Impending Destruction from the North

“O you children of Benjamin,
Gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,
And set up a signal-fire in (A)Beth Haccerem;
(B)For disaster appears out of the north,
And great destruction.

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Jerusalem Under Siege

“Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
    Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet(A) in Tekoa!(B)
    Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!(C)
For disaster looms out of the north,(D)
    even terrible destruction.

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14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, leader of the district of (A)Beth Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.

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14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem.(A) He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place.

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22 Thus says the Lord:

“Behold, a people comes from the (A)north country,
And a great nation will be raised from the farthest parts of the earth.

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22 This is what the Lord says:

“Look, an army is coming
    from the land of the north;(A)
a great nation is being stirred up
    from the ends of the earth.(B)

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An Imminent Invasion

Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:

(A)“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, ‘Gather together,’
And say, (B)‘Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.’
Set up the [a]standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the (C)north,
And great destruction.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 4:6 banner

Disaster From the North

“Announce in Judah and proclaim(A) in Jerusalem and say:
    ‘Sound the trumpet(B) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
    ‘Gather together!
    Let us flee to the fortified cities!’(C)
Raise the signal(D) to go to Zion!
    Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster(E) from the north,(F)
    even terrible destruction.”

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And he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

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Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

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And Joab sent to (A)Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, (B)and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead.

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So Joab sent someone to Tekoa(A) and had a wise woman(B) brought from there. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don’t use any cosmetic lotions.(C) Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead.

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21 (A)But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

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21 The Benjamites, however, did not drive out(A) the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem;(B) to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

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21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, according to their families, were Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar Haammoni, Ophni, and Gaba: twelve cities with their villages; 25 (A)Gibeon, (B)Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpah, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah, Eleph, (C)Jebus (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kirjath: fourteen cities with their villages. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.

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21 The tribe of Benjamin, according to its clans, had the following towns:

Jericho, Beth Hoglah,(A) Emek Keziz, 22 Beth Arabah,(B) Zemaraim,(C) Bethel,(D) 23 Avvim,(E) Parah, Ophrah,(F) 24 Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba(G)—twelve towns and their villages.

25 Gibeon,(H) Ramah,(I) Beeroth,(J) 26 Mizpah,(K) Kephirah,(L) Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zelah,(M) Haeleph, the Jebusite city(N) (that is, Jerusalem(O)), Gibeah(P) and Kiriath—fourteen towns and their villages.(Q)

This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.(R)

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Judgments on Israel’s Neighbors

The words of Amos, who was among the (A)sheepbreeders of (B)Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of (C)Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of (D)Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the (E)earthquake.

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The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa(A)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,(B) when Uzziah(C) was king of Judah and Jeroboam(D) son of Jehoash[a] was king of Israel.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash

“For thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north (A)Nebuchadnezzar[a] king of Babylon, (B)king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people. He will slay with the sword your daughter villages in the fields; he will (C)heap up a siege mound against you, build a wall against you, and raise a [b]defense against you. He will direct his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. 10 Because of the abundance of his horses, their dust will cover you; your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen, the wagons, and the chariots, when he enters your gates, as men enter a city that has been breached. 11 With the hooves of his (D)horses he will trample all your streets; he will slay your people by the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the (E)midst of the water. 13 (F)I will put an end to the sound of (G)your songs, and the sound of your harps shall be heard no more. 14 (H)I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the Lord have spoken,’ says the Lord God.

15 “Thus says the Lord God to Tyre: ‘Will the coastlands not (I)shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded cry, when slaughter is made in the midst of you? 16 Then all the (J)princes of the sea will (K)come down from their thrones, lay aside their robes, and take off their embroidered garments; they will clothe themselves with trembling; (L)they will sit on the ground, (M)tremble every moment, and (N)be astonished at you. 17 And they will take up a (O)lamentation for you, and say to you:

“How you have perished,
O one inhabited by seafaring men,
O renowned city,
Who was (P)strong at sea,
She and her inhabitants,
Who caused their terror to be on all her inhabitants!
18 Now (Q)the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall;
Yes, the coastlands by the sea are troubled at your departure.” ’

19 “For thus says the Lord God: ‘When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you, 20 then I will bring you down (R)with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory (S)in the land of the living. 21 (T)I will make you a terror, and you shall be no more; (U)though you are sought for, you will never be found again,’ says the Lord God.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 26:7 Heb. Nebuchadrezzar, and so elsewhere in the book
  2. Ezekiel 26:8 Lit. a large shield

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar[a](A) king of Babylon, king of kings,(B) with horses and chariots,(C) with horsemen and a great army. He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works(D) against you, build a ramp(E) up to your walls and raise his shields against you. He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers with his weapons.(F) 10 His horses will be so many that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will tremble at the noise of the warhorses, wagons and chariots(G) when he enters your gates as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through. 11 The hooves(H) of his horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars(I) will fall to the ground.(J) 12 They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea.(K) 13 I will put an end(L) to your noisy songs,(M) and the music of your harps(N) will be heard no more.(O) 14 I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt,(P) for I the Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.

15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Will not the coastlands(Q) tremble(R) at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan(S) and the slaughter takes place in you? 16 Then all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered(T) garments. Clothed(U) with terror, they will sit on the ground,(V) trembling(W) every moment, appalled(X) at you. 17 Then they will take up a lament(Y) concerning you and say to you:

“‘How you are destroyed, city of renown,
    peopled by men of the sea!
You were a power on the seas,
    you and your citizens;
you put your terror
    on all who lived there.(Z)
18 Now the coastlands tremble(AA)
    on the day of your fall;
the islands in the sea
    are terrified at your collapse.’(AB)

19 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths(AC) over you and its vast waters cover you,(AD) 20 then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit,(AE) to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place[b] in the land of the living.(AF) 21 I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more.(AG) You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign Lord.”(AH)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 26:7 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Ezekiel and Jeremiah
  2. Ezekiel 26:20 Septuagint; Hebrew return, and I will give glory

behold, I will send and take (A)all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (B)My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and (C)make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

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I will summon(A) all the peoples of the north(B) and my servant(C) Nebuchadnezzar(D) king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy[a](E) them and make them an object of horror and scorn,(F) and an everlasting ruin.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 25:9 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

22 Behold, the noise of the report has come,
And a great commotion out of the (A)north country,
To make the cities of Judah desolate, a (B)den of jackals.

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22 Listen! The report is coming—
    a great commotion from the land of the north!(A)
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,(B)
    a haunt of jackals.(C)

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The Coming Captivity of Judah

17 (A)Gather up your wares from the land,
O [a]inhabitant of the fortress!

18 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, I will (B)throw out at this time
The inhabitants of the land,
And will distress them,
(C)That they may find it so.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 10:17 Or you who dwell under siege

Coming Destruction

17 Gather up your belongings(A) to leave the land,
    you who live under siege.
18 For this is what the Lord says:
    “At this time I will hurl(B) out
    those who live in this land;
I will bring distress(C) on them
    so that they may be captured.”

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