The Lord says, “Bel has fallen to the ground. Nebo is kneeling before me. “Men put those idols on the backs of animals. They are only heavy burdens that must be carried. They do nothing but make people tired.
They said, “We, your servants, have many cattle. And the land that the Lord let the people of Israel capture is good land for cattle. This land includes the area around Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah, Nebo, and Beon.
That’s why you must not make friends with the people of other nations who still live among you. You must not serve or worship their gods. Don’t even mention the names of their gods when you pray or make an oath.
But those who worship other gods will have many troubles. I will not share in the gifts of blood they offer to their idols. I will not even say their names.
Long before this time, Abraham had dug many wells. After he died, the Philistines filled the wells with sand. So Isaac went back and dug those wells again. He gave them the same names his father had given them.
The fields of Heshbon and the vines of Sibmah no longer grow grapes. Foreign rulers have destroyed the vines. The enemy has reached Jazer and has spread into the desert and down to the sea.
This message is about the country of Moab. This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the people of Israel, says: “It will be bad for Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo will be ruined. The town of Kiriathaim will be humbled. It will be captured. The strong place will be humbled. It will be shattered.