1. Send lambs to the ruler of the land, from Sela in the desert to the mountain of Daughter Zion.
2. Like a bird fleeing,forced from the nest,the daughters of Moabwill be at the fords of the Arnon.
3. Give us counsel and make a decision.Shelter us at noondaywith shade that is as dark as night.Hide the refugees; do not betray the one who flees.
4. Let my refugees stay with you;be a refuge for Moab from the aggressor.When the oppressor has gone,destruction has ended,and marauders have vanished from the land.
5. Then in the tent of Davida throne will be established by faithful love. A judge who seeks what is rightand is quick to execute justicewill sit on the throne forever.
6. We have heard of Moab’s pride —how very proud he is —his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance,and his empty boasting.
7. Therefore let Moab wail;let every one of them wail for Moab.Mourn, you who are completely devastated,for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.
8. For Heshbon’s terraced vineyardsand the grapevines of Sibmah have withered.The rulers of the nationshave trampled its choice vinesthat reached as far as Jazer and spread to the desert.Their shoots spread outand reached the Dead Sea.
9. So I join with Jazerto weep for the vines of Sibmah;I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears.Triumphant shouts have fallen silent over your summer fruit and your harvest.
10. Joy and rejoicing have been removed from the orchard;no one is singing or shouting for joy in the vineyards. No one tramples grapes in the winepresses.I have put an end to the shouting.
11. Therefore I moan like the sound of a lyre for Moab, as does my innermost being for Kir-heres.
12. When Moab appears on the high place,when he tires himself out and comes to his sanctuary to pray,it will do him no good.
13. This is the message that the Lord previously announced about Moab.
14. And now the Lord says, “In three years, as a hired worker counts years, Moab’s splendor will become an object of contempt, in spite of a very large population. And those who are left will be few and weak.”