸ shall be in derision.

For was not⁷⁹ Israel a derision unto thee? was he found⁸⁰ among thieves? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst⁸¹ for joy.

O ye that dwell in Moab, leave⁸² the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like⁸³ the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth.

We have heard⁸⁴ the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness⁸⁵, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart.

¶ I know⁸⁶ his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it⁸⁷.

Therefore will I howl⁸⁸ for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kirheres⁸⁹.

O vine⁹² of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer⁹⁴: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler⁹⁶ is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.

And joy⁹⁷ and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused⁹⁸ wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.

From the cry⁹⁹ of Heshbon even unto Elealeh¹⁰⁰, and even unto Jahaz¹⁰¹, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar¹⁰³ even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of¹⁰⁴ three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim¹⁰⁵ shall be desolate¹⁰⁸.

Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth¹⁰⁹ in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.

Therefore mine heart¹¹⁰ shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres¹¹¹: because the riches¹¹² that he hath gotten are perished.

For every head¹¹³ shall be bald, and every beard clipped¹¹⁴: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins¹¹⁵ sackcloth.

There shall be lamentation generally upon¹¹⁶ all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken¹¹⁷ Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD.

They shall howl, saying, How is it¹¹⁸ broken down! how hath Moab turned the back¹¹⁹ with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him.

¶ For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall¹²⁰ fly as an eagle, and shall spread¹²¹ his wings over Moab.

Kerioth¹²² is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart¹²³ of a woman in her pangs.

And Moab¹²⁴ shall be destroyed from¹²⁵ being a people, because he hath magnified¹²⁶ himself against the LORD.

¹²⁷Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.

He that fleeth¹²⁸ from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year¹²⁹ of their visitation, saith the LORD.

They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire¹³⁰ shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour¹³¹ the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones¹³².

Woe¹³³ be unto thee, O Moab! the people¹³⁴ of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives¹³⁵, and thy daughters captives.

Yet will I bring¹³⁶ again the captivity of Moab in the latter¹³⁷ days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.