¹And the prophet came from Riemat and spake unto him (for Riemat, which is a part of Moab, is nigh unto Syria).

²And Meqabees digged a pit and entered therein unto his neck, weeping bitter tears; he entered into repentance because of the iniquity he had committed before the LORD.

³And the LORD spake unto the prophet: "Return from the land of Judah unto Riemat, unto the Moabite ruler Meqabees. Say unto him, 'Thus saith the LORD unto thee.' Say unto him, 'I, the LORD thy Creator, sent thee by Mine own Will to destroy My country. Say not, I destroyed the honoured city, Jerusalem, by the strength of mine own power and the multitude of mine army, for it was not thou that didst this thing.'"

⁴"For that city grieved Me with all her covetousness, treachery, and lustfulness."

⁵"I forsook her and cast her away by thine hand. And now, the LORD hath forgiven thine iniquity because of the children thou hast begotten. It is not because of thee, who hardened thy heart and said, 'I compassed Jerusalem by mine own dominion and strength.'"

⁶"As those who doubt are not disciplined enough to enter repentance, be thou not a doubter; enter into repentance now, being disciplined in thine whole heart."

⁷Howbeit, those who enter into repentance with their whole heart and return not unto their former lusts and transgressions are esteemed among all who have repented.

⁸Those who return unto their Creator, the LORD, with discipline, mourning, sorrow, bowing, and many supplications are esteemed. For He spake unto them: "Ye are My treasure, ye who entered repentance after leading astray others who repented."

⁹He spake unto the proud Meqabees when he returned unto Him in repentance after being led astray: "I forgive thine iniquity because of thy fear and thy trembling; for I am the LORD thy Creator, who visiteth the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the seventh generation if the child continueth in the father's transgression, but who sheweth mercy unto ten thousand generations for those who love Me and keep My Law."

¹⁰"And now I will establish Mine oath with thee because of these children thou hast begotten." The LORD who ruleth all and honoureth Israel saith: "I will accept the repentance thou hast made for the iniquity thou hast committed."

¹¹At that time, he came forth out of the pit and bowed himself before the prophet. He sware, saying: "As I have grieved the LORD, let me do whatsoever thou desirest; let the LORD do so unto me if I depart from thee. Forasmuch as we had no Law, I did not walk steadfastly in His Commandment as did my fathers. Thou knowest that our fathers taught us to worship idols."

¹²"I am a transgressor who walked steadfastly in mine iniquity, in the hardness of my heart and the pride of my thoughts, whereby I grieved the Commandment of the LORD. But until now, I had not heard the word of the servants of the LORD, the prophets, and I walked not by the Law and the Commandment He gave me."

¹³And the prophet spake unto him, "Forasmuch as there were none of thy kindred before thee who confessed their iniquity, I know that the LORD hath received thy repentance this day."

¹⁴"But now, forsake thine idol worship and return unto the knowledge of the LORD, that thy repentance may be true," he spake unto him. And he fell down and bowed at the feet of the prophet, and the prophet raised him up and instructed him in all the good works required of him.

¹⁵And he returned unto his house, doing even as the LORD commanded him.

¹⁶And Meqabees turned his whole self unto the worship of the LORD; he put away from his house the idols, the sorceries, the worshippers of idols, the diviners, and the sorcerers.

¹⁷Morning and evening, even as the fathers did, he would examine the children he had taken captive from Jerusalem in all the Commandments of the LORD, His Ordinance, and His Law.

¹⁸From among the children he had taken captive, he set the learned ones over his house.

¹⁹He appointed also learned children to teach the younger ones, shewing them the place where they might learn the Law of the LORD which the children of Israel follow. And he heard from the captive children of Israel the Ordinance, the Law, and the Nine Laws, perceiving that the ordinances of the Moabites and the temples they had builded were vanity.

²⁰He destroyed those temples, the idols, and the sorceries, together with the sacrifices of goats and fatted sheep offered unto idols morning and evening.

²¹He destroyed the idols he was wont to worship and believe in, those unto which he sacrificed at noon and in the afternoon, following the priests and the desires of the idols.

²²Aforetime, it seemed unto him that they delivered him in all things, and he scorned not anything they told him.

²³But Meqabees forsook those works.

²⁴After he heard the words of Ra'ay the prophet, he accomplished his work in repentance. Even as the children of Israel would grieve the LORD, and then cry out unto Him when He chastised them with tribulation—all his people wrought better works than the children of Israel did in that season.

²⁵And when the LORD heard that they were taken and oppressed by the nations who brought tribulation upon them, and that they cried unto Him, He remembered the oath of their fathers; He would forgive them because of Isaac, Abraham, and Jacob.

²⁶But when He delivered them, they would forget the LORD who saved them from tribulation and return unto the worship of idols.

²⁷Then He would stir up nations against them to bring tribulation. When they were afflicted thereby, they would cry unto the LORD; because He loved them as His own creation, He would be gracious and forgive them.

²⁸But once He shielded them, they returned again unto transgression, grieving Him with the work of their hands and worshipping idols in their councils.

²⁹So He would stir up against them the Moabites, Philistines, Syrians, Midianites, and Egyptians. When these enemies overcame them, they would cry and weep. When they were made subject and ruled over, the LORD would raise up princes for them to deliver them in the time He appointed.