Coverdale(i)
1 This is ye heuy burthe vpo Moab: Ar of Moab was destroyed (as me thought) in the night season: The walles of Moab perished in the night, & vanished awaye:
2 They wete to Baith and Dibon in the hie places, for to wepe: Moab did mourne fro Nebo to Medba: All their heades were colled, and al their beardes shauen.
3 In their stretes were they gyrded aboute with sack cloth. In all the toppes of their houses & stretes was there nothinge, but mournynge and wepinge.
4 Hesebon and Eleale cried, that their voyce was herde vnto Iahaz. The worthies also of Moab bleared and cried for very sorow of their myndes:
5 Wo is my hert for Moabs sake. They fled vnto the cite of Zoar, which is like a fayre fruteful bullock, they went vp to Luhith, wepinge. The waye toward Horonaim was ful of lamentacion for ye hurte.
6 The waters of Nimrim were dried vp, the grasse was wythred, the herbes destroyed, & what necessary grene thinge there was besyde.
7 In like maner the thinge yt was left them of their substaunce, they caried it by water to Araby.
8 The crie went ouer the whole londe of Moab: from Eglaim vnto Beer, was there nothinge but mouanynge.
9 The waters of Dimon were full of bloude, for ye enemie had sent thither a bonde of men, which as a lyon, layde waite foe the remnaunt of the londe, and for them yt were escaped.
16 1 Then sent the lordes of the lode a ma of warre, from the rocke that lieth toward the deserte, vnto the hill of the doughter Sion
2 (For as for the doughters of Moab, they were as it had bene a trymblinge byrde, yt is put out of hir nest, by the fery of Arnon) which messaunger sayde:
3 gather youre councel, come together, couer vs with youre shadowe in the myddaye, as the night doth: hyde the chased, & bewraye not the that are fled,
4 let the persecuted Moabites dwel amoge you, be oure open refuge agaynst the destroyer: for the aduersary oppresseth vs, the robber vndoeth vs, & the tyraunte dryueth vs out of oure londe.
5 But ye Trone of youre kingdome is ful of grace, therfore he that sytteth vpon it wt faitfulnesse & treuth in the house of Dauid, knowe the thinge & do his diligence to helpe shortly, acordinge to Equite and rightuousnes.
6 As for Moabs pride (shal they answere) it is wel knowne. And all though they be excellent, proude, arrogant, & hie mynded: yet is their strength nothinge like.
7 And therfore Moab complayneth vnto Moab, wherthorow they come all to mourne: & now yt they be smytten, they take their deuyce beneth by the bryck wall, and make their coplaynte.
8 The suburbes also of Hesebon were made waist, & the princes of the Gentyles hewed downe ye vynyardes of Sibma, which were planted with noble grapes, and spred vnto Iazer, and went vnto the ende of the deserte, whose braunches stretched their selues forth beyonde the see.
9 Therfore I mourned for Iazer, & for ye vynyardes of Sibma wt greate sorow. I poured my teares vpon Hesebon & Eleale, for all their songes were layde downe, in their haruest & gatheringe of their grapes:
10 Myrth and chere was gone out of ye felde & vynyardes, in so moch, that no man was glad ner sunge. There wete no treader in to the wynepresse, their mery chere was layde downe.
11 Wherfore my bely robled (as it had bene a lute) for Moabs sake, & myne inwarde membres, for the bryck walles sake.
12 For it happened thus also: whe Moab sawe that she was turned vp syde downe: she went vp an hie in to hir sanctuary, to make hir prayer there, but she might not be helped.
13 This is the deuyce, which the LORDE toke in honde at that tyme agaynst Moab.
14 But now the LORDE sayeth thus: In thre yeare shal ye power of Moab wt their pope (which is greate) be minished, like as ye burthe of an hyred seruaunte: And as for ye remnaunt of them, they shalbe lesse then a fewe, and not rekened moch worth.