Those who have been following my translation of Yesha-Yah (Isaiah) will know that his chapter 15 appears to be an abridged version of that other Y-Y, Yirme-Yah's (Jeremiah), chapter 48, or perhaps the other way around and Yirme-Yah was quoting Yesha-Yah, but then extending him; or else this is all one quite extraordinary coincidence. My notes on this can be found at Isaiah 15. The two texts are below, in full.
One other option to consider, based on my explanation of MASA at verse 1 in the Yesha-Yah, is that this was not an "oracle" in the sense of a "prophesy" or a "prediction of the future", but rather a "judgement", which is to say a "verdict", pronounced in court, but wrapped in the language of the Schools of Prophets rather than that of the Courts of Lawyers. Once pronounced, it then became a precedent, and perhaps Yirme-Yah was using the text as such, but then elaborating it; or perhaps the two prophets were summoned to the court at the same time, and agreed this as the judgement, but somehow only part of the text found its way into one, while the full text was recorded in the other. Verses 21 and 47 of the Yirme-Yah are the places to go to see this option more clearly.
Jeremiah Chapter 48 יִרְמְיָהוּ
לְמֹואָ֡ב כֹּֽה־אָמַר֩ יְהוָ֨ה צְבָאֹ֜ות אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל הֹ֤וי אֶל־נְבֹו֙ כִּ֣י שֻׁדָּ֔דָה הֹבִ֥ישָׁה נִלְכְּדָ֖ה קִרְיָתָ֑יִם הֹבִ֥ישָׁה הַמִּשְׂגָּ֖ב וָחָֽתָּה
Of Mo-Av. Thus says YHVH, Lord of the Hosts of the Heavens, the deity of Yisra-El: Woe unto Nevo! for it is spoiled; Kiryatayim is put to shame, it is taken; Ha Misgav is put to shame and dismayed.
2. AYN OD TEHILAT MO-AV BE CHESHBON CHASHVU ALEYHA RA'AH LECHU VE NACHRIYTENAH MI GOI GAM MADMEN TIDMI ACHARAYICH TELECH CHARED
4. NISHBERAH MO-AV HISHMI'U ZE'AKAH TSE'IYREYHA
Mo-Av is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
5. KI MA'ALEH HA LUCHOT BIVCHI YA'ALEH BECHI KI BE MORAD CHORONAYIM TSAREY TSA'AKAT SHEVER SHAM'E'U
For they shall go up by the ascent of Luchot, weeping all the way; for in the going down of Choronayim they have heard the distressing cry of destruction.
Flee, save your lives, and be like a tamarisk in the wilderness.
7. KI YA'AN BIT'CHECH BE MA'ASAYICH U VE OTSROTAYICH GAM AT TILACHEDI VE YATSA CHEMOSH BA GOLAH KOHANAV VE SARAV YACHAD
Whereas, because you trusted in your works and in your treasures, you too shall be taken; and Chemosh will be taken into captivity, his priests and his princes together.
8. VE YAVO SHODED EL KOL IR VE IR LO TIMALET VE AVAD HA EMEK VE NISHMAD HA MISHOR ASHER AMAR YHVH.
And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley too shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed; so YHVH has spoken.
9. TENU TSITS LE MO-AV KI NATSO TETSE VE ARYEH LE SHAMAH TIHEYENAH ME EYN YOSHEV BA HEN
Provide wings for Mo-Av, for she will have to fly if she is to make her getaway; meanwhile her cities shall become places of desolation, with nobody to dwell in them.
10. ARUR OSEH MELECHET YHVH REMIYAH VE ARUR MON'E'A CHARBO MI DAM
Cursed be he who does the work of YHVH with a slack hand, and cursed be he who keeps back his sword from shedding blood.
11. SHA'ANAN MO-AV MI NE'URAV VE SHOKET HU EL SHEMARAV VE LO HURAK MI KELI EL KELI U VA GOLAH LO HALACH AL KEN AMAD TA'MO BO VE REYCHO LO NAMAR
Mo-Av has always lived in security, and has never been taken into exile. Mo-Av is like wine left to settle undisturbed and never poured from jar to jar; its flavour has never been ruined, and it tastes as good as ever. {S}
12. LACHEN HINEH YAMIM BA'IM NE'UM YHVH VE SHILACHTI LO TSO'IM VE TSE'UHU VE CHELAV YARIYKU VE NIVLEYHEM YENAPETSU
But the time is fast approaching, so says YHVH, when I will send to him someone to spill it - to pour out his wine and smash his jars.
13. U VOSH MO-AV MI CHEMOSH KA ASHER BOSHU BEIT YISRA-EL MI BEIT EL MIVTECHEM
14. EYCH TOMRU GIBORIM ANACHNU VE ANSHEY CHAYIL LA MILCHAMAH
How can you say that we are mighty men, heroes-in-waiting for the war?
