New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Jeremiah 48
1
Here is what the Lord says about Moab. The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, "How terrible it will be for Nebo! It will be destroyed. Kiriathaim will be captured. It will be put to shame. Its fort will be broken down. It will be put to shame.
Reference
2
Moab will not be praised anymore. In Heshbon people will plan its fall from power. They will say, 'Come. Let's put an end to that nation.' City of Madmen, you too will be silent because you are sad. My sword will hunt you down.
Reference
4
Moab will be broken. Her little ones will cry out.
5
The people go up the road to Luhith. They are sobbing bitterly as they go. Loud cries are heard on the road down to Horonaim. People cry out because the town is being destroyed.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 15:5
7
You trust in the things you can do. You trust in your riches. So you too will be taken away as prisoners. Your god Chemosh will be carried away. So will its priests and officials.
Reference
Faith
Psalm 52:7
1 Timothy 6:17
Hosea 10:13
Parallel theme
Numbers 21:29
Jeremiah 49:3
Jeremiah 9:23
Jeremiah 48:46
Jeremiah 48:13
1 Kings 11:33
8
The one who is going to destroy you will come against every town. Not even one of them will escape. The valley and the high flatlands will be destroyed. I, the Lord, have spoken.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 6:26
9
Sprinkle salt all over Moab. It will be completely destroyed. Its towns will be a dry and empty desert. No one will live in them.
Reference
10
"May a person who is lazy when he does my work be under my curse! May anyone who keeps his sword from killing be under my curse!
Reference
Curse
Judges 5:23
Parallel theme
1 Samuel 15:3
2 Kings 13:19
1 Samuel 15:9
References Lord
1 Kings 20:42
Jeremiah 50:25
Word
Jeremiah 47:6
11
"Moab has been at peace and rest from its earliest days. It is like wine that has not been shaken up. It has not been poured from one jar to another. Moab's people have not been taken away from their land. They are like wine that tastes as it always did. Its smell has not changed at all.
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12
But other days are coming," announces the Lord. "At that time I will send people who pour wine from jars. They will pour Moab out like wine. They will empty its jars. They will smash its jugs.
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13
Then Moab's people will be ashamed of their god Chemosh. They will be ashamed just as the people of Israel were when they trusted in their god at Bethel.
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15
Moab will be destroyed. Its enemies will march into its towns. Her finest young men will die in battle," announces the King. His name is The Lord Who Rules Over All.
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16
"The fall of Moab is near. Its time of trouble will come quickly.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 13:22
17
All you who live around it, sob over its people. Be sad, you who know how famous Moab is. Say, 'Its powerful ruler's rod is broken! His glorious staff is smashed.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 9:4
18
"Come down from your glorious city, you who live in Dibon. Come and sit on the thirsty ground. The one who destroys your country will come up and attack you. Your enemies will destroy your cities that have high walls around them.
Reference
19
Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer. Ask the men who are running away. Ask the women who are escaping. Ask them, 'What has happened?'
Reference
20
Moab has been put to shame. It has been destroyed. Sob and cry out! Tell everyone Moab has been destroyed. Announce it by the Arnon River.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 16:2
24
Kerioth and Bozrah have also been judged. And so have all of the towns of Moab, far and near alike.
Reference
📍 Locations
26
"Moab's people think they are better than I am. So let their enemies make them drunk. Let the people get sick and throw up. Let them roll around in the mess they have made. Let people laugh at them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 29:9
Jeremiah 48:39
Lamentations 4:21
References Lord
Isaiah 19:14
Jeremiah 48:42
Jeremiah 51:39
Jeremiah 51:7
Exodus 5:2
Daniel 5:23
27
Moab, you laughed at Israel, didn't you? Were Israel's people caught among robbers? Is that why you shake your head at them? Is that why you make fun of them every time you talk about them?
Reference
28
Leave your towns, you who live in Moab. Go and live among the rocks. Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave.
Reference
29
"We have heard all about Moab's pride. We have heard how very proud they are. They think they are so much better than others. Their pride reaches deep down inside their hearts.
Reference
30
I know how rude they are. But it will not get them anywhere," announces the Lord. "Their bragging does not accomplish anything.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 50:36
31
So I cry out over Moab. I cry for all of Moab's people. I groan for the men of Kir Hareseth.
