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¹ Send lambs to the ruler of the land,^(C1)2 Like a bird fleeing,
forced from the nest,
the daughters of Moab
will be at the fords of the Arnon.³ Give us counsel and make a decision.
Shelter us at noonday
with shade that is as dark as night.
Hide the refugees;^(C1)
do not betray the one who flees.⁴ Let my refugees stay with you;
be a refuge for Moab^(F1) from the aggressor.
When the oppressor has gone,
destruction has ended,
and marauders have vanished from the land,

⁵ a throne will be established in love,^(C1)
and one will sit on it faithfully^(F1)
in the tent of David,
judging and pursuing what is right,
quick to execute justice.⁶ We have heard of Moab’s pride^(C1)—
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.
You who are completely devastated, mourn
for the raisin cakes^(C1) of Kir-hareseth.^(C2)8 For Heshbon’s terraced vineyards
and the grapevines of Sibmah have withered.
The rulers of the nations
have trampled its choice vines
that reached as far as Jazer^(C1)
and spread to the desert.
Their shoots spread out
and reached the sea.^(C2)9 So I join with Jazer
to weep for the vines of Sibmah;
I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears.
Triumphant shouts have fallen silent^(F1)
over your summer fruit and your harvest.¹⁰ Joy and rejoicing^(C1) have been removed from the orchard;
no one is singing or shouting for joy in the vineyards.^(C2)
No one tramples grapes^(F1) in the winepresses.
I have put an end to the shouting.

¹¹ Therefore I moan like the sound of a lyre for Moab,^(C1)
as does my innermost being for Kir-heres.¹² When Moab appears
and tires himself out on the high place^(C1)
and comes to his sanctuary to pray,
it will do him no good.^(C2)