| King James Version (KJV) | New International Version (NIV) |
| 1 Against Moab thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled : Kiriathaim is confounded and taken : Misgab is confounded and dismayed . | 1 Concerning Moab: This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Woe to Nebo, for it will be ruined. Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold will be disgraced and shattered. |
| 2 There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come , and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down , O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee. | 2 Moab will be praised no more; in Heshbon men will plot her downfall: 'Come, let us put an end to that nation.' You too, O Madmen, will be silenced; the sword will pursue you. |
| 3 A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction. | 3 Listen to the cries from Horonaim, cries of great havoc and destruction. |
| 4 Moab is destroyed ; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard . | 4 Moab will be broken; her little ones will cry out. |
| 5 For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up ; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. | 5 They go up the way to Luhith, weeping bitterly as they go; on the road down to Horonaim anguished cries over the destruction are heard. |
| 6 Flee , save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness. | 6 Flee! Run for your lives; become like a bush in the desert. |
| 7 For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken : and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together. | 7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive, and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials. |
| 8 And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape : the valley also shall perish , and the plain shall be destroyed , as the LORD hath spoken . | 8 The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape. The valley will be ruined and the plateau destroyed, because the LORD has spoken. |
| 9 Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away : for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein. | 9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste; her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them. |
| 10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. | 10 "A curse on him who is lax in doing the LORD's work! A curse on him who keeps his sword from bloodshed! |
| 11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed . | 11 "Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs, 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 Therefore, behold, the days come , saith the LORD, that I will send unto him wanderers , that shall cause him to wander , and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles. | 12 But days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will send men who pour from jars, and they will pour her out; they will empty her jars and smash her jugs. |
| 13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence. | 13 Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel. |
| 14 How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war? | 14 "How can you say, 'We are warriors, men valiant in battle'? |
| 15 Moab is spoiled , and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts. | 15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter," declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty. |
| 16 The calamity of Moab is near to come , and his affliction hasteth fast. | 16 "The fall of Moab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly. |
| 17 All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say , How is the strong staff broken , and the beautiful rod! | 17 Mourn for her, all who live around her, all who know her fame; say, 'How broken is the mighty scepter, how broken the glorious staff !' |
| 18 Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong holds. | 18 "Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, O inhabitants of the Daughter of Dibon, for he who destroys Moab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities. |
| 19 O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy ; ask him that fleeth , and her that escapeth , and say , What is done ? | 19 Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer. Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, 'What has happened?' |
| 20 Moab is confounded ; for it is broken down : howl and cry ; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled , | 20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out! Announce by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed. |
| 21 And judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath, | 21 Judgment has come to the plateau-- to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath, |
| 22 And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Bethdiblathaim, | 22 to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim, |
| 23 And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Bethmeon, | 23 to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon, |
| 24 And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. | 24 to Kerioth and Bozrah-- to all the towns of Moab, far and near. |
| 25 The horn of Moab is cut off , and his arm is broken , saith the LORD. | 25 Moab's horn is cut off; her arm is broken," declares the LORD. |
| 26 Make ye him drunken : for he magnified himself against the LORD: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision. | 26 "Make her drunk, for she has defied the LORD. Let Moab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule. |
| 27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for joy. | 27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves, that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her? |
| 28 O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth. | 28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks, you who live in Moab. Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave. |
| 29 We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. | 29 "We have heard of Moab's pride-- her overweening pride and conceit, her pride and arrogance and the haughtiness of her heart. |
| 30 I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it. | 30 I know her insolence but it is futile," declares the LORD, "and her boasts accomplish nothing. |
| 31 Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kirheres. | 31 Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the men of Kir Hareseth. |
| 32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage. | 32 I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, O vines of Sibmah. Your branches spread as far as the sea; they reached as far as the sea of Jazer. The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes. |
| 33 And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting. | 33 Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy. Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy. |
| 34 From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate. | 34 "The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz, from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up. |
| 35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods. | 35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods," declares the LORD. |
| 36 Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished . | 36 "So my heart laments for Moab like a flute; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone. |
| 37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped : upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth. | 37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth. |
| 38 There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD. | 38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squares there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants," declares the LORD. |
| 39 They shall howl , saying, How is it broken down ! how hath Moab turned the back with shame ! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him. | 39 "How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her." |
| 40 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab. | 40 This is what the LORD says: "Look! An eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Moab. |
| 41 Kerioth is taken , and the strong holds are surprised , and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs . | 41 Kerioth will be captured and the strongholds taken. In that day the hearts of Moab's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor. |
| 42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD. | 42 Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the LORD. |
| 43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD. | 43 Terror and pit and snare await you, O people of Moab," declares the LORD. |
| 44 He that fleeth 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 year of their visitation, saith the LORD. | 44 "Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit, whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for I will bring upon Moab the year of her punishment," declares the LORD. |
| 45 They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones. | 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; it burns the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of the noisy boasters. |
| 46 Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth : for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives. | 46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed; your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity. |
| 47 Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab. | 47 "Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in days to come," declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab. |
| The King James Version is in the public domain. (The King James Bible Version Online) | Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |