A Message About Moab
1Concerning 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 stronghold48:1 Or captured; / Misgab will be disgraced and shattered.
2Moab will be praised no more;
in Heshbon48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot. people will plot her downfall:
‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’
You, the people of Madmen,48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced. will also be silenced;
the sword will pursue you.
3Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,
cries of great havoc and destruction.
4Moab will be broken;
her little ones will cry out.48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar
5They go up the hill to Luhith,
weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaim
anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
6Flee! Run for your lives;
become like a bush48:6 Or like Aroer in the desert.
7Since 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.
8The 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.
9Put salt on Moab,
for she will be laid waste48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away;
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 from bloodshed!
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.
12But 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.
13Then Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh,
as Israel was ashamed
when they trusted in Bethel.
14“How can you say, ‘We are warriors,
men valiant in battle’?
15Moab 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 fall of Moab is at hand;
her calamity will come quickly.
17Mourn 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“Come down from your glory
and sit on the parched ground,
you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,
for the one who destroys Moab
will come up against you
and ruin your fortified cities.
19Stand by the road and watch,
you who live in Aroer.
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
ask them, ‘What has happened?’
20Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
Wail and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon
that Moab is destroyed.
21Judgment has come to the plateau—
to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath,
22to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23to Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24to Kerioth and Bozrah—
to all the towns of Moab, far and near.
25Moab’s horn48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength. is cut off;
her arm is broken,”
declares the Lord.
26“Make her drunk,
for she has defied the Lord.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;
let her be an object of ridicule.
27Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?
Was she caught among thieves,
that you shake your head in scorn
whenever you speak of her?
28Abandon 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 of Moab’s pride—
how great is her arrogance!—
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
and the haughtiness of her heart.
30I know her insolence but it is futile,”
declares the Lord,
“and her boasts accomplish nothing.
31Therefore I wail over Moab,
for all Moab I cry out,
I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.
32I weep for you, as Jazer weeps,
you vines of Sibmah.
Your branches spread as far as the sea48:32 Probably the Dead Sea;
they reached as far as48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of Jazer.
The destroyer has fallen
on your ripened fruit and grapes.
33Joy 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“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.
35In 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“So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe;
it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.
The wealth they acquired is gone.
37Every head is shaved
and every beard cut off;
every hand is slashed
and every waist is covered with sackcloth.
38On 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“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.”
40This is what the Lord says:
“Look! An eagle is swooping down,
spreading its wings over Moab.
41Kerioth48:41 Or The cities 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.
42Moab will be destroyed as a nation
because she defied the Lord.
43Terror and pit and snare await you,
you people of Moab,”
declares 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 on Moab
the year 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;
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls of the noisy boasters.
46Woe to you, Moab!
The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
and your daughters into captivity.
47“Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.
Here ends the judgment on Moab.
Uthenga Wonena za Mowabu
1Ponena za Mowabu:
Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, Mulungu wa Israeli akuti,
“Tsoka kwa mzinda wa Nebo, chifukwa wawonongedwa.
Mzinda wa Kiriyataimu wachititsidwa manyazi ndipo wagonjetsedwa;
linga lichititsidwa manyazi ndipo lagumulidwa.
2Palibenso amene akutamanda Mowabu;
ku Hesiboni anthu anamupanganira zoyipa:
‘Bwerani, tiyeni timuwonongeretu kuti asakhalenso mtundu wa anthu.’
Inunso anthu a ku Madimena, adzakukhalitsani chete;
ankhondo adzakupirikitsani.
3Tamvani mfuwu wa anthu a ku Horonaimu.
Iwo akulira kuti, ‘Kusakazika ndi kuwonongeka kwakukulu.’
4Mowabu wawonongeka;
ana ake angʼonoangʼono akulira kwambiri.
5Anthu akukwera chikweza cha ku Luhiti,
akulira kwambiri pamene akupita.
Kulira chifukwa cha chiwonongeko kukumveka
pa njira yotsikira ku Horonaimu.
6Thawani! Dzipulumutseni;
khalani ngati mbidzi ya mʼchipululu.
7Popeza inu munkadalira ntchito zanu ndi chuma chanu,
nanunso mudzatengedwa ukapolo,
ndipo Kemosi adzapita ku ukapolo,
pamodzi ndi ansembe ake ndi akuluakulu ake.
