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Jeremiah 48-50
New King James Version
Jeremiah 48-50
New King James Version
Judgment on Moab
48 Against (A)Moab.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Woe to (B)Nebo!
For it is plundered,
(C)Kirjathaim is shamed and taken;
[a]The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—
2 (D)No more praise of Moab.
In (E)Heshbon they have devised evil against her:
‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’
You also shall be cut down, O (F)Madmen![b]
The sword shall pursue you;
3 A voice of crying shall be from (G)Horonaim:
‘Plundering and great destruction!’
4 “Moab is destroyed;
[c]Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;
5 (H)For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;
For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
6 “Flee, save your lives!
And be like [d]the (I)juniper in the wilderness.
7 For because you have trusted in your works and your (J)treasures,
You also shall be taken.
And (K)Chemosh shall go forth into captivity,
His (L)priests and his princes together.
8 And (M)the plunderer shall come against every city;
No one shall escape.
The valley also shall perish,
And the plain shall be destroyed,
As the Lord has spoken.
9 “Give(N) wings to Moab,
That she may flee and get away;
For her cities shall be desolate,
Without any to dwell in them.
10 (O)Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully,
And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
11 “Moab has been at ease from [e]his youth;
He (P)has settled on his dregs,
And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him,
And his scent has not changed.
12 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I shall send him [f]wine-workers
Who will tip him over
And empty his vessels
And break the bottles.
13 Moab shall be ashamed of (Q)Chemosh,
As the house of Israel (R)was ashamed of (S)Bethel, their confidence.
14 “How can you say, (T)‘We are mighty
And strong men for the war’?
15 Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;
Her chosen young men have (U)gone down to the slaughter,” says (V)the King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16 “The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
And his affliction comes quickly.
17 Bemoan him, all you who are around him;
And all you who know his name,
Say, (W)‘How the strong staff is broken,
The beautiful rod!’
18 “O (X)daughter inhabiting (Y)Dibon,
Come down from your glory,
And sit in thirst;
For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,
He has destroyed your strongholds.
19 O inhabitant of (Z)Aroer,
(AA)Stand by the way and watch;
Ask him who flees
And her who escapes;
Say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.
(AB)Wail and cry!
Tell it in (AC)Arnon, that Moab is plundered.
21 “And judgment has come on the plain country:
On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,
22 On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23 On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24 On (AD)Kerioth and Bozrah,
On all the cities of the land of Moab,
Far or near.
25 (AE)The [g]horn of Moab is cut off,
And his (AF)arm is broken,” says the Lord.
26 “Make(AG) him drunk,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
Moab shall wallow in his vomit,
And he shall also be in derision.
27 For (AH)was not Israel a derision to you?
(AI)Was he found among thieves?
For whenever you speak of him,
You shake your head in (AJ)scorn.
28 You who dwell in Moab,
Leave the cities and (AK)dwell in the rock,
And be like (AL)the dove which makes her nest
In the sides of the cave’s mouth.
29 “We have heard the (AM)pride of Moab
(He is exceedingly proud),
Of his loftiness and arrogance and (AN)pride,
And of the haughtiness of his heart.”
30 “I know his wrath,” says the Lord,
“But it is not right;
(AO)His [h]lies have made nothing right.
31 Therefore (AP)I will wail for Moab,
And I will cry out for all Moab;
[i]I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
32 (AQ)O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of (AR)Jazer.
Your plants have gone over the sea,
They reach to the sea of Jazer.
The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.
33 (AS)Joy and gladness are taken
From the plentiful field
And from the land of Moab;
I have caused wine to [j]fail from the winepresses;
No one will tread with joyous shouting—
Not joyous shouting!
34 “From(AT) the cry of Heshbon to (AU)Elealeh and to Jahaz
They have uttered their voice,
(AV)From Zoar to Horonaim,
Like [k]a three-year-old heifer;
For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.
35 “Moreover,” says the Lord,
“I will cause to cease in Moab
(AW)The one who offers sacrifices in the [l]high places
And burns incense to his gods.
36 Therefore (AX)My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab,
And like flutes My heart shall wail
For the men of Kir Heres.
Therefore (AY)the riches they have acquired have perished.
37 “For (AZ)every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;
On all the hands shall be cuts, and (BA)on the loins sackcloth—
38 A general lamentation
On all the (BB)housetops of Moab,
And in its streets;
For I have (BC)broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.
39 “They shall wail:
‘How she is broken down!
How Moab has turned her back with shame!’
So Moab shall be a derision
And a dismay to all those about her.”
40 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, (BD)one shall fly like an eagle,
And (BE)spread his wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth is taken,
And the strongholds are surprised;
(BF)The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed (BG)as a people,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
43 (BH)Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.
44 “He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit,
And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the (BI)snare.
For upon Moab, upon it (BJ)I will bring
The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.
45 “Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon
Because of exhaustion.