15. SHUDAD MO-AV VE AREYHA ALAH U MIVCHAR BACHURAV YARDU LA TAVACH NE'UM HA MELECH YHVH TSEVA'OT SHEM
Moab is doomed; its towns will surrender; its elite forces will go down in defeat, declares the king whose name is YHVH, the Lord of the Hosts of the Heavens.
16. KAROV EYD MO-AV LAVO VE RA'ATO MI HARAH ME'OD
The defeat of Mo-Av is imminent, its devastation is not very far behind.
17. NUDU LO KOL SEVIYVAV VE CHOL YODE'A SHEMO IMRU EYCHAH NISHBAR MATEH OZ MAKEL TIPHARAH
Grieve for him, you neighbours of Mo-Av, and all you who have heard his name. Proclaim how his mighty scepter and his magnificent staff have been shattered!
18. REDI MI KAVOD U SHEVI VA TSAMA YOSHEVET BAT DIYVON KI SHODED MO-AV ALAH VACH SHICHET MIVTSARAYICH
Climb down from your self-importance and reconcile yourself to thirst, you who reside in Bat Diyvon, because Moab's destroyer has arrived to level your fortresses.
And you, inhabitant of Aro'er, stand at the roadside and watch; ask him who is in flight, and she who is making her escape, "What's happened?'
20. HOVIYSH MO-AV KI CHATAH HEYLIYLU U ZE'AKU HAGIYDU VE ARNON KI SHUDAD MO-AV
And sentence has been passed upon the country of the Plain; upon Cholon, and upon Yahats, and upon Mepha'at;
22. VE AL DIYVON VE AL NEVO VE AL BEIT DIVLATAYIM
and upon Diyvon, and upon Nevo, and upon Beit Divlatayim;
23. VE AL KIRYATAYIM VE AL BEIT GAMUL VE AL BEIT ME'ON
and upon Kiryatayim, and upon Beit Gamul, and upon Beit Me'on;
24. VE AL KERIYOT VE AL BATSRAH VE AL KOL AREY ERETS MO-AV HA RECHOKOT VE HA KEROVOT
and upon Keriyot, and upon Batsrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Mo-Av, far and near.
25. NIGDE'AH KEREN MO-AV U ZERO'O NISHBARAH NE'UM YHVH
The horn of Moab has been cut off, and his arm has been broken, so declares YHVH.
26. HASHKIYRUHU KI AL YHVH HIGDIL VE SAPHAK MO-AV BE KIY'O VE HAYAH LIS'CHOK GAM HU
Let him drink all that unspoiled wine, for he exalted himself against YHVH; then let Mo-Av wallow in his own vomit until he has become a laughingstock.
27. VE IM LO HASHCHOK HAYAH LECHA YISRA-EL IM BE GANAVIM NIMTSA'AH KI MIDEY DEVAREYCHA BO TITNODAD
For did you not make a laughingstock of Yisra-El [with your] "Where else is he found but among thieves?" As often as you mention his name, exactly so often do you shake your head.
You who dwell in Mo-Av, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock; and be like the dove who makes her nest in the sides of the mouth of the pit.
29. SHAMA'NU GE'ON MO-AV GE'EH ME'OD GAVHO U GE'ONO VE GA'AVATO VE RUM LIBO
We have heard of the "genius" of Mo-Av; and how very proud he is of it - to the point of arrogance, and high-and-mightiness, and o the boastful assumptions of his heart.
30. ANI YADA'TI NE'UM YHVH EVRATO VE LO CHEN BADAV LO CHEN ASU
I know all about his anger too, declares YHVH, and it simply isn't so; he boasts about it, but it has no basis in fact.
And because of this I will weep for Mo-Av. Indeed, I will cry out for all of Mo-Av; for the men of Kir Cheres my heart will sob.
Even more than I wept for Ya'zer will I weep for you, the Vine of Sivmah; your branches reached as far the sea, extended even to the coast of Ya'zer, but now the conqueror has come to harvest your grapes and summer fruits.
All joy and pleasure has been taken from the vineyards, indeed from all the land of Mo-Av; I have made the wine stop flowing from the presses; no one shall sing while they tread; the singing will be no-singing.
The cry goes out from Cheshbon as far as El-Aleh; all the way to Yahats they have raised their voices; from Tso'ar as far as Choronayim: the howling of a milch cow for her three year old heifer! And the Waters of Nimrim, they too shall be desolate.
And I shall bring to an end in Mo-Av, declares YHVH, the offerings in the high place, and the burning of incense to his gods.
36. AL KEN LIBI LE MO-AV KA CHALILIM YEHEMEH VE LIBI EL ANSHEY KIR CHERES KA CHALILIM YEHEMEH AL KEN YITRAT ASAH AVADU
Thus does my heart mourn for Mo-Av, like a wailing-song played on the pan-pipes, and for the men of Kir Cheres like a dirge played on the flute. Thus have the riches they acquired perished.