8Wowononga adzabwera ndi kusakaza mzinda uliwonse,
ndipo palibe mzinda umene udzapulumuke.
Chigwa chidzasanduka bwinja
ndipo malo athyathyathya a pamwamba pa phiri adzawonongedwa
monga Yehova wayankhulira.
9Mtsineni khutu Mowabu
chifukwa adzasakazika;
mizinda yake idzasanduka mabwinja,
wopanda munthu wokhalamo.
10“Wotembereredwa munthu amene amagwira ntchito ya Yehova monyinyirika!
Wotembereredwa munthu amene amaletsa lupanga lake kupha anthu!
11“Mowabu wakhala pa mtendere kuyambira ubwana wake,
ngati vinyo wokhazikika pa masese ake,
osapungulidwa kuchoka mu mtsuko wina kuthira mu mtsuko wina;
iye sanatengedwepo ukapolo.
Nʼchifukwa chake kukoma kwake nʼkomwe kuja
ndipo fungo lake silinasinthe.
12Nʼchifukwa chake masiku akubwera,”
akutero Yehova,
“pamene ndidzatuma anthu amene amakhuthula vinyo mʼmitsuko
ndipo adzamukhutula;
adzakhuthula vinyo yense mitsuko yake
pambuyo pake nʼkuphwanya mitsukoyo.
13Pamenepo Mowabu adzachita manyazi ndi Kemosi,
monga momwe Aisraeli anachitira manyazi
ndi Beteli amene ankamukhutulira.
14“Kodi munganene bwanji kuti, ‘Ife ndife asilikali.
Ife ndife ngwazi, anthu amphamvu pa nkhondo?’
15Owononga Mowabu ndi mizinda yake abwera ndipo ankhondo adzalowa mʼmidzi yake;
anyamata ake okongola apita kukaphedwa,”
ikutero Mfumu, imene dzina lake ndi Yehova Wamphamvuzonse.
16Kugwa kwa Mowabu kuli pafupi;
masautso ake akubwera posachedwa.
17Mulireni kwambiri, inu nonse amene mwamuzungulira,
inu nonse amene mumadziwa za kutchuka kwake;
nenani kuti, “Taonani momwe yathyokera ndodo yamphamvu yaufumu ija,
taonani momwe ndodo yaulemu yathyokera!”
18“Tsikani pa ulemerero wanu
ndipo khalani pansi powuma,
inu anthu okhala ku Diboni,
pakuti wowononga Mowabu
wabwera kudzamenyana nanu,
wasakaza mizinda yanu yotetezedwa.
19Inu amene mumakhala ku Aroeri,
imani mʼmbali mwa msewu ndi kumaonerera.
Funsani mwamuna amene akuthawa ndiponso mkazi amene wapulumuka,
afunseni kuti, ‘Kodi chachitika nʼchiyani?’ ”
20Iwo adzayankha kuti, “Mowabu wachititsidwa manyazi, pakuti wasakazika.
Lirani mwachisoni ndipo fuwulani!
Lengezani ku mtsinje wa Arinoni
kuti Mowabu wawonongedwa.
21Chiweruzo chabwera ku mizinda ya ku mapiri,
ndiyo Holoni, Yaza, Mefaati,
22Diboni, Nebo, Beti-Dibilataimu,
23Kiriyataimu, Beti-Gamuli, Beti-Meoni,
24Keriyoti ndi Bozira
ndi mizinda yonse ya Mowabu, yakutali ndi yapafupi yomwe.
25Mphamvu za Mowabu zawonongeka;
mkono wake wathyoka,”
akutero Yehova.
26“Muledzeretseni Mowabu,
chifukwa anadzikuza powukira Yehova.
Mulekeni Mowabu avivinizike mʼmasanzi ake;
mulekeni akhale chinthu chomachiseka.
27Kodi suja Israeli anali kwa iwe ngati chinthu chomachiseka?
Kodi Israeli anapezeka pakati pa akuba
kuti nthawi zonse poyankhula za iye,
iwe uzimupukusira mutu momunyoza?
28Inu amene mumakhala ku Mowabu,
siyani mizinda yanu ndi kukakhala pakati pa matanthwe.
Khalani ngati nkhunda imene imamanga chisa chake
pa khomo la phanga.