Reference
32
I sob over you as Jazer sobs, you vines of Sibmah. Your branches used to spread out. They went all the way down to the Dead Sea. They reached as far as the sea of Jazer. The one who destroys your country has taken away your grapes and ripe fruit.
Reference
📍 Sea of Jazer
33
Joy has left your orchards. Gladness is gone from your fields. I have stopped the flow of juice from your winepresses. No one stomps on your grapes with shouts of joy. There are shouts. But they are not shouts of joy.
Reference
34
"The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon. It rises as far as Elealeh and Jahaz. It rises from Zoar. It goes all the way to Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah. Even the waters at Nimrim are dried up.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 32:3
35
In Moab people sacrifice offerings on the high places. They burn incense to their gods. But I will put an end to those people," announces the Lord.
Reference
36
"Like a flute my heart sings a song of sadness for Moab. It sings like a flute for the men of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they had gotten is gone.
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37
Every head is shaved. Every beard is cut off. Every hand is cut. And every waist is covered with black cloth.
Reference
38
Sobbing is the only sound in Moab. It is heard on all of its roofs. It is heard in the market places. I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants," announces the Lord.
Reference
39
"How broken Moab is! How the people sob! They turn away from others because they are so ashamed. All those who are around them laugh at them. They are shocked at them."
40
The Lord says, "Look! Nebuchadnezzar is like an eagle diving down. He is spreading his wings over Moab.
Reference
41
Kerioth will be captured. Its forts will be taken. At that time the hearts of Moab's soldiers will tremble in fear. They will be like the heart of a woman having a baby.
Reference
42
Moab will be destroyed as a nation. That is because its people thought they were better than I am.
Reference
43
You people of Moab," announces the Lord, "terror, a pit and a trap are waiting for you.
Reference
Parallel theme
Lamentations 3:47
44
Anyone who runs away from the terror will fall into the pit. Anyone who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the trap. The time is coming when I will punish Moab," announces the Lord.
Reference
45
"In the shadow of Heshbon those who are trying to escape stand helpless. A fire has blazed out from Heshbon. Flames have come out from Sihon's city. It burns the foreheads of Moab's people. It burns the skulls of those who brag loudly.
Reference
46
How terrible it will be for you, Moab! Those who worship Chemosh are destroyed. Your sons are being taken to another country. Your daughters are taken away as prisoners.
Reference
Summary of Jeremiah 48
Jeremiah 48 is one of the longest and most emotionally expressive prophecies against a foreign nation in the book of Jeremiah. The focus is Moab, a kingdom located east of the Dead Sea and one of Israel and Judah's longstanding neighbors and rivals.
The chapter describes the destruction of Moab's cities, military strength, economy, religious system, national pride, and political independence, but it also contains something that is easy to overlook: Jeremiah repeatedly mourns for Moab.
This makes the chapter much more than a simple announcement of punishment.
Jeremiah begins by announcing that Moab's glory will disappear. City after city is named, including Heshbon, Horonaim, Dibon, Nebo, Kiriathaim, Beth-meon, Bozrah, and others. The large number of place names emphasizes the breadth of the coming disaster.
The destruction will not be limited to one military center.
The entire country will be affected.
People will flee from their homes, families will be separated, cities will be abandoned, and the sounds of ordinary life will disappear. The chapter repeatedly describes people crying, mourning, escaping, and searching for places where they might survive.
The image of Moab as a nation being poured out like wine is particularly meaningful.
Moab is compared to wine that has been allowed to sit undisturbed on its sediment. Because it has not been poured from one container to another, it has remained settled and undisturbed.
The image represents a nation that has enjoyed a degree of stability and security.
But that stability is about to end.
God says that Moab will be poured out.
Its settled existence will be disrupted, its population will be scattered, and the nation will experience a transformation it cannot control.
One of the major reasons given for Moab's destruction is its pride.
Jeremiah repeatedly describes Moab as arrogant, boastful, self-confident, and convinced of its own strength. Moab trusts in its wealth, achievements, military ability, cities, fortresses, and religious system.
The nation believes that it is secure.
God says otherwise.
