Isaiah 16:14
New International Version
But now the LORD says: “Within three years, as a servant bound by contract would count them, Moab’s splendor and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble.”

New Living Translation
But now the LORD says, “Within three years, counting each day, the glory of Moab will be ended. From its great population, only a feeble few will be left alive.”

English Standard Version
But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.”

Berean Standard Bible
And now the LORD says, “In three years, as a hired worker counts the years, Moab’s splendor will become an object of contempt, with all her many people. And those who are left will be few and feeble.”

King James Bible
But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.

New King James Version
But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as the years of a hired man, the glory of Moab will be despised with all that great multitude, and the remnant will be very small and feeble.”

New American Standard Bible
But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as a hired worker would count them, the glory of Moab will become contemptible along with all his great population, and his remnant will be very small and impotent.”

NASB 1995
But now the LORD speaks, saying, “Within three years, as a hired man would count them, the glory of Moab will be degraded along with all his great population, and his remnant will be very small and impotent.”

NASB 1977
But now the LORD speaks, saying, “Within three years, as a hired man would count them, the glory of Moab will be degraded along with all his great population, and his remnant will be very small and impotent.”

Legacy Standard Bible
But now Yahweh speaks, saying, “Within three years, as a hired man would count them, the glory of Moab will be dishonored along with all his great population, and his remnant will be very small and not mighty.”

Amplified Bible
But now the LORD speaks, saying, “Within three years, as the years of a hired man [who will not serve longer than the agreed time], the glory of Moab will be degraded along with all the great population, and the remnant [that survives] will be very small and of no account.”

Christian Standard Bible
And now the LORD says, “In three years, as a hired worker counts years, Moab’s splendor will become an object of contempt, in spite of a very large population. And those who are left will be few and weak.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And now the LORD says, “In three years, as a hired worker counts years, Moab’s splendor will become an object of contempt, in spite of a very large population. And those who are left will be few and weak.”

American Standard Version
But now Jehovah hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of a hireling, the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and of no account.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And now LORD JEHOVAH speaks and says: “In three years, as the years of a hired man, the honor of Moab shall be despised for the abundance of his people, and a very few shall be left and not great”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And now I say, in three years, of the years of an hireling, the glory of Moab shall be dishonoured with all his great wealth; and he shall be left few in number, and not honoured.

Contemporary English Version
Now he says, "The contract of a hired worker is good for three years, but Moab's glory and greatness won't last any longer than that. Only a few of its people will survive, and they will be left helpless."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And now the Lord hath spoken, saying: In three years, as the years of a hireling, the glory of Moab shall be taken away for all the multitude of the people, and it shall be left small and feeble, not many.

English Revised Version
But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and of no account.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But now the LORD says, "Moab's honor will be despised within three years. I will count them like workers count the years left of their contracts. In spite of their great number, the survivors will be very few and powerless."

Good News Translation
And now the LORD says, "In exactly three years Moab's great wealth will disappear. Of its many people, only a few will survive, and they will be weak."

International Standard Version
But now the LORD has spoken again: "Within three years, like the years of a contract worker, Moab's glory will be brought into contempt, in spite of all its great multitude, and its survivors will be very few and of no importance."

JPS Tanakh 1917
But now the LORD hath spoken, saying: 'Within three years, as the years of a hireling, and the glory of Moab shall wax contemptible for all his great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and without strength.'

Literal Standard Version
And now YHWH has spoken, saying, “In three years, as years of a hired worker, | The glory of Moab is lightly esteemed, | With all the great multitude, | And the remnant [is] little, small, not mighty!”

Majority Standard Bible
And now the LORD says, “In three years, as a hired worker counts the years, Moab’s splendor will become an object of contempt, with all her many people. And those who are left will be few and feeble.”

New American Bible
But now the LORD speaks: In three years, like the years of a hired laborer, the glory of Moab shall be empty despite all its great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and weak.

NET Bible
Now the LORD makes this announcement: "Within exactly three years Moab's splendor will disappear, along with all her many people; there will be just a few, insignificant survivors left."

New Revised Standard Version
But now the LORD says, In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all its great multitude; and those who survive will be very few and feeble.

New Heart English Bible
But now the LORD has spoken, saying, "Within three years, as a worker bound by contract would count them, the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude; and the remnant will be very small and feeble."

Webster's Bible Translation
But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of a hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.

World English Bible
But now Yahweh has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as a worker bound by contract would count them, the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude; and the remnant will be very small and feeble.”

Young's Literal Translation
And now hath Jehovah spoken, saying, 'In three years, as years of an hireling, Lightly esteemed is the honour of Moab, With all the great multitude, And the remnant is little, small, not mighty!'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prophecy of Moab's Devastation
13This is the message that the LORD spoke earlier concerning Moab. 14And now the LORD says, “In three years, as a hired worker counts the years, Moab’s splendor will become an object of contempt, with all her many people. And those who are left will be few and feeble.”

Cross References
Job 7:1
"Is not man consigned to labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired hand?

