Isaiah 16:1-14
16 Send a ram, YOU men, to the ruler of the land,+ from Seʹla toward the wilderness, to the mountain of the daughter of Zion.+
2 And it must occur [that] like a fleeing winged creature, chased away from [its] nest,+ the daughters of Moʹab will become at the fords of Arʹnon.+
3 “Bring in* counsel, YOU men, execute the decision.+
“Make* your shadow just like the night in the midst of noontime.+ Conceal the dispersed ones;+ do not betray anyone fleeing.+
4 May my dispersed ones reside as aliens even in you, O Moʹab.+ Become a place of concealment to them because of the despoiler.+ For the oppressor* has reached his end; the despoiling has terminated; those trampling down [others] have been finished off the earth.*+
5 “And in loving-kindness* a throne will certainly be firmly established;+ and one must sit down upon it in trueness* in the tent of David,+ judging and seeking justice and being prompt in righteousness.”+
6 We have heard of the pride of Moʹab, that he is very proud;+ his haughtiness and his pride and his fury+—his empty talk will not be so.+
7 Therefore Moʹab will howl for Moʹab; even all of it will howl.+ For the raisin cakes of Kir-harʹe·seth+ the stricken ones indeed will moan,
8 because the terraces themselves of Heshʹbon+ have withered. The vine of Sibʹmah+—the owners* of the nations themselves have smitten down its bright-red [branches].* As far as Jaʹzer+ they had reached; they had wandered about in the wilderness. Its own shoots had been left to luxuriate for themselves; they had gone over to the sea.
9 That is why I shall weep with the weeping of Jaʹzer over the vine of Sibʹmah.+ With my tears I shall drench you, O Heshʹbon+ and E·le·aʹleh,+ because shouting even over your summer and over your harvest has fallen down.*+
10 And rejoicing and joyfulness have been taken away from the orchard; and in the vineyards there is no joyful crying out, there is no shouting done.+ No wine in the presses does the treader tread out.+ Shouting I have caused to cease.+
11 That is why my very inwards are boisterous just like a harp even over Moʹab,+ and the midst of me over Kir-harʹe·seth.*+
12 And it occurred that it was seen that Moʹab was made weary upon the high place;+ and he came to his sanctuary to pray,+ and he could not accomplish anything.+
13 This is the word that Jehovah spoke concerning Moʹab formerly.
14 And now Jehovah has spoken, saying: “Within three years, according to the years of a hired laborer,+ the glory+ of Moʹab must also be disgraced with much commotion of every sort, and those who remain over will be a trifling few, not mighty.”+
Footnotes
^ “Bring in,” masc. pl. in 1QIsaM, but in MmarginLXXVg and 11 Heb. mss it is fem. sing.
^ “Make,” fem. sing.
^ “The oppressor,” by a slight correction; M, “the squeezer.”
^ Or, “land.”
^ Or, “in loyal love.” Heb., ba·cheʹsedh.
^ Or, “in truth.” Heb., be·ʼemethʹ.
^ Or, “grand owner.” Heb., ba·ʽalehʹ, a pl. form of baʹʽal, possibly to express grandeur.
^ Or, “[grapes].”
^ Or, “because upon your summer fruit and upon your harvest the [battle] shout has fallen.”
^ “Over Kir-hareseth.” Heb., leQirʹ chaʹres.