But (BK)a fire shall come out of Heshbon,
A flame from the midst of (BL)Sihon,
And (BM)shall devour the brow of Moab,
The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.
46 (BN)Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh perish;
For your sons have been taken captive,
And your daughters captive.
47 “Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab
(BO)In the latter days,” says the Lord.
Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
Judgment on Ammon
49 Against the (BP)Ammonites.
Thus says the Lord:
“Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then does [m]Milcom inherit (BQ)Gad,
And his people dwell in its cities?
2 (BR)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will cause to be heard an alarm of war
In (BS)Rabbah of the Ammonites;
It shall be a desolate mound,
And her [n]villages shall be burned with fire.
Then Israel shall take possession of his inheritance,” says the Lord.
3 “Wail, O (BT)Heshbon, for Ai is plundered!
Cry, you daughters of Rabbah,
(BU)Gird yourselves with sackcloth!
Lament and run to and fro by the walls;
For [o]Milcom shall go into captivity
With his (BV)priests and his princes together.
4 Why (BW)do you boast in the valleys,
[p]Your flowing valley, O (BX)backsliding daughter?
Who trusted in her (BY)treasures, (BZ)saying,
‘Who will come against me?’
5 Behold, I will bring fear upon you,”
Says the Lord God of hosts,
“From all those who are around you;
You shall be driven out, everyone headlong,
And no one will gather those who wander off.
6 But (CA)afterward I will bring back
The captives of the people of Ammon,” says the Lord.
Judgment on Edom
7 (CB)Against Edom.
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
(CC)“Is wisdom no more in Teman?
(CD)Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom (CE)vanished?
8 Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of (CF)Dedan!
For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,
The time that I will punish him.
9 (CG)If grape-gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
If thieves by night,
Would they not destroy until they have enough?
10 (CH)But I have made Esau bare;
I have uncovered his secret places,
And he shall not be able to hide himself.
His descendants are plundered,
His brethren and his neighbors,
And (CI)he is no more.
11 Leave your fatherless children,
I will preserve them alive;
And let your widows trust in Me.”
12 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, (CJ)those whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And are you the one who will altogether go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink of it. 13 For (CK)I have sworn by Myself,” says the Lord, “that (CL)Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a [q]waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual [r]wastes.”
14 (CM)I have heard a message from the Lord,
And an ambassador has been sent to the nations:
“Gather together, come against her,
And rise up to battle!
15 “For indeed, I will make you small among nations,
Despised among men.
16 Your fierceness has deceived you,
The (CN)pride of your heart,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Who hold the height of the hill!
(CO)Though you make your (CP)nest as high as the eagle,
(CQ)I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.
17 “Edom also shall be an astonishment;
(CR)Everyone who goes by it will be astonished
And will hiss at all its plagues.
18 (CS)As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
And their neighbors,” says the Lord,
“No one shall remain there,
Nor shall a son of man dwell in it.
19 “Behold,(CT) he shall come up like a lion from (CU)the [s]floodplain of the Jordan
Against the dwelling place of the strong;
But I will suddenly make him run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For (CV)who is like Me?
Who will arraign Me?
And (CW)who is that shepherd
Who will withstand Me?”
20 (CX)Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord that He has taken against Edom,
And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman:
Surely the least of the flock shall [t]draw them out;
Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them.
21 (CY)The earth shakes at the noise of their fall;
At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea.
22 Behold, (CZ)He shall come up and fly like the eagle,
And spread His wings over Bozrah;
The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
Judgment on Damascus
23 (DA)Against Damascus.
(DB)“Hamath and Arpad are shamed,
For they have heard bad news.
They are fainthearted;
(DC)There is [u]trouble on the sea;
It cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus has grown feeble;
She turns to flee,
And fear has seized her.
(DD)Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in [v]labor.
25 Why is (DE)the city of praise not deserted, the city of My joy?
26 (DF)Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets,
And all the men of war shall be cut off in that day,” says the Lord of hosts.
27 “I(DG) will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,
And it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.”
Judgment on Kedar and Hazor
28 (DH)Against Kedar and against the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall strike.
Thus says the Lord:
“Arise, go up to Kedar,
And devastate (DI)the men of the East!
29 Their (DJ)tents and their flocks they shall take away.
They shall take for themselves their curtains,
All their vessels and their camels;
And they shall cry out to them,
(DK)‘Fear is on every side!’
30 “Flee, get far away! Dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor!” says the Lord.
“For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you,
And has conceived a plan against you.
31 “Arise, go up to (DL)the wealthy nation that dwells securely,” says the Lord,
“Which has neither gates nor bars,
(DM)Dwelling alone.
32 Their camels shall be for booty,
And the multitude of their cattle for plunder.
I will (DN)scatter to all winds those [w]in the farthest corners,
And I will bring their calamity from all its sides,” says the Lord.
33 “Hazor (DO)shall be a dwelling for jackals, a desolation forever;
No one shall reside there,
Nor son of man dwell in it.”