The chapter specifically identifies Chemosh, Moab's national god, as another source of false confidence. Chemosh cannot prevent Moab's defeat, and even the priests and officials associated with this religious system will be carried away.
This does not mean that the prophecy is primarily concerned with attacking a foreign religion for its own sake. Rather, Chemosh represents the larger issue of where Moab has placed its trust.
The nation believes its identity, security, and future are guaranteed by its god, its wealth, and its strength.
None of them can save it.
The chapter also contains a remarkable amount of geographical detail. Jeremiah names numerous Moabite towns and regions, creating a sense that the judgment will move across the entire country rather than striking one isolated location.
Dibon, Aroer, Heshbon, Nebo, Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon, Kerioth, Bozrah, and other locations are included.
This gives the prophecy a strong historical and geographical character.
Moab's agricultural prosperity is also emphasized.
The vineyards of Sibmah are described as being destroyed, and the winepresses become silent. The disappearance of wine, harvest celebrations, and agricultural abundance symbolizes the destruction of ordinary prosperity.
War does not only destroy soldiers.
It destroys farms, vineyards, homes, businesses, food supplies, families, and the rhythms of everyday life.
One of the most striking features of the chapter is Jeremiah's emotional response.
He repeatedly weeps for Moab.
This is important because Moab had been an enemy and rival of Israel and Judah. Yet Jeremiah does not take pleasure in its destruction. He mourns the loss of its people, cities, agriculture, and prosperity.
This shows that announcing God's judgment does not require hatred toward those being judged.
The prophet can recognize that judgment is deserved while still grieving over the suffering it produces.
The chapter also describes the humiliation of Moab through traditional signs of mourning: shaved heads, cut beards, sackcloth, and wounds. These images show a society experiencing profound grief and loss.
Moab's former confidence is completely reversed.
The nation that once appeared strong becomes vulnerable. Its warriors lose courage, its fortresses fall, its cities are abandoned, and its people become refugees.
The repeated images of pits and traps emphasize that there is no easy escape.
If someone escapes one danger, another awaits.
This creates a picture of judgment surrounding the nation from every direction.
Yet Jeremiah 48 ends with an unexpected statement of hope.
After describing such extensive destruction, the Lord says that He will eventually restore the fortunes of Moab.
This does not erase the judgment described throughout the chapter, but it demonstrates that judgment does not necessarily mean permanent destruction. Even among the nations, God's purposes can extend beyond immediate punishment.
The final verse therefore gives the chapter a more balanced conclusion.
Moab will be humbled, but the story does not necessarily end with complete annihilation.
The central message is that Jeremiah 48 presents the downfall of Moab as a consequence of deep pride and misplaced confidence, because the nation trusted in its wealth, military strength, prosperous cities, fertile vineyards, political reputation, and the protection of its national god Chemosh, yet none of these sources of security could prevent the coming Babylonian-era destruction; the prophecy vividly describes refugees fleeing, cities collapsing, harvest celebrations disappearing, religious centers being abandoned, and warriors losing their courage, while Jeremiah repeatedly mourns for Moab and its suffering, reminding us that God's judgment is not something to celebrate with cruelty even when wrongdoing is being confronted, and the chapter ultimately ends with a surprising promise that God will restore Moab's fortunes, showing that beneath the severe warnings of judgment there remains a broader lesson about humility, the temporary nature of human power, the danger of trusting in wealth and national strength, and the possibility that destruction and discipline do not always have to be the final word.
The chapter describes the destruction of Moab's cities, military strength, economy, religious system, national pride, and political independence, but it also contains something that is easy to overlook: Jeremiah repeatedly mourns for Moab.
This makes the chapter much more than a simple announcement of punishment.
Jeremiah begins by announcing that Moab's glory will disappear. City after city is named, including Heshbon, Horonaim, Dibon, Nebo, Kiriathaim, Beth-meon, Bozrah, and others. The large number of place names emphasizes the breadth of the coming disaster.
The destruction will not be limited to one military center.
The entire country will be affected.
People will flee from their homes, families will be separated, cities will be abandoned, and the sounds of ordinary life will disappear. The chapter repeatedly describes people crying, mourning, escaping, and searching for places where they might survive.
