The Prophecy concerning Moab

481 Of Moab. The Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: Sorrow on Nebo, for it has been made waste; Kiriathaim has been put to shame and is taken: the strong place is put to shame and broken down. 2 The praise of Moab has come to an end; as for Heshbon, evil has been designed against her; come, let us put an end to her as a nation. But your mouth will be shut, O Madmen; the sword will go after you. 3 There is the sound of crying from Horonaim, wasting and great destruction; 4 Moab is broken; her cry has gone out to Zoar. 5 For by the slope of Luhith they will go up, weeping all the way; for on the way down to Horonaim the cry of destruction has come to their ears. 6 Go in flight, get away with your lives, and let your faces be turned to Aroer in the Arabah. 7 For because you have put your faith in your strong places, you, even you, will be taken: and Chemosh will go out as a prisoner, his priests and his rulers together. 8 And the attacker will come against every town, not one will be safe; and the valley will be made waste, and destruction will come to the lowland, as the Lord has said. 9 Put up a pillar for Moab, for she will come to a complete end: and her towns will become a waste, without anyone living in them. 10 Let him be cursed who does the Lord's work half-heartedly; let him be cursed who keeps back his sword from blood. 11 From his earliest days, Moab has been living in comfort; like wine long stored he has not been drained from vessel to vessel, he has never gone away as a prisoner: so his taste is still in him, his smell is unchanged. 12 So truly, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will send to him men who will have him turned over till there is no more wine in his vessels, and his wine-skins will be completely broken. 13 And Moab will be shamed on account of Chemosh, as the children of Israel were shamed on account of Beth-el their hope.

14 How say you, We are men of war and strong fighters? 15 He who makes Moab waste has gone up against her; and the best of her young men have gone down to their death, says the King, whose name is the Lord of armies. 16 The fate of Moab is near, and trouble is coming on him very quickly. 17 All you who are round about him, give signs of grief for him, and all you who have knowledge of his name, say, How is the strong rod broken, even the beautiful branch! 18 Come down from your glory, O people of Dibon, and take your seat in the place of the waste; for the attacker of Moab has gone up against you, sending destruction on your strong places. 19 O daughter of Aroer, take your station by the way, on the watch: questioning him who is in flight, and her who has got away safe, say, What has been done? 20 Moab has been put to shame, she is broken: make loud sounds of grief, crying out for help; give the news in Arnon, that Moab has been made waste. 21 And punishment has come on the lowlands; on Holon and Jahzah, and on Mephaath, 22 And on Dibon, and on Nebo, and on Beth-diblathaim, 23 And on Kiriathaim, and on Beth-gamul, and on Beth-meon, 24 And on Kerioth, and on Bozrah, and on all the towns of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, says the Lord. 26 Make him full of wine, for his heart has been lifted up against the Lord: and Moab will be rolling in the food he was not able to keep down, and everyone will be making sport of him. 27 For did you not make sport of Israel? was he taken among thieves? for whenever you were talking about him, you were shaking your head over him. 28 O people of Moab, go away from the towns and take cover in the rock; be like the dove of the Arabah, which makes her living-place in holes. 29 We have had word of the pride of Moab, how great it is; how he is lifted up in pride; and his great opinion of himself, and that his heart is lifted up. 30 I have knowledge of his wrath, says the Lord, that it is nothing; his high-sounding words have done nothing. 31 For this cause I will give cries of grief for Moab, crying out for Moab, even for all of it; I will be sorrowing for the men of Kir-heres. 32 My weeping for you, O vine of Sibmah, will be more than the weeping of Jazer: your branches have gone over the sea, stretching even to Jazer: destruction has come down on your summer fruits and your cut grapes. 33 All joy is gone; no longer are they glad for the fertile field and for the land of Moab; I have made the wine come to an end from the crushing vessels: no longer will the grapes be crushed with the sound of glad voices. 34 The cry of Heshbon comes even to Elealeh; to Jahaz their voice is sounding; from Zoar even to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah: for the waters of Nimrim will become dry. 35 And I will put an end in Moab, says the Lord, to him who is making offerings in the high place and burning perfumes to his gods. 36 So my heart is sounding for Moab like the sound of pipes, and my heart is sounding like pipes for the men of Kir-heres: for the wealth he has got for himself has come to an end. 37 For everywhere the hair of the head and the hair of the face is cut off: on every hand there are wounds, and haircloth on every body. 38 On all the house-tops of Moab and in its streets there is weeping everywhere; for Moab has been broken like a vessel in which there is no pleasure, says the Lord. 39 How is it broken down! how is Moab's back turned in shame! so Moab will be a cause of sport and of fear to everyone round about him. 40 For the Lord has said, See, he will come like an eagle in flight, stretching out his wings against Moab. 41 Kerioth is taken, and the strong places have been forced, and the hearts of Moab's men of war in that day will be like the heart of a woman in birth-pains. 42 And Moab will come to an end as a people, because he has been lifting himself up against the Lord. 43 Fear and death and the net have come on you, O people of Moab, says the Lord. 44 He who goes in flight from the fear will be overtaken by death; and he who gets free from death will be taken in the net: for I will make this come on Moab, even the year of their punishment, says the Lord. 45 Those who went in flight from the fear are waiting under the shade of Heshbon: for a fire has gone out from Heshbon and a flame from the house of Sihon, burning up the pride of Moab and the crown of the head of the violent ones. 46 Sorrow is yours, O Moab! the people of Chemosh are overcome: for your sons have been taken away as prisoners, and your daughters made servants. 47 But still, I will let the fate of Moab be changed in the last days, says the Lord.

