The people of Moab will worship at their pagan shrines, but it will do them no good. They will cry to the gods in their temples, but no one will be able to save them.

摩押人朝见的时候，在高处疲乏，又到他圣所祈祷，也不蒙应允。

当摩押人出现在丘坛，筋疲力尽时，虽然到自己的圣所祈祷，却仍无济于事。

当摩押人出现在丘坛，筋疲力尽时，虽然到自己的圣所祈祷，却仍无济于事。

摩押人上丘坛祭拜，却落得筋疲力尽；在庙宇里祷告，却毫无用处。

到那时，摩押人虽朝见他们的神，虽在高处弄得疲乏不堪，又到他们的圣所去祷告，却总不得亨通。

到那时，摩押人即使祭拜——无论是在高所把自己弄得筋疲力尽，还是到他们的圣所祷告——也一事无成。

摩押人朝見的時候，在高處疲乏，又到他聖所祈禱，也不蒙應允。

當摩押人出現在丘壇，筋疲力盡時，雖然到自己的聖所祈禱，卻仍無濟於事。

當摩押人出現在丘壇，筋疲力盡時，雖然到自己的聖所祈禱，卻仍無濟於事。

摩押人上邱壇祭拜，卻落得精疲力盡；在廟宇裡禱告，卻毫無用處。

到那時，摩押人雖朝見他們的神，雖在高處弄得疲乏不堪，又到他們的聖所去禱告，卻總不得亨通。

摩押人儘管朝見他們的神，儘管在高處作法到累死，又進他們的聖所去禱告，也不能有所成。

到那時，摩押人即使祭拜——無論是在高所把自己弄得筋疲力盡，還是到他們的聖所禱告——也一事無成。

摩押覲見、困憊於崇邱、詣其聖所祈禱、亦不蒙允、○

摩押人屢陟崇坵、不勝困憊、詣殿禱告、不蒙眷祐。

摩押人在邱壇祈禱、徒形疲乏、入廟禱告、亦屬徒勞、

When Moab appears at her high place, she only wears herself out; when she goes to her shrine to pray, it is to no avail.

Moab’s people go to their high place to pray. But all they do is wear themselves out. Their god Chemosh can’t help them at all.

And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.

When Moab appears and tires himself out on the high place and comes to his sanctuary to pray, it will do him no good.

So it will come about when Moab presents himself, When he tires himself upon his high place And comes to his sanctuary to pray, That he will not prevail.

And it shall come to pass, When it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, That he will come to his sanctuary to pray; But he will not prevail.

And it shall come to pass, when Moab presenteth himself, when he wearieth himself upon the high place, and shall come to his sanctuary to pray, that he shall not prevail.

When Moab appears on the high place, when he tires himself out and comes to his sanctuary to pray, it will do him no good.

And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.

When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective!

It will happen that when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, and comes to his sanctuary to pray, that he will not prevail.

Your people will go to their temple in Dibon to mourn. They will go to their sacred shrines to weep. They will wail for the fate of Nebo and Medeba, shaving their heads in sorrow and cutting off their beards.

So Balak took Balaam to the plateau of Zophim on Pisgah Peak. He built seven altars there and offered a young bull and a ram on each altar.

“ I will put an end to Moab,” says the Lord,“ for the people offer sacrifices at the pagan shrines and burn incense to their false gods.

Then Balaam accompanied Balak to Kiriath huzoth,

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, overlooking the wasteland.

They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.

“ When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.

Lord, in distress we searched for you. We prayed beneath the burden of your discipline.

All the advice you receive has made you tired. Where are all your astrologers, those stargazers who make predictions each month? Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds.

Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see.They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell.They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound.

One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria.

Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive. Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials, will be hauled off to distant lands!

“ What sorrow awaits you, O people of Moab! The people of the god Chemosh are destroyed! Your sons and your daughters have been taken away as captives.

Then the king of Moab took his oldest son, who would have been the next king, and sacrificed him as a burnt offering on the wall. So there was great anger against Israel, and the Israelites withdrew and returned to their own land.

At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh, as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.

Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.“ It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations.And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all— only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands.Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.”

Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth baal. From there he could see some of the people of Israel spread out below him.Then Balaam said to King Balak,“ Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.”Balak followed his instructions, and the two of them sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar.Then Balaam said to Balak,“ Stand here by your burnt offerings, and I will go to see if the Lord will respond to me. Then I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So Balaam went alone to the top of a bare hill,

Have the gods of other nations rescued them— such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel assar? My predecessors destroyed them all!

On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.

I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the heads of Moab’s people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth.