Isaiah 16:4

Protection and safety The stranger and outcast

² Like fluttering birds pushed out of the nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon:

³ “Give us counsel; render a decision. Shelter us at noonday with shade as dark as night. Hide the refugees; do not betray the one who flees.

Let my fugitives stay with you; be a refuge for Moab from the destroyer.” When the oppressor has gone, destruction has ceased, and the oppressors have vanished from the land,

⁵ in loving devotion a throne will be established in the tent of David. A judge seeking justice and hastening righteousness will sit on it in faithfulness.

⁶ We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his overflowing arrogance. But his boasting is empty.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Let my fugitives stay with you; be a refuge for Moab from the destroyer.” When the oppressor has gone, destruction has ceased, and the oppressors have vanished from the land,
KJV: Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.
WEB: Let my outcasts dwell with you! As for Moab, be a hiding place for him from the face of the destroyer. For the extortionist is brought to nothing. Destruction ceases. The oppressors are consumed out of the land.
ASV: Let mine outcasts dwell with thee; as for Moab, be thou a covert to him from the face of the destroyer. For the extortioner is brought to nought, destruction ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.
DARBY: Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the waster. For the extortioner is at an end, the wasting hath ceased, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.
BLB: Let sojourn among you the outcasts of Moab; be a shelter for them from the face of the destroyer.” For the extortioner comes to an end and destruction ceases; the tramplers of the land are finished off.

ÅB: La mine fordrevne barn få herberge hos deg! Vær et skjul for Moab mot ødeleggeren! For det er forbi med voldsmannen, ødeleggelsen får ende, undertrykkerne blir borte av landet.
OTB: La Moabs utstøtte bo hos deg; gi dem ly for ødeleggeren." Undertrykkeren vil opphøre, og ødeleggelsen vil ta slutt; angriperne vil bli fjernet fra landet.
B1930: La mine fordrevne barn få herberge hos dig! Vær et skjul for Moab mot ødeleggeren! For det er forbi med voldsmannen, ødeleggelsen får ende, undertrykkerne blir borte av landet.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 14:4
you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended!
Read in context
Isaiah 9:4
For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor.
Read in context
Malachi 4:3
Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Read in context
Isaiah 51:13
But you have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You live in terror all day long because of the fury of the oppressor who is bent on destruction. But where is the fury of the oppressor?
Read in context
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.
Read in context
Jeremiah 48:18
Come down from your glory; sit on parched ground, O daughter dwelling in Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses.
Read in context
Zechariah 10:5
They will be like mighty men in battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the horsemen to shame.
Read in context
Isaiah 15:6
The waters of Nimrim are dried up, and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone, and the greenery is no more.
Read in context