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49 The Ammonites

What is this you are doing? Why are you living in the cities of the Jews? Aren’t there Jews enough to fill them up? Didn’t they inherit them from me? Why then have you, who worship Milcom, taken over Gad and all its cities? I will punish you for this, the Lord declares, by destroying your city of Rabbah. It shall become a desolate heap, and the neighboring towns shall be burned. Then Israel shall come and take back her land from you again. She shall dispossess those who dispossessed her, says the Lord.

Cry out, O Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! Weep, daughter of Rabbah! Put on garments of mourning; weep and wail, hiding in the hedges, for your god Milcom shall be exiled along with his princes and priests. You are proud of your fertile valleys, but they will soon be ruined. O wicked daughter, you trusted in your wealth and thought no one could ever harm you. But see, I will bring terror upon you, says the Lord, the Lord Almighty. For all your neighbors shall drive you from your land and none shall help your exiles as they flee. But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, says the Lord.

The Edomites

The Lord says: Where are all your wise men of days gone by? Is there not one left in all of Teman? Flee to the remotest parts of the desert, O people of Dedan;[a] for when I punish Edom, I will punish you! 9-10 Those who gather grapes leave a few for the poor, and even thieves don’t take everything, but I will strip bare the land of Esau, and there will be no place to hide. Her children, her brothers, her neighbors—all will be destroyed—and she herself will perish too. 11 (But I will preserve your fatherless children who remain, and let your widows depend upon me.)

12 The Lord says to Edom: If the innocent must suffer, how much more must you! You shall not go unpunished! You must drink this cup of judgment! 13 For I have sworn by my own name, says the Lord, that Bozrah shall become heaps of ruins, cursed and mocked; and her cities shall be eternal wastes.

14 I have heard this message from the Lord: I have sent a messenger to call the nations to form a coalition against Edom and destroy her. 15 I will make her weak among the nations and despised by all, says the Lord. 16 You have been fooled by your fame and your pride, living there in the mountains of Petra, in the clefts of the rocks. But though you live among the peaks with the eagles, I will bring you down, says the Lord.

17 The fate of Edom will be horrible; all who go by will be appalled and gasp at the sight. 18 Your cities will become as silent as Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, says the Lord. No one will live there anymore. 19 I will send against them one who will come like a lion from the wilds of Jordan stalking the sheep in the fold. Suddenly Edom shall be destroyed, and I will appoint over the Edomites the person of my choice. For who is like me, and who can call me to account? What shepherd can defy me?

20 Take note: The Lord will certainly do this to Edom and also the people of Teman—even little children will be dragged away as slaves! It will be a shocking thing to see. 21 The earth shakes with the noise of Edom’s fall; the cry of the people is heard as far away as the Red Sea. 22 The one who will come will fly as swift as a vulture and will spread his wings against Bozrah. Then the courage of the mightiest warriors will disappear like that of women in labor.

Damascus

23 The cities of Hamath and Arpad are stricken with fear, for they have heard the news of their doom. Their hearts are troubled like a wild sea in a raging storm. 24 Damascus has become feeble, and all her people turn to flee. Fear, anguish, and sorrow have gripped her as they do women in labor. 25 O famous city, city of joy, how you are forsaken now! 26 Your young men lie dead in the streets; your entire army shall be destroyed in one day, says the Lord Almighty. 27 And I will start a fire at the edge of Damascus that shall burn up the palaces of Ben-hadad.

Kedar and Hazor

28 This prophecy is about Kedar[b] and the kingdoms of Hazor that are going to be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, for the Lord will send him to destroy them:

29 Their flocks and their tents will be captured, says the Lord, with all their household goods. Their camels will be taken away, and all around will be the shouts of panic, “We are surrounded and doomed!” 30 Flee for your lives, says the Lord. Go deep into the deserts, O people of Hazor, for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has plotted against you and is preparing to destroy you.

31 “Go,” said the Lord to King Nebuchadnezzar. “Attack those wealthy Bedouin tribes living alone in the desert without a care in the world, boasting that they are self-sufficient—that they need neither walls nor gates. 32 Their camels and cattle shall all be yours, and I will scatter these heathen[c] to the winds. From all directions I will bring calamity upon them.

33 “Hazor shall be a home for wild animals of the desert. No one shall ever live there again. It shall be desolate forever.”

Elam

34 God’s message against Elam came to Jeremiah in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah:

35 The Lord says: I will destroy the army of Elam, 36 and I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds; they shall be exiled to countries throughout the world. 37 My fierce anger will bring great evil upon Elam, says the Lord, and I will cause her enemies to wipe her out. 38 And I will set my throne in Elam, says the Lord. I will destroy her king and princes. 39 But in the latter days I will bring the people back, says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 49:8 Dedan was in Northern Arabia and was a flourishing caravan city at the time of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
  2. Jeremiah 49:28 Kedar, an Arab tribe living in the desert east of Palestine. Hazor, not the Hazor mentioned in Joshua and Judges—a great city north of the Sea of Galilee, but rather, a group of Arab tribes.
  3. Jeremiah 49:32 these heathen, literally, “those who cut the corners of their hair.”