29“Tamva za kunyada kwa Mowabu,
kunyada kwake nʼkwakukulu.
Ndi wodzitama, wonyada ndi wodzitukumula.
Ali ndi mtima wodzikweza.
30Ine ndikuzidziwa ntchito zake,
akutero Yehova.
Ntchitozo ndi nʼzosapindulitsa kanthu.
31Nʼchifukwa chake ndidzamulira Mowabu,
ine ndikulira chifukwa cha anthu onse a ku Mowabu,
ndikubuwula chifukwa cha anthu a ku Kiri Heresi.
32Ndikukhetsa misozi chifukwa cha inu, kupambana momwe ndinalirira Yazeri.
Inu anthu a ku Sibina muli ngati mipesa
imene nthambi zake zatambalala mpaka ku Nyanja;
zafika mpaka ku nyanja ya Yazeri.
Wowononga wasakaza
zipatso zake zachilimwe ndi mpesa.
33Chimwemwe ndi chisangalalo zatha
ku minda ya zipatso ya ku Mowabu.
Ndaletsa kuchucha kwa vinyo mopsinyira mphesa;
palibe amene akufuwula mokondwa akamapsinya mphesa.
Ngakhale kufuwula kulipo,
koma sikufuwula kwa chimwemwe.
34“A ku Hesiboni ndi Eleali akulira
ndipo mfuwu wawo ukumveka mpaka ku Yahazi,
kuchokera ku Zowari mpaka ku Horonaimu ndi ku Egilati Selisiya.
Ngakhale madzi a ku Nimurimu aphwa.
35Ndidzawaletsa anthu a ku Mowabu
kupereka nsembe mʼmalo awo opembedzera
ndi kufukiza lubani kwa milungu yawo,”
akutero Yehova.
36“Nʼchifukwa chake mtima wanga ukulirira Mowabu ngati chitoliro.
Mtima wanga ukulirira anthu a ku Kiri Heresi ngati chitoliro
chifukwa chuma chimene anachipata chatha.
37Aliyense wameta mutu wake
ndi ndevu zake;
manja a munthu aliyense ndi ochekacheka,
ndipo munthu aliyense wavala chiguduli mʼchiwuno mwake.
38Pa madenga onse a ku Mowabu
ndiponso mʼmisewu yake
anthu akungolira,
pakuti ndaphwanya Mowabu
ngati mtsuko wopanda ntchito,”
akutero Yehova.
39“Taonani mmene waphwanyikira! Tamvani momwe akulirira!
Taonani momwe Mowabu wachititsidwira manyazi.
Mowabu wasanduka chinthu chonyozeka,
chinthu chochititsa mantha kwa onse amene amuzungulira.”
40Yehova akuti,
“Mtundu wina udzachita kuwuluka nʼkugwera pa Mowabu ngati chiwombankhanga
chimene chatambalitsa mapiko ake.
41Mizinda idzagwidwa
ndipo malinga adzalandidwa.
Pa tsiku limenelo mitima ya ankhondo a ku Mowabu
idzakhala ngati mtima wa mayi pa nthawi yake yochira.
42Mowabu sudzakhala mtundu wa anthu
chifukwa unadzikuza powukira Yehova.
43Zoopsa, dzenje ndi msampha zikudikira
inu anthu a ku Mowabu,”
akutero Yehova.
44“Aliyense wothawa zoopsa
adzagwera mʼdzenje,
aliyense wotuluka mʼdzenje
adzakodwa mu msampha.
Ndigwetsa zimenezi pa Mowabu
pa nthawi ya chilango chake,”
akutero Yehova.
45“Anthu othawa nkhondo ayima pa mthunzi wa Hesiboni
chifukwa chotopa.
Koma moto wayaka kuchokera ku Hesiboni,
malawi a moto abuka kuchokera ku nyumba ya mfumu Sihoni.
Motowo ukuwononga mapiri a ku Mowabu,
dziko la anthu onyada.
46Tsoka kwa iwe Mowabu!
Anthu opembedza Kemosi awonongeka.
Ana ako aamuna ndi aakazi
atengedwa ukapolo.
47“Komabe masiku akutsogolo
ndidzabwezeranso Mowabu chuma chake,”
akutero Yehova.
Chiweruzo cha Mowabu chathera pamenepa.
