“See how the waters are rising in the north;^(C)
    they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
    the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
    all who dwell in the land will wail^(D)
3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,
    at the noise of enemy chariots^(E)
    and the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not turn to help their children;
    their hands will hang limp.^(F)
4 For the day has come
    to destroy all the Philistines
and to remove all survivors
    who could help Tyre^(G) and Sidon.^(H)
The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines,^(I)
    the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.^[a](J)
5 Gaza will shave^(K) her head in mourning;
    Ashkelon^(L) will be silenced.
You remnant on the plain,
    how long will you cut^(M) yourselves?

⁶ “‘Alas, sword^(N) of the Lord,
    how long till you rest?
Return to your sheath;
    cease and be still.’^(O)
7 But how can it rest
    when the Lord has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
    to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”^(P)

“Woe to Nebo,^(S) for it will be ruined.
    Kiriathaim^(T) will be disgraced and captured;
    the stronghold^[b] will be disgraced and shattered.
² Moab will be praised^(U) no more;
    in Heshbon^[c](V) people will plot her downfall:
    ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’^(W)
You, the people of Madmen,^[d] will also be silenced;
    the sword will pursue you.
³ Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,^(X)
    cries of great havoc and destruction.
⁴ Moab will be broken;
    her little ones will cry out.^[e]
5 They go up the hill to Luhith,^(Y)
    weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaim^(Z)
    anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
⁶ Flee!^(AA) Run for your lives;
    become like a bush^[f] in the desert.^(AB)
7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches,^(AC)
    you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh^(AD) will go into exile,^(AE)
    together with his priests and officials.^(AF)
8 The destroyer^(AG) will come against every town,
    and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
    and the plateau^(AH) destroyed,
    because the Lord has spoken.
⁹ Put salt^(AI) on Moab,
    for she will be laid waste^[g];^(AJ)
her towns will become desolate,
    with no one to live in them.

¹⁰ “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!
    A curse on anyone who keeps their sword^(AK) from bloodshed!^(AL)

¹¹ “Moab has been at rest^(AM) from youth,
    like wine left on its dregs,^(AN)
not poured from one jar to another—
    she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
    and her aroma is unchanged.
¹² But days are coming,”
    declares the Lord,
“when I will send men who pour from pitchers,
    and they will pour her out;
they will empty her pitchers
    and smash her jars.
¹³ Then Moab will be ashamed^(AO) of Chemosh,^(AP)
    as Israel was ashamed
    when they trusted in Bethel.^(AQ)

¹⁴ “How can you say, ‘We are warriors,^(AR)
    men valiant in battle’?
¹⁵ Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
    her finest young men^(AS) will go down in the slaughter,^(AT)”
    declares the King,^(AU) whose name is the Lord Almighty.^(AV)
16 “The fall of Moab is at hand;^(AW)
    her calamity will come quickly.
¹⁷ Mourn for her, all who live around her,
    all who know her fame;^(AX)
say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter,^(AY)
    how broken the glorious staff!’

¹⁸ “Come down from your glory
    and sit on the parched ground,^(AZ)
    you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,^(BA)
for the one who destroys Moab
    will come up against you
    and ruin your fortified cities.^(BB)
19 Stand by the road and watch,
    you who live in Aroer.^(BC)
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
    ask them, ‘What has happened?’
²⁰ Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
    Wail^(BD) and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon^(BE)
    that Moab is destroyed.
²¹ Judgment has come to the plateau^(BF)—
    to Holon,^(BG) Jahzah^(BH) and Mephaath,^(BI)
22     to Dibon,^(BJ) Nebo^(BK) and Beth Diblathaim,
²³     to Kiriathaim,^(BL) Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,^(BM)
24     to Kerioth^(BN) and Bozrah^(BO)—
    to all the towns^(BP) of Moab, far and near.
²⁵ Moab’s horn^[h](BQ) is cut off;
    her arm^(BR) is broken,”
declares the Lord.

