The Burden against Moab

¹This is the burden against Moab:Ar in Moab is ruined,destroyed in a night!Kir in Moab is devastated,destroyed in a night!

²Dibon goes up to its templeto weep at its high places.Moab wails over Nebo,as well as over Medeba.Every head is shaved,every beard is cut off.

³In its streets they wear sackcloth;on the rooftops and in the public squaresthey all wail, falling down weeping.

⁴Heshbon and Elealeh cry out;their voices are heard as far as Jahaz.Therefore the soldiers of Moab cry out;their souls tremble within.

⁵My heart cries out over Moab;her fugitives flee as far as Zoar,as far as Eglath-shelishiyah.With weeping they ascend the slope of Luhith;they lament their destruction on the road to Horonaim.

⁶The waters of Nimrim are dried up,and the grass is withered;the vegetation is gone,and the greenery is no more.

⁷So they carry their wealth and belongingsover the Brook of the Willows.

⁸For their outcry echoes to the border of Moab.Their wailing reaches Eglaim;it is heard in Beer-elim.

⁹The waters of Dimonare full of blood,but I will bring more upon Dimon—a lion upon the fugitives of Moaband upon the remnant of the land.

Hananiah’s False Prophecy

¹In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, near the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people:

²“This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

³Within two years I will restore to this place all the articles of the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and carried to Babylon.

⁴And I will restore to this place Jeconiahson of Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”

⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD.

⁶“Amen!” Jeremiah said. “May the LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have prophesied, and may He restore the articles of His house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.

⁷Nevertheless, listen now to this message I am speaking in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people.

⁸The prophets of old who preceded you and me prophesied war, disaster, and plague against many lands and great kingdoms.

⁹As for the prophet who prophesies peace, only if the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet be recognized as one the LORD has truly sent.”

¹⁰Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it.

¹¹And in the presence of all the people Hananiah proclaimed, “This is what the LORD says: ‘In this way, within two years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations.’”At this, Jeremiah the prophet went on his way.

¹²But shortly after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke off his neck, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

¹³“Go and tell Hananiah that this is what the LORD says: ‘You have broken a yoke of wood, but in its place you have fashioned a yoke of iron.’

¹⁴For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I have even given him control of the beasts of the field.’”

¹⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you, but you have persuaded this people to trust in a lie.

¹⁶Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.’”

¹⁷And in the seventh month of that very year, the prophet Hananiah died.

Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes

¹This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.

²He said:“The LORD came from Sinaiand dawned upon usfrom Seir;He shone forth from Mount Paranand came with myriads of holy ones,with flaming fire at His right hand.

³Surely You love the people;all the holy ones are in Your hand,and they sit down at Your feet;each receives Your words—

⁴the law that Moses gave us,the possession of the assembly of Jacob.

⁵So the LORD became King in Jeshurunwhen the leaders of the people gathered,when the tribes of Israel came together.

⁶Let Reuben live and not die,norhis men be few.”

⁷And concerning Judah he said:“O LORD, hear the cry of Judahand bring him to his people.With his own hands he defends his cause,but may You be a help against his foes.”

⁸Concerning Levi he said:“Give Your Thummim to Leviand Your Urim to Your godly one,whom You tested at Massahand contested at the waters of Meribah.

⁹He said of his father and mother,‘I do not consider them.’He disregarded his brothersand did not know his own sons,for he keptYour wordand maintained Your covenant.

¹⁰He will teach Your ordinances to Jacoband Your law to Israel;he will set incense before Youand whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

¹¹Bless his substance, O LORD,and accept the work of his hands.Smash the loins of those who rise against him,and of his foes so they can rise no more.”

¹²Concerning Benjamin he said:“May the beloved of the LORDrest secure in Him;God shieldshim all day long,and upon His shoulders he rests.”

¹³Concerning Joseph he said:“May his land be blessed by the LORDwith the precious dew from heaven aboveand the deep waters that lie beneath,

¹⁴with the bountiful harvest from the sunand the abundant yield of the seasons,

¹⁵with the best of the ancient mountainsand the bounty of the everlasting hills,

¹⁶with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it,and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush.May these rest on the head of Josephand crown the brow of the prince of his brothers.

¹⁷His majesty is like a firstborn bull,and his horns are like those of a wild ox.With them he will gore the nations,even to the ends of the earth.Such are the myriads of Ephraim,and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”

¹⁸Concerning Zebulun he said:“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,and Issachar, in your tents.

¹⁹They will call the peoples to a mountain;there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness.For they will feast on the abundance of the seasand the hidden treasures of the sand.”

²⁰Concerning Gad he said:“Blessed is he who enlargesthe domain of Gad!He lies down like a lionand tears off an arm or a head.

²¹He chose the best land for himself,because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there.He came with the leaders of the people;he administered the LORD’s justiceand His ordinances for Israel.”

²²Concerning Dan he said:“Dan is a lion’s cub,leaping out of Bashan.”

²³Concerning Naphtali he said:“Naphtali is abounding with favor,full of the blessing of the LORD;he shall take possessionof the seaand the south.”

²⁴And concerning Asher he said:“May Asher be the most blessed of sons;may he be the most favored among his brothersand dip his foot in oil.

²⁵May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,and may your strength match your days.”

²⁶“There is none like the God of Jeshurun,who rides the heavens to your aid,and the clouds in His majesty.

²⁷The eternal God is your dwelling place,and underneath are the everlasting arms.He drives out the enemy before you,giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’

²⁸So Israel dwells securely;the fountain of Jacob lives untroubledin a land of grain and new wine,where even the heavens drip with dew.

²⁹Blessed are you, O Israel!Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD?He is the shield that protects you,the sword in which you boast.Your enemies will cower before you,and you shall trample their high places.”

The Evanescence of Wealth

¹Hear this, all you peoples;listen, all inhabitants of the world,

²both low and high,rich and poor alike.

³My mouth will impart wisdom,and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb;I will express my riddle with the harp:

⁵Why should I fear in times of trouble,when wicked usurpers surround me?

⁶They trust in their wealthand boast in their great riches.

⁷No man can possibly redeem his brotheror pay his ransom to God.

⁸For the redemption of his soul is costly,and never can payment suffice,

⁹that he should live on foreverand not see decay.

¹⁰For it is clear that wise men die,and the foolish and the senseless both perishand leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their gravesare their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes.

¹²But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure;he is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the fate of the foolishand their followers who endorse their sayings.Selah

¹⁴Like sheep they are destined for Sheol.Death will be their shepherd.The upright will rule them in the morning,and their form will decay in Sheol,far from their lofty abode.

¹⁵But God will redeem my life from Sheol,for He will surely take me to Himself.Selah

¹⁶Do not be afraid when a man grows rich,when the splendor of his house increases.

¹⁷For when he dies, he will carry nothing away;his abundance will not follow him down.

¹⁸Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—

¹⁹he will join the generation of his fathers,who will never see the light of day.

²⁰A man who has riches without understandingis like the beasts that perish.