A Message About Ammon

49 Concerning the Ammonites:(A)

This is what the Lord says:

“Has Israel no sons?
    Has Israel no heir?
Why then has Molek[a](B) taken possession of Gad?(C)
    Why do his people live in its towns?
But the days are coming,”
    declares the Lord,
“when I will sound the battle cry(D)
    against Rabbah(E) of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,(F)
    and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
    those who drove her out,(G)
says the Lord.
“Wail, Heshbon,(H) for Ai(I) is destroyed!
    Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth(J) and mourn;
    rush here and there inside the walls,
for Molek(K) will go into exile,(L)
    together with his priests and officials.
Why do you boast of your valleys,
    boast of your valleys so fruitful?
Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,(M)
    you trust in your riches(N) and say,
    ‘Who will attack me?’(O)
I will bring terror on you
    from all those around you,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
“Every one of you will be driven away,
    and no one will gather the fugitives.(P)

“Yet afterward, I will restore(Q) the fortunes of the Ammonites,”
declares the Lord.

A Message About Edom(R)(S)

Concerning Edom:(T)

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?(U)
    Has counsel perished from the prudent?
    Has their wisdom decayed?
Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,(V)
    you who live in Dedan,(W)
for I will bring disaster on Esau
    at the time when I punish him.
If grape pickers came to you,
    would they not leave a few grapes?
If thieves came during the night,
    would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
10 But I will strip Esau bare;
    I will uncover his hiding places,(X)
    so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
    also his allies and neighbors,
    so there is no one(Y) to say,
11 ‘Leave your fatherless children;(Z) I will keep them alive.
    Your widows(AA) too can depend on me.’”

12 This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup(AB) must drink it, why should you go unpunished?(AC) You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13 I swear(AD) by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah(AE) will become a ruin and a curse,[b] an object of horror(AF) and reproach;(AG) and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”(AH)

14 I have heard a message from the Lord;
    an envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Assemble yourselves to attack it!
    Rise up for battle!”

15 “Now I will make you small among the nations,
    despised by mankind.
16 The terror you inspire
    and the pride(AI) of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,(AJ)
    who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nest(AK) as high as the eagle’s,
    from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an object of horror;(AL)
    all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
    because of all its wounds.(AM)
18 As Sodom(AN) and Gomorrah(AO) were overthrown,
    along with their neighboring towns,”
says the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
    no people will dwell(AP) in it.

19 “Like a lion(AQ) coming up from Jordan’s thickets(AR)
    to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Edom from its land in an instant.
    Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is like(AS) me and who can challenge me?(AT)
    And what shepherd(AU) can stand against me?”

20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom,(AV)
    what he has purposed(AW) against those who live in Teman:(AX)
The young of the flock(AY) will be dragged away;
    their pasture will be appalled at their fate.(AZ)
21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;(BA)
    their cry(BB) will resound to the Red Sea.[c]
22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop(BC) down,
    spreading its wings over Bozrah.(BD)
In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors(BE)
    will be like the heart of a woman in labor.(BF)

A Message About Damascus

23 Concerning Damascus:(BG)

“Hamath(BH) and Arpad(BI) are dismayed,
    for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
    troubled like[d] the restless sea.(BJ)
24 Damascus has become feeble,
    she has turned to flee
    and panic has gripped her;
anguish and pain have seized her,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(BK)
25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
    the town in which I delight?
26 Surely, her young men(BL) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced(BM) in that day,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
27 “I will set fire(BN) to the walls of Damascus;(BO)
    it will consume(BP) the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.(BQ)

A Message About Kedar and Hazor

28 Concerning Kedar(BR) and the kingdoms of Hazor,(BS) which Nebuchadnezzar(BT) king of Babylon attacked:

This is what the Lord says:

“Arise, and attack Kedar
    and destroy the people of the East.(BU)
29 Their tents and their flocks(BV) will be taken;
    their shelters will be carried off
    with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
    ‘Terror(BW) on every side!’

30 “Flee quickly away!
    Stay in deep caves,(BX) you who live in Hazor,(BY)
declares the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar(BZ) king of Babylon has plotted against you;
    he has devised a plan against you.

31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease,
    which lives in confidence,”
declares the Lord,
“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;(CA)
    its people live far from danger.
32 Their camels(CB) will become plunder,
    and their large herds(CC) will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the winds(CD) those who are in distant places[e](CE)
    and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor(CF) will become a haunt of jackals,(CG)
    a desolate(CH) place forever.
No one will live there;
    no people will dwell(CI) in it.”

A Message About Elam

34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(CJ) early in the reign of Zedekiah(CK) king of Judah:

35 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will break the bow(CL) of Elam,
    the mainstay of their might.
36 I will bring against Elam the four winds(CM)
    from the four quarters of heaven;(CN)
I will scatter them to the four winds,
    and there will not be a nation
    where Elam’s exiles do not go.
37 I will shatter Elam before their foes,
    before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
    even my fierce anger,”(CO)
declares the Lord.
“I will pursue them with the sword(CP)
    until I have made an end of them.
38 I will set my throne in Elam
    and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the Lord.

39 “Yet I will restore(CQ) the fortunes of Elam
    in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3
  2. Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
  3. Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds
  4. Jeremiah 49:23 Hebrew on or by
  5. Jeremiah 49:32 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads