The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 523

47:6. O thou sword of the Lord, how long wilt thou not be quiet? Go into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.

47:7. How shall it be quiet, when the Lord hath given it a charge against Ascalon, and against the countries thereof by the sea side, and there hath made an appointment for it?

Jeremias Chapter 48

A prophecy of the desolation of Moab for their pride: but their captivity shall at last be released.

48:1. Against Moab thus saith the Lord of hosts the G.o.d of Israel: Woe to Nabo, for it is laid waste, and confounded: Cariathaim is taken: the strong city is confounded and hath trembled.

48:2. There is no more rejoicing in Moab over Hesebon: they have devised evil. Come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Therefore shalt thou in silence hold thy peace, and the sword shall follow thee.

48:3. A voice of crying from Oronaim: waste, and great destruction.

48:4. Moab is destroyed: proclaim a cry for her little ones.

48:5. For by the ascent of Luith shall the mourner go up with weeping: for in the descent of Oronaim the enemies have heard a howling of destruction.

48:6. Flee, save your lives: and be as heath in the wilderness.

48:7. For because thou hast trusted in thy bulwarks, and in thy treasures, thou also shalt be taken: and Chamos shall go into captivity, his priests, and his princes together.

Chamos... The idol of the Moabites.

48:8. And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: and the valleys shall perish, and the plains shall be destroyed, for the Lord hath spoken:

48:9. Give a flower to Moab, for in its flower it shall go out: and the cities thereof shall be desolate, and uninhabited.

48:10. Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully: and cursed be he that withholdeth his sword from blood.

Deceitfully... In the Greek, negligently. The work of G.o.d here spoken of, is the punishment of the Moabites.

48:11. Moab hath been fruitful from his youth, and hath rested upon his lees: and hath not been poured out from vessel to vessel, nor hath gone into captivity: therefore his taste hath remained in him, and his scent is not changed.

Moab hath been fruitful... That is, rich and flouris.h.i.+ng. And hath rested upon his lees... That is, remained in its bad morals; as wine not decanted has its lees mixed and remains muddy.

48:12. Therefore behold the days come, saith the Lord, and I will send him men that shall order and overturn his bottles, and they shall cast him down, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles one against another.

48:13. And Moab shall be ashamed of Chamos, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, in which they trusted.

Of Bethel... That is, of their golden calf which they wors.h.i.+pped in Bethel.

48:14. How do you say: We are valiant and stout men in battle?

48:15. Moab is laid waste, and they have cast down her cities: and her choice young men are gone down to the slaughter: saith the king, whose name is the Lord of hosts.

48:16. The destruction of Moab is near to come: the calamity thereof shall come on exceeding swiftly.

48:17. Comfort him, all you that are round about him, and all you that know his name, say: How is the strong staff broken, the beautiful rod?

48:18. Come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst, O dwelling of the daughter of Dibon: because the spoiler of Moab is come up to thee, he hath destroyed thy bulwarks.

48:19. Stand in the way, and look out, O habitation of Aroer: inquire of him that fleeth: and say to him that hath escaped: What is done?

48:20. Moab is confounded, because he is overthrown: howl ye, and cry, tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is wasted.

48:21. And judgment is come upon the plain country: upon Helon, and upon Jasa, and upon Mephaath.

48:22. And upon Dibon, and upon Nabo, and upon the house of Deblathaim,

48:23. And upon Cariathaim, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Bethmaon,

48:24. And upon Carioth, and upon Bosra: and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.

48:25. The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord.

The horn of Moab is cut off... That is, the strength of Moab is cut off.

A metaphor drawn from animals whose strength is in their horns.

48:26. Make him drunk, because he lifted up himself against the Lord: and Moab shall dash his hand in his own vomit, and he also shall be in derision.

48:27. For Israel hath been a derision unto them: as though thou hadst found him amongst thieves: for thy words therefore, which thou hast spoken against him, thou shalt be led away captive.

48:28. Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, you that dwell in Moab: and be ye like the dove that maketh her nest in the mouth of the hole in the highest place.

48:29. We have heard the pride of Moab, he is exceeding proud: his haughtiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the loftiness of his heart.

48:30. I know, saith the Lord, his boasting, and that the strength thereof is not according to it, neither hath it endeavoured to do according as it was able.

48:31. Therefore will I lament for Moab, and I will cry out to all Moab, for the men of the brick wall that mourn.

48:32. O vineyard of Sabama, I will weep for thee, with the mourning of Jazer: thy branches are gone over the sea, they are come even to the sea of Jazer: the robber hath rushed in upon thy harvest and thy vintage.

48:33. Joy and gladness is taken away from Carmel, and from the land of Moab, and I have taken away the wine out of the presses: the treader of the grapes shall not sing the accustomed cheerful tune.

48:34. From the cry of Hesebon even to Eleale, and to Jasa, they have uttered their voice: from Segor to Oronaim, as a heifer of three years old: the waters also of Nemrim shall be very bad.

48:35. And I will take away from Moab, saith the Lord, him that offereth in the high places, and that sacrificeth to his G.o.ds.

48:36. Therefore my heart shall sound for Moab like pipes and my heart shall sound like pipes for the men of the brick wall: because he hath done more than he could, therefore they have perished.

48:37. For every head shall be bald, and every beard shall be shaven: all hands shall be tied together, and upon every back there shall be haircloth.

48:38. Upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof general mourning: because I have broken Moab as an useless vessel, saith the Lord.

48:39. How is it overthrown, and they have howled! How hath Moab bowed down the neck, and is confounded! And Moab shall be a derision, and an example to all round about him.

48:40. Thus saith the Lord: Behold he shall fly as an eagle, and shall stretch forth his wings to Moab.

48:41. Carioth is taken, and the strongholds are won: and the heart of the valiant men of Moab in that day shall be as the heart of a woman in labour.