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16 Lord, send thou out a lamb, (to) the lordly governor of [the] earth, from the stone of desert, to the hill of the daughter of Zion. (Lord, let them send out a lamb, from Sela in the wilderness, to the governor of the land, yea, to the hill of the daughter of Zion.)

And it shall be, as a fowl flying, and (as) birds flying away from the nest, so shall be the daughters of Moab, in the passing over of Arnon. (And it shall be, that like a flying bird, and like birds flying away from the nest, so shall be the daughters of Moab at the fords, or on the banks, of the Arnon River.)

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. (Take thou counsel, or advice, and constrain thou counsel; make thou thy shadow like the night at midday, hide thou them who flee away, and betray thou not those of unsteadfast dwelling.)

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. (My fleers-away shall live with thee. Moab, be thou their hiding place from the face of the destroyer. For the destroyer is ended, the wretchful is wasted, he who defiled the land hath failed.)

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. (And the king’s throne shall be prepared in mercy, and he shall sit on it in truth, in the house of David, judging, and seeking justice, and swiftly yielding what is just, or what is right.)

We have heard the pride of Moab, he is full proud; his pride, and his boast, and his indignation is more than his strength.

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. (And so Moab shall yell, or shall wail, for Moab, yea, all Moab shall wail; ye shall mourn for the foundations of Kirhareseth; speak ye of their wounds.)

For why the suburbs of Heshbon and the vinery 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 (over) the sea. (For the orchards of Heshbon and the vineyards of Sibmah be deserted. The lords of the heathen have cut down its vines, that once came unto Jazer, and wandered through the wilderness. Now their boughs be forsaken, that before had passed over the sea.)

On this thing I shall weep in the weeping of Jazer, and on the vinery of Sibmah (And so I shall weep for the vineyard of Sibmah, like I weep for Jazer). 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 (a) song in vineries. He that was wont to wring out, shall not wring out wine in a presser; I have taken away the voice of [the] wringers-out. (And happiness and rejoicing shall be taken away from the plentiful land; and no one shall rejoice, nor shall heartily sing a song in the vineyards. He who was wont to wring out, shall not wring out wine with a winepress; 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. (On this thing my womb, or my heart, shall sing like a harp for Moab, and my entrails for Kirhareseth.)

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 worth(y). (And it shall be, when it is seen that Moab hath laboured, or hath wearied himself, at his hill shrines, then he shall enter into his holy place/s, so that he can beseech his gods, but he shall gain nothing.)

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 (only) be left in it as a little raisin, and a little, and not much.

16 Send lambs(A) as tribute(B)
    to the ruler of the land,
from Sela,(C) across the desert,
    to the mount of Daughter Zion.(D)
Like fluttering birds
    pushed from the nest,(E)
so are the women of Moab(F)
    at the fords(G) of the Arnon.(H)

“Make up your mind,” Moab says.
    “Render a decision.
Make your shadow like night—
    at high noon.
Hide the fugitives,(I)
    do not betray the refugees.
Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you;
    be their shelter(J) from the destroyer.”

The oppressor(K) will come to an end,
    and destruction will cease;(L)
    the aggressor will vanish from the land.
In love a throne(M) will be established;(N)
    in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
    one from the house[a] of David(O)
one who in judging seeks justice(P)
    and speeds the cause of righteousness.

We have heard of Moab’s(Q) pride(R)
    how great is her arrogance!—
of her conceit, her pride and her insolence;
    but her boasts are empty.
Therefore the Moabites wail,(S)
    they wail together for Moab.
Lament and grieve
    for the raisin cakes(T) of Kir Hareseth.(U)
The fields of Heshbon(V) wither,(W)
    the vines of Sibmah(X) also.
The rulers of the nations
    have trampled down the choicest vines,(Y)
which once reached Jazer(Z)
    and spread toward the desert.
Their shoots spread out(AA)
    and went as far as the sea.[b](AB)
So I weep,(AC) as Jazer weeps,
    for the vines of Sibmah.
Heshbon and Elealeh,(AD)
    I drench you with tears!(AE)
The shouts of joy(AF) over your ripened fruit
    and over your harvests(AG) have been stilled.
10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;(AH)
    no one sings or shouts(AI) in the vineyards;
no one treads(AJ) out wine at the presses,(AK)
    for I have put an end to the shouting.
11 My heart laments for Moab(AL) like a harp,(AM)
    my inmost being(AN) for Kir Hareseth.
12 When Moab appears at her high place,(AO)
    she only wears herself out;
when she goes to her shrine(AP) to pray,
    it is to no avail.(AQ)

13 This is the word the Lord has already spoken concerning Moab. 14 But now the Lord says: “Within three years,(AR) as a servant bound by contract(AS) would count them,(AT) Moab’s splendor and all her many people will be despised,(AU) and her survivors will be very few and feeble.”(AV)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 16:5 Hebrew tent
  2. Isaiah 16:8 Probably the Dead Sea