²⁶ “Make her drunk,^(BS)
    for she has defied^(BT) the Lord.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;^(BU)
    let her be an object of ridicule.^(BV)
27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?^(BW)
    Was she caught among thieves,^(BX)
that you shake your head^(BY) in scorn^(BZ)
    whenever you speak of her?
²⁸ Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,
    you who live in Moab.
Be like a dove^(CA) that makes its nest
    at the mouth of a cave.^(CB)

²⁹ “We have heard of Moab’s pride^(CC)—
    how great is her arrogance!—
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
    and the haughtiness^(CD) of her heart.
³⁰ I know her insolence but it is futile,”
declares the Lord,
    “and her boasts^(CE) accomplish nothing.
³¹ Therefore I wail^(CF) over Moab,
    for all Moab I cry out,
    I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.^(CG)
32 I weep for you, as Jazer^(CH) weeps,
    you vines of Sibmah.^(CI)
Your branches spread as far as the sea^[i];
    they reached as far as^[j] Jazer.
The destroyer has fallen
    on your ripened fruit and grapes.
³³ Joy and gladness are gone
    from the orchards and fields of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine^(CJ) from the presses;
    no one treads them with shouts of joy.^(CK)
Although there are shouts,
    they are not shouts of joy.

³⁴ “The sound of their cry rises
    from Heshbon^(CL) to Elealeh^(CM) and Jahaz,^(CN)
from Zoar^(CO) as far as Horonaim^(CP) and Eglath Shelishiyah,
    for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.^(CQ)
35 In Moab I will put an end
    to those who make offerings on the high places^(CR)
    and burn incense^(CS) to their gods,”
declares the Lord.
³⁶ “So my heart laments^(CT) for Moab like the music of a pipe;
    it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.^(CU)
    The wealth they acquired^(CV) is gone.
³⁷ Every head is shaved^(CW)
    and every beard^(CX) cut off;
every hand is slashed
    and every waist is covered with sackcloth.^(CY)
38 On all the roofs in Moab
    and in the public squares^(CZ)
there is nothing but mourning,
    for I have broken Moab
    like a jar^(DA) that no one wants,”
declares the Lord.
³⁹ “How shattered^(DB) she is! How they wail!
    How Moab turns her back in shame!
Moab has become an object of ridicule,^(DC)
    an object of horror to all those around her.”

“Look! An eagle is swooping^(DD) down,
    spreading its wings^(DE) over Moab.
⁴¹ Kerioth^[k](DF) will be captured
    and the strongholds taken.
In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors^(DG)
    will be like the heart of a woman in labor.^(DH)
42 Moab will be destroyed^(DI) as a nation^(DJ)
    because she defied^(DK) the Lord.
⁴³ Terror^(DL) and pit and snare^(DM) await you,
    you people of Moab,”
declares the Lord.
⁴⁴ “Whoever flees^(DN) from the terror
    will fall into a pit,
whoever climbs out of the pit
    will be caught in a snare;
for I will bring on Moab
    the year^(DO) of her punishment,”
declares the Lord.

⁴⁵ “In the shadow of Heshbon
    the fugitives stand helpless,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
    a blaze from the midst of Sihon;^(DP)
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
    the skulls^(DQ) of the noisy boasters.
⁴⁶ Woe to you, Moab!^(DR)
    The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
    and your daughters into captivity.

⁴⁷ “Yet I will restore^(DS) the fortunes of Moab
    in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

³ When my spirit grows faint^(F) within me,
    it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
    people have hidden a snare for me.
⁴ Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
    no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;^(G)
    no one cares^(H) for my life.

⁵ I cry to you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my refuge,^(I)
    my portion^(J) in the land of the living.”^(K)

⁶ Listen to my cry,^(L)
    for I am in desperate need;^(M)
rescue me^(N) from those who pursue me,
    for they are too strong^(O) for me.
⁷ Set me free from my prison,^(P)
    that I may praise your name.^(Q)
Then the righteous will gather about me
    because of your goodness to me.^(R)