CHAPTER 16
1 Lord, send thou out a lamb, the lordly governor of [the] earth, from the stone of desert, to the hill of the daughter of Zion.
2 And it shall be, as a fowl flying, and birds flying away from the nest, so shall be the daughters of Moab, in the passing over of Arnon.
3 Take thou counsel, constrain thou counsel; set thou as night thy shadow in midday, hide thou them that flee, and betray thou not men of unsteadfast dwelling.
4 My fleers-away shall dwell at thee. Moab, be thou the hiding place of them from the face of the destroyer. For why dust is ended, the wretched is wasted; he that defouled the land failed.
5 And the king’s seat shall be made ready in mercy, and he shall sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David, deeming, and seeking doom, and yielding swiftly that that is just.
6 We have heard the pride of Moab, he is full proud; his pride, and his boast, and his indignation is more than his strength.
7 Therefore Moab shall yell to Moab, all Moab shall yell to them that be glad on the walls of baken tilestone; speak ye their wounds.
8 For why the suburbs of Heshbon and the vinery [or vineyard] of Sibmah be forsaken. The lords of heathen men have cut down the scions thereof; they came unto Jazer, they erred in desert. The boughs thereof be forsaken, they passed the sea.
9 On this thing I shall weep in the weeping of Jazer, and on the vinery [or vineyard] of Sibmah. Heshbon and Elealeh, I shall fill thee with my tears; for the voice of defoulers fell on thy vintage, and on thy harvest.
10 And gladness and full out joying shall be taken away from Carmel; and none shall make full out joy, neither shall sing heartily song in vineries [or vineyards]. He that was wont to wring out, shall not wring out wine in a presser [or wine press]; I have taken away the voice of [the] wringers-out.
11 On this thing my womb shall sound as an harp to Moab, and mine entrails to the wall of baken tilestone.
12 And it shall be, when it shall appear, that Moab hath travailed on his high places, it shall enter to his holy things, that it beseech, and it shall not be worthy.
13 This is the word which the Lord spake to Moab from that time.
14 And now the Lord spake, saying, In three years, that were as the years of an hired man, the glory of Moab shall be taken away on all the much people; and there shall be left in it as a little raisin, and a little, and not much.