Jeremiah 49:3-5

Contemporary English Version

³Cry, people of Heshbon;^[a]
your town will become
a pile of rubble.^[b]
You will turn here and there,
but your path will be blocked.^[c]

Put on sackcloth^[d] and mourn,
    you citizens of Rabbah,
because the idol you worship^[e]
will be taken
    to a foreign country,
along with its priests
    and temple officials.
⁴You rebellious Ammonites
trust your wealth and ask,
    “Who could attack us?”
But I warn you not to boast
    when your strength is fading.^[f]
⁵I, the Lord All-Powerful,
will send neighboring nations
    to strike you with terror.
You will be scattered,
with no one to care
    for your refugees.

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Footnotes

49.3 Heshbon: See also 48.45; since Heshbon was near the border of Moab and Ammon, it was probably ruled by the country that was stronger at the time.
49.3 your town will become a pile of rubble: Or “because the town of Ai has been destroyed”; referring to an Ammonite town named Ai, not the town of that name near Bethel in the land of Israel.
49.3 You will turn … blocked: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
49.3 sackcloth: See the note at 4.8.
49.3 the idol you worship: Hebrew “Milcom” (see verse 1 and the note there).
49.4 when … fading: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.