The image of Moab as a nation being poured out like wine is particularly meaningful.
Moab is compared to wine that has been allowed to sit undisturbed on its sediment. Because it has not been poured from one container to another, it has remained settled and undisturbed.
The image represents a nation that has enjoyed a degree of stability and security.
But that stability is about to end.
God says that Moab will be poured out.
Its settled existence will be disrupted, its population will be scattered, and the nation will experience a transformation it cannot control.
One of the major reasons given for Moab's destruction is its pride.
Jeremiah repeatedly describes Moab as arrogant, boastful, self-confident, and convinced of its own strength. Moab trusts in its wealth, achievements, military ability, cities, fortresses, and religious system.
The nation believes that it is secure.
God says otherwise.
The chapter specifically identifies Chemosh, Moab's national god, as another source of false confidence. Chemosh cannot prevent Moab's defeat, and even the priests and officials associated with this religious system will be carried away.
This does not mean that the prophecy is primarily concerned with attacking a foreign religion for its own sake. Rather, Chemosh represents the larger issue of where Moab has placed its trust.
The nation believes its identity, security, and future are guaranteed by its god, its wealth, and its strength.
None of them can save it.
The chapter also contains a remarkable amount of geographical detail. Jeremiah names numerous Moabite towns and regions, creating a sense that the judgment will move across the entire country rather than striking one isolated location.
Dibon, Aroer, Heshbon, Nebo, Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, Beth-meon, Kerioth, Bozrah, and other locations are included.
This gives the prophecy a strong historical and geographical character.
Moab's agricultural prosperity is also emphasized.
The vineyards of Sibmah are described as being destroyed, and the winepresses become silent. The disappearance of wine, harvest celebrations, and agricultural abundance symbolizes the destruction of ordinary prosperity.
War does not only destroy soldiers.
It destroys farms, vineyards, homes, businesses, food supplies, families, and the rhythms of everyday life.
One of the most striking features of the chapter is Jeremiah's emotional response.
He repeatedly weeps for Moab.
This is important because Moab had been an enemy and rival of Israel and Judah. Yet Jeremiah does not take pleasure in its destruction. He mourns the loss of its people, cities, agriculture, and prosperity.
This shows that announcing God's judgment does not require hatred toward those being judged.
The prophet can recognize that judgment is deserved while still grieving over the suffering it produces.
The chapter also describes the humiliation of Moab through traditional signs of mourning: shaved heads, cut beards, sackcloth, and wounds. These images show a society experiencing profound grief and loss.
Moab's former confidence is completely reversed.
The nation that once appeared strong becomes vulnerable. Its warriors lose courage, its fortresses fall, its cities are abandoned, and its people become refugees.
The repeated images of pits and traps emphasize that there is no easy escape.
If someone escapes one danger, another awaits.
This creates a picture of judgment surrounding the nation from every direction.
Yet Jeremiah 48 ends with an unexpected statement of hope.
After describing such extensive destruction, the Lord says that He will eventually restore the fortunes of Moab.
This does not erase the judgment described throughout the chapter, but it demonstrates that judgment does not necessarily mean permanent destruction. Even among the nations, God's purposes can extend beyond immediate punishment.
The final verse therefore gives the chapter a more balanced conclusion.
Moab will be humbled, but the story does not necessarily end with complete annihilation.
The central message is that Jeremiah 48 presents the downfall of Moab as a consequence of deep pride and misplaced confidence, because the nation trusted in its wealth, military strength, prosperous cities, fertile vineyards, political reputation, and the protection of its national god Chemosh, yet none of these sources of security could prevent the coming Babylonian-era destruction; the prophecy vividly describes refugees fleeing, cities collapsing, harvest celebrations disappearing, religious centers being abandoned, and warriors losing their courage, while Jeremiah repeatedly mourns for Moab and its suffering, reminding us that God's judgment is not something to celebrate with cruelty even when wrongdoing is being confronted, and the chapter ultimately ends with a surprising promise that God will restore Moab's fortunes, showing that beneath the severe warnings of judgment there remains a broader lesson about humility, the temporary nature of human power, the danger of trusting in wealth and national strength, and the possibility that destruction and discipline do not always have to be the final word.