Isaiah 15 (Yesha’yahu) in Hebrew and English
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Text (469) 608-9944Isaiah, Chapter 15
The burden of Mo’av: Ar and Kir of Mo’av are laid waste in a night, and from Divon, Nevo and Medeva to Cheshbon, El’aleh, Yahatz, Tzo’ar and Choronayim the people weep and howl, and the waters of Nimrim and Dimon fail and fill with blood.
15:1The burden of Mo’av (Moab). Because in the night Ar of Mo’av is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Mo’av is laid waste, and brought to silence;
אמַשָּׂ֖א מוֹאָ֑ב כִּ֠י בְּלֵ֞יל שֻׁדַּ֨ד עָ֤ר מוֹאָב֙ נִדְמָ֔ה כִּ֗י בְּלֵ֛יל שֻׁדַּ֥ד קִיר־מוֹאָ֖ב נִדְמָֽה׃
15:2He is gone up to Bayit (Bajith), and to Divon (Dibon), the high places, to weep: Mo’av shall howl over Nevo (Nebo), and over Medeva (Medeba): on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.
בעָלָ֨ה הַבַּ֧יִת וְדִיבֹ֛ן הַבָּמ֖וֹת לְבֶ֑כִי עַל־נְב֞וֹ וְעַ֤ל מֵֽידְבָא֙ מוֹאָ֣ב יְיֵלִ֔יל בְּכָל־רֹאשָׁ֣יו קָרְחָ֔ה כָּל־זָקָ֖ן גְּרוּעָֽה׃
15:3In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.
גבְּחוּצֹתָ֖יו חָ֣גְרוּ שָׂ֑ק עַ֣ל גַּגּוֹתֶ֧יהָ וּבִרְחֹבֹתֶ֛יהָ כֻּלֹּ֥ה יְיֵלִ֖יל יֹרֵ֥ד בַּבֶּֽכִי׃
15:4And Cheshbon (Heshbon) shall cry, and El’aleh (Elealeh): their voice shall be heard even unto Yahatz (Jahaz): therefore the armed soldiers of Mo’av shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.
דוַתִּזְעַ֤ק חֶשְׁבּוֹן֙ וְאֶלְעָלֵ֔ה עַד־יַ֖הַץ נִשְׁמַ֣ע קוֹלָ֑ם עַל־כֵּ֗ן חֲלֻצֵ֤י מוֹאָב֙ יָרִ֔יעוּ נַפְשׁ֖וֹ יָ֥רְעָה לּֽוֹ׃
15:5My heart shall cry out for Mo’av; his fugitives shall flee unto Tzo’ar (Zoar), an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luchit (Luhith) with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Choronayim (Horonaim) they shall raise up a cry of destruction.
הלִבִּי֙ לְמוֹאָ֣ב יִזְעָ֔ק בְּרִיחֶ֕הָ עַד־צֹ֖עַר עֶגְלַ֣ת שְׁלִשִׁיָּ֑ה כִּ֣י ׀ מַעֲלֵ֣ה הַלּוּחִ֗ית בִּבְכִי֙ יַֽעֲלֶה־בּ֔וֹ כִּ֚י דֶּ֣רֶךְ חוֹרֹנַ֔יִם זַעֲקַת־שֶׁ֖בֶר יְעֹעֵֽרוּ׃
15:6For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass fails, there is no green thing.
וכִּֽי־מֵ֥י נִמְרִ֖ים מְשַׁמּ֣וֹת יִֽהְי֑וּ כִּֽי־יָבֵ֤שׁ חָצִיר֙ כָּ֣לָה דֶ֔שֶׁא יֶ֖רֶק לֹ֥א הָיָֽה׃
15:7Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.
זעַל־כֵּ֖ן יִתְרָ֣ה עָשָׂ֑ה וּפְקֻדָּתָ֔ם עַ֛ל נַ֥חַל הָעֲרָבִ֖ים יִשָּׂאֽוּם׃
15:8For the cry is gone round about the borders of Mo’av; the howling thereof unto Eglayim (Eglaim), and the howling thereof unto Be’er Elim (Beer-elim).
חכִּֽי־הִקִּ֥יפָה הַזְּעָקָ֖ה אֶת־גְּב֣וּל מוֹאָ֑ב עַד־אֶגְלַ֨יִם֙ יִלְלָתָ֔הּ וּבְאֵ֥ר אֵילִ֖ים יִלְלָתָֽהּ׃
15:9For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapes of Mo’av, and upon the remnant of the land.
טכִּ֣י מֵ֤י דִימוֹן֙ מָ֣לְאוּ דָ֔ם כִּֽי־אָשִׁ֥ית עַל־דִּימ֖וֹן נוֹסָפ֑וֹת לִפְלֵיטַ֤ת מוֹאָב֙ אַרְיֵ֔ה וְלִשְׁאֵרִ֖ית אֲדָמָֽה׃
Sources & method
- Hebrew text
- The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. A paragraph mark (ס or פ) inside a verse is shown in small type.
- English translation
- The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yehudah (Judah)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem”; “God” (Elohim) is unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
- Verse numbers
- Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In Isaiah they differ from most English Bibles in chapters 8–9 (9:1 there is 8:23 here) and 63–64 (64:1 there is the end of 63:19 here); a note under the summary on those pages explains how.
- Hebrew font
- SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.