Through the Bible – Day 313

₂I, the LORD, tell you

that your land will be flooded

with an army from the north.

It will destroy your towns

and sweep you away,

moaning and screaming.

₃When you hear the thunder

of horses and chariots,

your courage will vanish,

and parents will abandon

their own children.

₄You refugees from Crete,

your time has now come,

and I will destroy you.

None of you will be left

to help the cities

of Tyre and Sidon.

_5-6The Anakim who survive

in Gaza and Ashkelon

will mourn for you

by shaving their heads

and sitting in silence.

You ask how long will I continue

to attack you with my sword,

then you tell me to put it away

and leave you alone.

₇But how can my sword rest,

when I have commanded it

to attack Ashkelon

and the coast?

The town of Nebo is doomed;

Kiriathaim will be captured

and disgraced,

and even its fortress

will be left in ruins.

₂No one honours you, Moab.

In Heshbon, enemies make plans

to end your life.

My sword will leave only silence

in your town named “Quiet”.

₃The people of Horonaim

will cry for help,

as their town is attacked

and destroyed.

₄Moab will be shattered!

Your children will sob

₅and cry on their way up

to the town of Luhith;

on the road to Horonaim

they will tell of disasters.

₆Run for your lives!

Head into the desert

like a wild donkey.

₇You thought you could be saved

by your power and wealth,

but you will be captured

along with your god Chemosh,

his priests, and officials.

₈Not one of your towns

will escape destruction.

I have told your enemies,

“Wipe out the valley

and the flat lands of Moab.

₉Spread salt on the ground

to kill the crops.

Leave its towns in ruins,

with no one living there.

₁₀I want you to kill the Moabites,

and if you let them escape,

I will put a curse on you.”

₁₁Moab, you are like wine

left to settle undisturbed,

never poured from jar to jar.

And so, your nation continues

to prosper and improve.

₁₂But now, I will send enemies

to pour out the wine

and smash the jars!

₁₃Then you will be ashamed,

because your god Chemosh

cannot save you,

just as Bethel could not help

the Israelites.

₁₄You claim that your soldiers

are strong and brave.

₁₅But I am the LORD,

the all-powerful King,

and I promise that enemies

will overpower your towns.

Even your best warriors

will die in the battle.

₁₆It won't be long now—

disaster will hit Moab!

₁₇I will order the nearby nations

to mourn for you and say,

“Isn't it sad? Moab ruled others,

but now its glorious power

has been shattered.”

₁₈People in the town of Dibon,

you will be honoured no more,

so have a seat in the dust.

Your walls will be torn down

when the enemies attack.

₁₉You people of Aroer,

wait beside the road,

and when refugees run by,

ask them, “What happened?”

₂₀They will answer,

“Moab has been defeated!

Weep with us in shame.

Tell everyone at the River Arnon

that Moab is destroyed.”

_21-24I will punish every town

that belongs to Moab,

but especially Holon,

Jahzah, Mephaath,

Dibon, Nebo,

Beth-Diblathaim, Kiriathaim,

Beth-Gamul, Beth-Meon,

Kerioth, and Bozrah.

₂₅My decision is final—

your army will be crushed,

and your power broken.

₂₆People of Moab, you claim

to be stronger than I am.

Now I will tell other nations

to make you drunk

and to laugh while you collapse

in your own vomit.

₂₇You made fun of my people

and treated them like criminals

caught in the act.

₂₈Now you must leave your towns

and live like doves

in the shelter of cliffs

and canyons.

₂₉I know about your pride,

and how you strut and boast.

₃₀But I also know boasting

will never save you.

₃₁So I will cry and mourn

for Moab

and its town of Kir-Heres.

₃₂People of Sibmah,

you were like a vineyard

heavy with grapes,

and with branches reaching

north to the town of Jazer

and west to the Dead Sea.

But you have been destroyed,

and so I will weep for you,

as the people of Jazer weep

for the vineyards.

₃₃Harvest celebrations are gone

from the orchards and farms

of Moab.

There are no happy shouts

from people making wine.

₃₄Weeping from Heshbon

can be heard as far

as Elealeh and Jahaz;

cries from Zoar are heard

in Horonaim

and Eglath-Shelishiyah.

And Nimrim Brook has run dry.

₃₅I will get rid of anyone

who burns incense

to the gods of Moab

or offers sacrifices

at their shrines.

I, the LORD, have spoken.

₃₆In my heart I moan for Moab,

like a funeral song

played on a flute.

I mourn for the people

of the town of Kir-Heres,

because their wealth is gone.

_37-38The people of Moab

mourn on the rooftops

and in the streets.

Men cut off their beards,

people shave their heads;

they make cuts on their hands

and wear sackcloth.

And it's all because I, the LORD,

have shattered Moab like a jar

that no one wants.

₃₉Moab lies broken!

Listen to its people cry

as they turn away in shame.

Other nations are horrified

at what happened,

but still they laugh.

₄₀Moab, an enemy swoops down

like an eagle spreading its wings

over your land.

₄₁Your cities and fortresses

will be captured,

and your warriors

gripped by fear.

₄₂You are finished as a nation,

because you dared oppose me,

the LORD.

₄₃Terror, pits, and traps

are waiting for you.

₄₄If you are terrified and run,

you will fall into a pit;

and if you crawl out of the pit,

you'll get caught in a trap.

The time has come

for you to be punished.

₄₅Near the city of Heshbon,

where Sihon once ruled,

tired refugees stand in shadows

cast by the flames

of their burning city.

Soon, the towns on other hilltops,

where those warlike people live,

will also go up in smoke.

₄₆People of Moab, you worshipped

Chemosh, your god,

but now you are done for,

and your children are prisoners

in a foreign country.

₄₇Yet some day, I will bring

your people back home.

I, the LORD, have spoken.

The people of Israel

have plenty of children

to inherit their lands.

So why have you worshippers

of the god Milcom

taken over towns and land

belonging to the Gad tribe?

₂Some day I will send an army

to attack you in Rabbah,

your capital city.

It will be left in ruins,

and the surrounding villages

will lie in ashes.

You took some of Israel's land,

but on that day

Israel will take yours!

₃Cry, people of Heshbon;

your town will become

a pile of rubble.

You will turn here and there,

but your path will be blocked.

Put on sackcloth and mourn,

you citizens of Rabbah,

because the idol you worship

will be taken

to a foreign country,

along with its priests

and temple officials.

₄You rebellious Ammonites

trust your wealth and ask,

“Who could attack us?”

But I warn you not to boast

when your strength is fading.

₅I, the LORD All-Powerful,

will send neighbouring nations

to strike you with terror.

You will be scattered,

with no one to care

for your refugees.

₆Yet some day, I will bring

your people back home.

I, the LORD, have spoken.