37. KI CHOL ROSH KARCHAH VE CHOL ZAKAN GERU'AH AL KOL YADAYIM GEDUDOT VE AL MATNAYIM SAK
For every head is shaved bald, and every beard has been clipped; their hands are filled with the cuttings, and their loins are clad in sackcloth.
On all the flat rooves of Mo-Av, and in their squares, there is lamentation everywhere; because I have broken Mo-Av like an old vase not even worth taking to the Antiques Road Show, declares YHVH.
39. EYCH CHATAH HEYLILU EYCH HIPHNAH OREPH MO-AV BOSH VE HAYAH MO-AV LIS'CHOK VE LIMCHITAH LE CHOL SEVIYVAV
40. KI CHOH AMAR YHVH HINEH CHA NESHER YID'EH U PHARAS KENAPHAV EL MO-AV
For thus has YHVH spoken: Behold, he shall swoop like a vulture, and spread out his wings against Mo-Av.
The cities shall be taken, and the fortresses seized; the heart of every mighty man of Mo-Av on that day shall be like the heart of a woman in her birth-pangs.
42. VE NISHMAD M-AV ME AM KI AL YHVH HIGDIL
And Mo-Av shall be destroyed as a nation, because it has tried to set itself up as an equal to YHVH.
43. PACHAD VA PHACHAT VA PHACH ALEYCHA YOSHEV MO-AV NE-UM YHVH
Terror, and the pit, and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of Mo-Av, declares YHVH.
I haven't been adding commentary, but for this verse it is irresistible, to make sure you don't miss those three words, lacking any exact equivalent in English: PACHAD, which is fear; PHACHAT, which would be PACHAT were it not for the prefixed conjunction, and which are "deep and dark places", "caves" at 2 Samuel 17:9, a deep pit on several occasions in Isaiah 24; and finally PHACH, which would be PACH: a "trap" or "snare", but also, in today's world, the place where you put the ASHPAH - a dustbin/garbage-can. PACHAD, PACHAT, PACH. Poetry, intermingled with philosophy, labelled as prophecy.
He who flees from the terror shall fall into the pit; and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare; for I will bring upon her, even upon Mo-Av, the year of the fulfilment of this ordinance, so declares YHVH.
45. BE TSEL CHESHBON AMDU MI KO'ACH NASIM KI ESH YATSA ME CHESHBON VE LEHAVAH MI BEYN SIYCHON VA TOCHAL PE'AT MO-AV VE KADKOD BENEY SHA'ON
In the shadow of Cheshbon the fugitives stand powerless; for a fire is blazing out of Cheshbon, and a flame from the heart of Siychon, devouring the very corners of Mo-Av, scalping the heads of those who had been living in tranquility.
46. OI LECHA MO-AV AVAD AM KEMOSH KI LUK'CHU VANEYCHA BA SHEVI U VENOTEYCHA BA SHIVYAH
Woe unto you, O Mo-Av! The people of Chemosh are destroyed; your sons have been carried off, and your daughters taken into captivity.
47. VE SHAVTI SHEVUT MO-AV BE ACHARIYT HA YAMIM NE-UM YHVH AD HENAH MISHPAT MO-AV
But I will bring back the captives from Mo-Av at the end of days, declares YHVH. This is the end of the judgment of Mo-Av. {S}
Isaiah 15
15:1 MASA MO'AV KI BE LEIL SHUDAD AR MO'AV NIDMAH KI BE LEIL SHUDAD KIR MO'AV NIDMAH
מַשָּׂא
מוֹאָב כִּי בְּלֵיל שֻׁדַּד עָר מוֹאָב נִדְמָה כִּי בְּלֵיל שֻׁדַּד קִיר מוֹאָב
נִדְמָה
KJ (King James translation): The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;
BN
(BibleNet translation): The pronouncement upon Mo-Av. That on the night that
the capital city of Mo-Av is laid to waste, so will the land of Mo-Av be
brought to ruin; that on the night that the walls of the capital of Mo-Av are
laid to waste, so will the land of Mo-Av be brought to ruin.
15:2 ALAH HA BAYIT VE DIYVON HA BAMOT LE VECHI AL NEVO VE AL MEY-DEVA MO-AV YEYELIL BE CHOL RO'SHAV KARCHAH KOL ZAKAN GERU'AH
עָלָה הַבַּיִת וְדִיבֹן הַבָּמוֹת לְבֶכִי עַל נְבוֹ וְעַל מֵידְבָא מוֹאָב יְיֵלִיל בְּכָל רֹאשָׁיו קָרְחָה כָּל זָקָן גְּרוּעָה
KJ: He is gone up to Bajith, and to
Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on
all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.
