מַשָּׂא מוֹאָב כִּי בְּלֵיל שֻׁדַּד עָר מוֹאָב נִדְמָה כִּי בְּלֵיל שֻׁדַּד קִיר מוֹאָב נִדְמָה

A prophecy of Moav: For on the night that Ar, one of the major cities of Moav, was plundered, it was smitten and obliterated; for on the night that Kir, another important city of Moav, was plundered, it was obliterated. The collapse of these two cities caused the inhabitants of Moav to feel as if their entire land had been destroyed.

עָלָה הַבַּיִת וְדִיבֹן הַבָּמוֹת לְבֶכִי עַל נְבוֹ וְעַל מֵידְבָא מוֹאָב יְיֵלִיל בְּכָל רֹאשָׁיו קָרְחָה כָּל זָקָן גְּרוּעָה

He, a man of Moav, went up to the house of the king, or to a Moavite temple, and to the shrines of Divon, to weep; for Nevo and for Medeva, Moav wails, as these cities were destroyed. Therefore, on all his heads is baldness; every beard is sparse. The profound mourning of Moav was expressed through the prevalent practice of removing the hair of one’s head and one’s beard as an act of mourning. Israel is prohibited from practicing this behavior.

בְּחוּצֹתָיו חָגְרוּ שָׂק עַל גַּגּוֹתֶיהָ וּבִרְחֹבֹתֶיהָ כֻּלֹּה יְיֵלִיל יֹרֵד בַּבֶּכִי

In its, Moav’s, streets they donned sackcloth; those who donned sackcloth assembled on their rooftops and in their plazas; all are wailing and overcome with weeping.

וַתִּזְעַק חֶשְׁבּוֹן וְאֶלְעָלֵה עַד יַהַץ נִשְׁמַע קוֹלָם עַל כֵּן חֲלֻצֵי מוֹאָב יָרִיעוּ נַפְשׁוֹ יָרְעָה לּוֹ

Heshbon and Elaleh cry out. Elaleh was another Moavite city. Their voice is heard until Yahatz, yet another Moavite city mentioned in the Torah. Therefore the soldiers of Moav will shout out with a wail of grief and sorrow and not a battle cry. His soul will shout out [yar’a] in bitterness for him. Yar’a is a combination of teruah, “shouting” and ra’ah, “evil.”

לִבִּי לְמוֹאָב יִזְעָק בְּרִיחֶהָ עַד צֹעַר עֶגְלַת שְׁלִשִׁיָּה כִּי מַעֲלֵה הַלּוּחִית בִּבְכִי יַעֲלֶה בּוֹ כִּי דֶּרֶךְ חוֹרֹנַיִם זַעֲקַת שֶׁבֶר יְעֹעֵרוּ

My heart will cry for Moav, its refugees reach until Tzo’ar;alternatively: The city’s bolts were broken until Tzo’ar and Eglat Shelishiya, apparently the name of another place. For those who flee the war via the ascent of Luhit, they will ascend it with weeping, for they will raise an outcry of ruin on the way of Horonayim.

כִּי מֵי נִמְרִים מְשַׁמּוֹת יִהְיוּ כִּי יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר כָּלָה דֶשֶׁא יֶרֶק לֹא הָיָה

For the Waters of Nimrim, the name of either a spring or a stream, will be desolate; for hay has withered, vegetation ceased, there was no greenery.

עַל כֵּן יִתְרָה עָשָׂה ופְקֻדָּתָם עַל נַחַל הָעֲרָבִים יִשָּׂאוּם

Therefore, he, the enemy, did more than what has been stated; alternatively: Moav did more than what has been stated, and they, the enemy despoilers, will carry away their property to the ravine of the willows,where they will destroy it.

כִּי הִקִּיפָה הַזְּעָקָה אֶת גְּבוּל מוֹאָב עַד אֶגְלַיִם יִלְלָתָהּ וּבְאֵר אֵילִים יִלְלָתָהּ

For the outcry of pain over the defeat has circled the borders of Moav; its wailing reaches until Eglayim and its wailing reaches to Be’er Eilim. The locations of Eglayim and Be’er Eilim are unknown.

כִּי מֵי דִימוֹן מָלְאוּ דָם כִּי אָשִׁית עַל דִּימוֹן נוֹסָפוֹת לִפְלֵיטַת מוֹאָב אַרְיֵה וְלִשְׁאֵרִית אֲדָמָה

For the waters of the Dimon River are filled with blood, as I will wreak more blood upon Dimon. The people will flee from city to city; they will die by the sword and of starvation, and many a lion will be for chasing the refugees of Moav and to the remnant of the land. At the time, lions were common in the lower Jordan Valley.