Isaiah 15:1-9
Moab Mourns
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 temple to 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 squares they 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 belongings over 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 Dimon are full of blood, but I will bring more upon Dimon—a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon the remnant of the land.
Berean Standard Bible
Isaiah's oracle concerning Moab is a short lament over sudden ruin. Ar and Kir are devastated in a night. The people climb to high places, shave their heads, and wear sackcloth. Public squares, rooftops, and streets all fill with weeping.
The cry is not limited to one city. Heshbon and Elealeh call out, and the sound reaches Jahaz. Even Isaiah's heart trembles for Moab. The prophet is announcing judgment, but he does not speak about suffering with cold satisfaction.
The fugitives run toward Zoar and the waters of Nimrim become desolate. The land's resources fail, and the people carry what they have left across the brook of the willows. The geography becomes a map of grief: every road leads someone away from home.
The chapter ends with more blood and more escape. The lament reminds us that judgment is not an abstract word. Cities, households, bodies, and livelihoods are involved when a nation falls under violence.
Questions
1 How quickly does Moab's ruin come?
AnswerSeveral of its cities are devastated in a single night.
2 How do the people express their grief?
AnswerThey climb to high places, shave their heads, wear sackcloth, and cry in the streets.
3 What happens to the land's resources?
AnswerThe waters and pasturelands become desolate, leaving people without what they need.
4 How does Isaiah respond to Moab's suffering?
AnswerHis heart trembles and he laments rather than treating the suffering as entertainment.
What This Means for Us
This oracle makes room for grief even when the people involved are enemies. God's justice does not teach us to enjoy another person's collapse.
When news of disaster reaches your home, resist easy contempt. Pray for those who suffer, tell the truth about wrongdoing, and let compassion keep judgment from turning into cruelty.
Prayer
God of justice and mercy, make us honest about evil without making us hard toward people who suffer. Teach us to grieve with compassion and to long for peace. Amen.