Job 14:6
look away from him and let him rest, so he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.

Isaiah 11:14
They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west; together they will plunder the sons of the east. They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.

Isaiah 16:13
This is the message that the LORD spoke earlier concerning Moab.

Isaiah 21:16
For this is what the Lord says to me: "Within one year, as a hired worker would count it, all the glory of Kedar will be gone.

Isaiah 25:10
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place as straw is trodden into the dung pile.

Isaiah 25:11
He will spread out his hands within it, as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim. His pride will be brought low, despite the skill of his hands.


Treasury of Scripture

But now the LORD has spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.

three

Isaiah 7:16
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Isaiah 15:5
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.

Isaiah 21:16
For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:

the glory

Isaiah 17:4
And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.

Isaiah 23:9
The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

Genesis 31:1
And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory.

and the remnant

Jeremiah 48:46,47
Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives…

feeble.

Jump to Previous
Bound Contemned Contempt Contemptible Contract Count Degraded Feeble Glory Great Hired Hireling Impotent Moab Moab's Multitude Population Remnant Servant Small Speaks Splendor Strength Survive Three Wax Within Worker
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Bound Contemned Contempt Contemptible Contract Count Degraded Feeble Glory Great Hired Hireling Impotent Moab Moab's Multitude Population Remnant Servant Small Speaks Splendor Strength Survive Three Wax Within Worker
Isaiah 16
1. Moab is exhorted to yield obedience to the throne of David
6. Moab is threatened for her pride
9. The prophet bewails her
12. The judgment of Moab














(14) But now the Lord hath spoken . . .--The point of contrast seems to lie in the vaguer character of what had gone before, and the specific defined prediction that follows. "Within three years," measured with the exactness of the hired labourer, who will not give more than he has contracted for, and of the employer, who will not take less. The same phrase meets us in Isaiah 21:16.

The glory of Moab shall be contemned.--We may infer from the fact that the prophecy was recorded when the writings of Isaiah were collected. whether by himself or another, that men looked on it as an instance of his prevision. History is, indeed, silent as to the manner of its fulfilment. It was probable, however, that the armies of Salmaneser or Sargon swept, as those of Pul and Tiglath-pileser had done (1Chronicles 5:26), over the region east of the Jordan, and so invaded Moab. (See Note on Isaiah 17:1.) We note that here also there was to be a "remnant," but not like that of Israel, the germ of a renewed strength.

Verse 14. - But now. "Now" - an addition has been made to the prophecy. Isaiah is authorized to announce that in three years' time, counted as strictly as possible, the judgment pronounced shall fall on Moab; her "glory" shall be turned into shame, her "multitude" shall be cut off, and only a "remnant" shall be left, weak, small, and powerless. As the years of an hireling. Counted with the utmost exactness. A hireling would not consent to serve a day longer than his contract bound him, nor would his master consent that he should serve a day short of it. With all that great multitude. We have no means of accurately estimating the population of Moab. The entire area of the region which the Moabites inhabited seems to have been not more than fifteen hundred square miles. The greater part of it was, however, exceedingly fertile; and we are, perhaps, justified in allowing it a population of two hundred to the square mile, which is about that of Germany. This would give three hundred thousand inhabitants, of whom the adult males would be seventy-five thousand. Feeble; literally, not powerful; i.e. very much the contrary, very weak. Moab seems to have offered a very slight resistance to Asshur-bani-pal (G. Smith, 'History of Asshur-bani-pal,' p. 259).



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And now
וְעַתָּ֗ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

the LORD
יְהוָה֮ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

says,
דִּבֶּ֣ר (dib·ber)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

“In three
בְּשָׁלֹ֤שׁ (bə·šā·lōš)
Preposition-b | Number - feminine singular
Strong's 7969: Three, third, thrice

years,
שָׁנִים֙ (šā·nîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 8141: A year

as a hired worker
שָׂכִ֔יר (śā·ḵîr)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7916: A man at wages

counts the years,
כִּשְׁנֵ֣י (kiš·nê)
Preposition-k | Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 8141: A year

Moab’s
מוֹאָ֔ב (mō·w·’āḇ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4124: Moab -- a son of Lot,also his descendants and the territory where they settled

splendor
כְּב֣וֹד (kə·ḇō·wḏ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3519: Weight, splendor, copiousness

will become an object of contempt,
וְנִקְלָה֙ (wə·niq·lāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7034: To be lightly esteemed or dishonored

with all
בְּכֹ֖ל (bə·ḵōl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

her many
הָרָ֑ב (hā·rāḇ)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great

people.
הֶהָמ֣וֹן (he·hā·mō·wn)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1995: A noise, tumult, crowd, disquietude, wealth

And those who are left
וּשְׁאָ֥ר (ū·šə·’ār)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7605: Rest, residue, remnant

will be few
מְעַ֛ט (mə·‘aṭ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 4592: A little, fewness, a few

[and] feeble.”
ל֥וֹא (lō·w)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 16:14 But now Yahweh has spoken saying Within (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 16:13
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