The Prophecy concerning the Ammonites

491 About the children of Ammon. These are the words of the Lord: Has Israel no sons? has he no one to take the heritage? why then has Milcom taken Gad for himself, putting his people in its towns? 2 Because of this, see, the days are coming when I will have a cry of war sounded against Rabbah, the town of the children of Ammon; it will become a waste of broken walls, and her daughter-towns will be burned with fire: then Israel will take the heritage of those who took his heritage, says the Lord. 3 Make sounds of grief, O Heshbon, for Ai is wasted; give loud cries, O daughters of Rabbah, and put haircloth round you: give yourselves to weeping, running here and there and wounding yourselves; for Milcom will be taken prisoner together with his rulers and his priests. 4 Why are you lifted up in pride on account of your valleys, your flowing valley, O daughter ever turning away? who puts her faith in her wealth, saying, Who will come against me? 5 See, I will send fear on you, says the Lord, the Lord of armies, from those who are round you on every side; you will be forced out, every man straight before him, and there will be no one to get together the wanderers. 6 But after these things, I will let the fate of the children of Ammon be changed, says the Lord.

The Prophecy concerning Edom

7 About Edom. This is what the Lord of armies has said. Is there no more wisdom in Teman? have wise suggestions come to an end among men of good sense? has their wisdom completely gone? 8 Go in flight, go back, take cover in deep places, you who are living in Dedan; for I will send the fate of Edom on him, even the time of his punishment. 9 If men came to get your grapes, would they not let some be uncut on the vines? if thieves came by night, would they not make waste till they had enough? 10 I have had Esau searched out, uncovering his secret places, so that he may not keep himself covered: his seed is wasted and has come to an end, and there is no help from his neighbours. 11 Put in my care your children who have no father, and I will keep them safe; and let your widows put their faith in me. 12 For the Lord has said, Those for whom the cup was not made ready will certainly be forced to take of it; and are you to go without punishment? you will not be without punishment, but will certainly be forced to take from the cup. 13 For I have taken an oath by myself, says the Lord, that Bozrah will become a cause of wonder, a name of shame, a waste and a curse; and all its towns will be waste places for ever. 14 Word has come to me from the Lord, and a representative has been sent to the nations, to say, Come together and go up against her, and take your places for the fight. 15 For see, I have made you small among the nations, looked down on by men. 16 ... the pride of your heart has been a false hope, O you who are living in the cracks of the rock, keeping your place on the top of the hill: even if you made your living-place as high as the eagle, I would make you come down, says the Lord. 17 And Edom will become a cause of wonder: everyone who goes by will be overcome with wonder, and make sounds of fear at all her punishments. 18 As at the downfall of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbouring towns, says the Lord, no man will be living in it, no son of man will have a resting-place there. 19 See, he will come up like a lion from the thick growth of Jordan against the resting-place of Teman: but I will suddenly make him go in flight from her; and I will put over her the man of my selection: for who is like me? and who will put forward his cause against me? and what keeper of sheep will be able to keep his place before me? 20 For this cause give ear to the decision of the Lord which he has made against Edom, and to his purposes designed against the people of Teman: Truly, they will be pulled away by the smallest of the flock; truly, he will make waste their fields with them. 21 The earth is shaking with the noise of their fall; their cry is sounding in the Red Sea. 22 See, he will come up like an eagle in flight, stretching out his wings against Bozrah: and the hearts of Edom's men of war on that day will be like the heart of a woman in birth-pains.