BN: He has gone up to the shrine, and
is lamenting his woe in the high places; on Mount Nevo, and at Mey-Deva, Mo-Av
is howling; as every man's head is nothing but baldness, so every beard is
shaven.
15:3 BE CHUTSOTAV CHAGRU SAK AL
GAGOTEYHA U VI RECHOVOTEYHA KULOH YEYELIL YORED BA BECHI
בְּחוּצֹתָיו חָגְרוּ שָׂק עַל גַּגּוֹתֶיהָ וּבִרְחֹבֹתֶיהָ כֻּלֹּה יְיֵלִיל יֹרֵד בַּבֶּכִי
KJ: In their streets they shall gird
themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets,
every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.
BN: In their streets they gird
themselves with sackcloth; on their housetops, and in their streets, every one
howls, weeping profusely.
15:4 VA TIZ'AK CHESHBON VE EL'ALEH AD
YAHATS NISHM'A KOLAM AL KEN CHALUTSEI MO-AV YARIY'U NAPHSHO YAR'AH LO
וַתִּזְעַק
חֶשְׁבּוֹן וְאֶלְעָלֵה עַד יַהַץ נִשְׁמַע קוֹלָם עַל כֵּן חֲלֻצֵי מוֹאָב
יָרִיעוּ נַפְשׁוֹ יָרְעָה לּוֹ
KJ: And Heshbon shall cry, and
Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers
of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.
BN: And Cheshbon cries out, and
El-Aleh; their voice is heard, even to the point of trembling; therefore the
armed men of Mo-Av cry aloud; his soul is faint within him.
15:5 LIBI LE MO-AV YIZ'AK BE RIYCHEHA
AD TSO'AR EGLAT SHELISHIYAH KI MA'ALEH HA LUCHIT BI VECHI YA'ALEH BO KI DERECH
CHORONAYIM ZA'AKAT SHEVER YE'O'ERU
לִבִּי לְמוֹאָב יִזְעָק בְּרִיחֶהָ עַד צֹעַר עֶגְלַת שְׁלִשִׁיָּה כִּי מַעֲלֵה הַלּוּחִית בִּבְכִי יַעֲלֶה בּוֹ כִּי דֶּרֶךְ חוֹרֹנַיִם זַעֲקַת שֶׁבֶר יְעֹעֵרוּ
KJ: My
heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of
three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it
up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.
BN: My heart cries out for Mo-Av; her
refugees have fled as far as Tso'ar, a heifer of three years old; for they go
up weeping by the ascent of Luchit; and on the road to Choronayim
they raise up a cry of destruction.
15:6 KI MEY NIMRIM MESHAMOT YIHEYU KI
YAVESH CHATSIR KALAH DESH'E YEREK LO HAYAH
כִּי מֵי
נִמְרִים מְשַׁמּוֹת יִהְיוּ כִּי יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר כָּלָה דֶשֶׁא יֶרֶק לֹא הָיָה
KJ: For the waters of Nimrim shall be
desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green
thing.
BN: For the Waters of Nimrim shall
become turbid; for the grass is withered away, the flax fails, there is
nothing green.
15:7 AL KEN YITRAH ASAH U PHEKUDATAM AL NACHAL HA ARAVIM YISA'UM
עַל כֵּן יִתְרָה עָשָׂה וּפְקֻדָּתָם עַל נַחַל הָעֲרָבִים יִשָּׂאוּם
KJ: Therefore the abundance they have
gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of
the willows.
15:8 KI HIKIYPHAH HA ZE'AKAH ET GEVUL
MO-AV AD EGLAYIM YILELATAM U BE'ER EYLIM YILELATAM
כִּי
הִקִּיפָה הַזְּעָקָה אֶת גְּבוּל מוֹאָב עַד אֶגְלַיִם יִלְלָתָהּ וּבְאֵר
אֵילִים יִלְלָתָהּ
KJ: For the cry is gone round about
the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof
unto Beerelim.
BN: For the cry has gone round all the borders of Mo-Av; its howling all the way to Tearpool, and its wailing all the way to Godswell.
15:9 KI MI
DIYMON MAL'U DAM KI ASHIT AL DIYMON NOSAPHOT LIPHLEYTAT MO-AV ARYEH VE
LISH'ERIT ADAMAH
כִּי מֵי
דִימוֹן מָלְאוּ דָם כִּי אָשִׁית עַל דִּימוֹן נוֹסָפוֹת לִפְלֵיטַת מוֹאָב
אַרְיֵה וְלִשְׁאֵרִית אֲדָמָה
KJ: For the waters of Dimon shall be
full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth
of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.
BN: For the waters of Diymon are full
of blood; for I will bring yet more upon Diymon, and upon the remnant of
the land - a lion escaped from Mo-Av.
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