Bible

Isaiah 16 (CEV)

Topics in Book | Outline of Book | Facts About Book | Commentary | Parallel Verse

NET | ESV | KJV | ASV | RSV | Good News | CEV | Basic | MSG | Spanish | French

Previous Chapter | Browse | Next Chapter

¹ Send lambs as gifts to the ruler of the land. Send them across the desert from Sela to Mount Zion. ² The women of Moab crossing the Arnon River are like a flock of birds scattered from their nests. ³ Moab's messengers say to the people of Judah, "Be kind and help us! Shade us from the heat of the noonday sun. Hide our refugees! Don't turn them away. ⁴ Let our people live in your country and find safety here." Moab, your cruel enemies will disappear; they will no longer attack and destroy your land. ⁵ Then a kingdom of love will be set up, and someone from David's family will rule with fairness. He will do what is right and quickly bring justice. ⁶ We have heard of Moab's pride. Its people strut and boast, but without reason. ⁷ Tell everyone in Moab to mourn for their nation. Tell them to cry and weep for those fancy raisins of Kir-Hareseth. ⁸ Vineyards near Heshbon and Sibmah have turned brown. The rulers of nations used to get drunk on wine from those vineyards that spread to Jazer, then across the desert and beyond the sea. ⁹ Now I mourn like Jazer for the vineyards of Sibmah. I shed tears for Heshbon and for Elealeh. There will be no more harvest celebrations ¹⁰ or joyful and happy times, while bringing in the crops. Singing and shouting are gone from the vineyards. There are no joyful shouts where grapes were pressed. God has silenced them all. ¹¹ Deep in my heart I hurt for Moab and Kir-Heres. ¹² It's useless for Moab's people to wear themselves out by going to their altars to worship and pray. ¹³ The LORD has already said all of this about Moab. ¹⁴ Now he says, "The contract of a hired worker is good for three years, but Moab's glory and greatness won't last any longer than that. Only a few of its people will survive, and they will be left helpless."