The Prophecy concerning Damascus

23 About Damascus. Hamath is put to shame, and Arpad; for the word of evil has come to their ears, their heart in its fear is turned to water, it will not be quiet. 24 Damascus has become feeble, she is turned to flight, fear has taken her in its grip: pain and sorrows have come on her, as on a woman in birth-pains. 25 How has the town of praise been wasted, the place of joy! 26 So her young men will be falling in her streets, and all the men of war will be cut off in that day, says the Lord of armies. 27 And I will have a fire lighted on the wall of Damascus, burning up the great houses of Ben-hadad.

The Prophecy concerning Kedar and Hazor

28 About Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, overcame. This is what the Lord has said: Up! go against Kedar, and make an attack on the children of the east. 29 Their tents and their flocks they will take; they will take away for themselves their curtains and all their vessels and their camels: they will give a cry to them, Fear on every side. 30 Go in flight, go wandering far off, take cover in deep places, O people of Hazor, says the Lord; for Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, has made a design against you, he has a purpose against you in mind. 31 Up! go against a nation which is living in comfort and without fear of danger, says the Lord, without doors or locks, living by themselves. 32 And their camels will be taken from them by force, and their great herds will come into the hands of their attackers: those who have the ends of their hair cut I will send in flight to all the winds; and I will send their fate on them from every side, says the Lord. 33 And Hazor will be a hole for jackals, a waste for ever: no one will be living in it, and no son of man will have a resting-place there.

The Prophecy concerning Elam

34 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet about Elam, when Zedekiah first became king of Judah, saying, 35 This is what the Lord of armies has said: See, I will have the bow of Elam, their chief strength, broken. 36 And I will send on Elam four winds from the four quarters of heaven, driving them out to all those winds; there will be no nation into which the wanderers from Elam do not come. 37 And I will let Elam be broken before their haters, and before those who are making designs against their lives: I will send evil on them, even my burning wrath, says the Lord; and I will send the sword after them till I have put an end to them: 38 I will put the seat of my power in Elam, and in Elam I will put an end to kings and rulers, says the Lord. 39 But it will come about that, in the last days, I will let the fate of Elam be changed, says the Lord.

The Priestly Order of Melchizedek

71 For this Melchizedek, the king of Salem, a priest of the Most High God, who gave Abraham his blessing, meeting him when he came back after putting the kings to death, 2 And to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of everything which he had, being first named King of righteousness, and then in addition, King of Salem, that is to say, King of peace; 3 Being without father or mother, or family, having no birth or end to his life, being made like the Son of God, is a priest for ever. 4 Now see how great this man was, to whom our father Abraham gave a tenth part of what he had got in the fight. 5 And it is true that by the law, those of the sons of Levi who have the position of priests may take a tenth part of the people's goods; that is to say, they take it from their brothers though these are the sons of Abraham. 6 But this man, who was not of their family, took the tenth from Abraham, and gave a blessing to him to whom God had given his undertaking. 7 But there is no doubt that the less gets his blessing from the greater. 8 Now at the present time, men over whom death has power take the tenth; but then it was taken by one of whom it is witnessed that he is living. 9 And we may say that in Abraham, even Levi, who has a right to take the tenth part, gave it; 10 Because he was still in his father's body when Melchizedek came to him.

11 Now if it was possible for things to be made complete through the priests of the house of Levi (for the law was given to the people in connection with them), what need was there for another priest who was of the order of Melchizedek and not of the order of Aaron? 12 Because if the priests are changed, it is necessary to make a change in the law. 13 For he of whom these things are said comes of another tribe, of which no man has ever made offerings at the altar. 14 Because it is clear that our Lord comes out of Judah, and Moses said nothing about priests from that tribe. 15 And this is even more clear if a second priest has come up who is like Melchizedek, 16 That is to say, not made by a law based on the flesh, but by the power of a life without end: 17 For it has been witnessed of him, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. 18 So the law which went before is put on one side, because it was feeble and without profit. 19 (Because the law made nothing complete), and in its place there is a better hope, through which we come near to God. 20 And as this is not without the taking of an oath 21 (For those were made priests without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by him who says of him, The Lord gave his oath, which he will not take back, that you are a priest for ever); 22 By so much is it a better agreement which we have through Jesus. 23 And it is true that there have been a great number of those priests, because death does not let them go on for ever; 24 But this priest, because his life goes on for ever, is unchanging. 25 So that he is fully able to be the saviour of all who come to God through him, because he is ever living to make prayer to God for them. 26 It was right for us to have such a high priest, one who is holy and without evil, doing no wrong, having no part with sinners, and made higher than the heavens: 27 Who has no need to make offerings for sins every day, like those high priests, first for himself, and then for the people; because he did this once and for ever when he made an offering of himself. 28 The law makes high priests of men who are feeble; but the word of the oath, which was made after the law, gives that position to a Son, in whom all good is for ever complete.