Judgment on Elam
34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against (DP)Elam, in the (DQ)beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, 35 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘Behold, I will break (DR)the [x]bow of Elam,
The foremost of their might.
36 Against Elam I will bring the four winds
From the four quarters of heaven,
And scatter them toward all those winds;
There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go.
37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies
And before those who seek their life.
(DS)I will bring disaster upon them,
My fierce anger,’ says the Lord;
‘And I will send the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
38 I will (DT)set My throne in Elam,
And will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the Lord.
39 ‘But it shall come to pass (DU)in the latter days:
I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the Lord.”
Judgment on Babylon and Babylonia
50 The word that the Lord spoke (DV)against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
2 “Declare among the nations,
Proclaim, and [y]set up a standard;
Proclaim—do not conceal it—
Say, ‘Babylon is (DW)taken, (DX)Bel is shamed.
[z]Merodach is broken in pieces;
(DY)Her idols are humiliated,
Her images are broken in pieces.’
3 (DZ)For out of the north (EA)a nation comes up against her,
Which shall make her land desolate,
And no one shall dwell therein.
They shall [aa]move, they shall depart,
Both man and beast.
4 “In those days and in that time,” says the Lord,
“The children of Israel shall come,
(EB)They and the children of Judah together;
(EC)With continual weeping they shall come,
(ED)And seek the Lord their God.
5 They shall ask the way to Zion,
With their faces toward it, saying,
‘Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord
In (EE)a perpetual covenant
That will not be forgotten.’
6 “My people have been (EF)lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them (EG)astray;
They have turned them away on (EH)the mountains.
They have gone from mountain to hill;
They have forgotten their resting place.
7 All who found them have (EI)devoured them;
And (EJ)their adversaries said, (EK)‘We have not offended,
Because they have sinned against the Lord, (EL)the habitation of justice,
The Lord, (EM)the hope of their fathers.’
8 “Move(EN) from the midst of Babylon,
Go out of the land of the Chaldeans;
And be like the [ab]rams before the flocks.
9 (EO)For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon
An assembly of great nations from the north country,
And they shall array themselves against her;
From there she shall be captured.
Their arrows shall be like those of [ac]an expert warrior;
(EP)None shall return in vain.
10 And Chaldea shall become plunder;
(EQ)All who plunder her shall be satisfied,” says the Lord.
11 “Because(ER) you were glad, because you rejoiced,
You destroyers of My heritage,
Because you have grown fat (ES)like a heifer threshing grain,
And you [ad]bellow like bulls,
12 Your mother shall be deeply ashamed;
She who bore you shall be ashamed.
Behold, the least of the nations shall be a (ET)wilderness,
A dry land and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of the Lord
She shall not be inhabited,
(EU)But she shall be wholly desolate.
(EV)Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified
And hiss at all her plagues.
14 “Put(EW) yourselves in array against Babylon all around,
All you who bend the bow;
Shoot at her, spare no arrows,
For she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout against her all around;
She has (EX)given her hand,
Her foundations have fallen,
(EY)Her walls are thrown down;
For (EZ)it is the vengeance of the Lord.
Take vengeance on her.
As she has done, so do to her.
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon,
And him who handles the sickle at harvest time.
For fear of the oppressing sword
(FA)Everyone shall turn to his own people,
And everyone shall flee to his own land.
17 “Israel is like (FB)scattered sheep;
(FC)The lions have driven him away.
First (FD)the king of Assyria devoured him;
Now at last this (FE)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.”
18 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land,
As I have punished the king of (FF)Assyria.
19 (FG)But I will bring back Israel to his home,
And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan;
His soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days and in that time,” says the Lord,
(FH)“The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;
And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found;
For I will pardon those (FI)whom I preserve.
21 “Go up against the land of Merathaim, against it,
And against the inhabitants of (FJ)Pekod.
[ae]Waste and utterly destroy them,” says the Lord,
“And do (FK)according to all that I have commanded you.
22 (FL)A sound of battle is in the land,
And of great destruction.
23 How (FM)the hammer of the whole earth has been cut apart and broken!
How Babylon has become a desolation among the nations!
24 I have laid a snare for you;
You have indeed been (FN)trapped, O Babylon,
And you were not aware;
You have been found and also caught,
Because you have (FO)contended against the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened His armory,
And has brought out (FP)the weapons of His indignation;
For this is the work of the Lord God of hosts
In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from the farthest border;
Open her storehouses;
Cast her up as heaps of ruins,
And destroy her utterly;
Let nothing of her be left.
27 Slay all her (FQ)bulls,
Let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them!
For their day has come, the time of (FR)their punishment.
28 The voice of those who flee and escape from the land of Babylon
(FS)Declares in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God,
The vengeance of His temple.
29 “Call together the archers against Babylon.
All you who bend the bow, encamp against it all around;
Let none of them [af]escape.
(FT)Repay her according to her work;
According to all she has done, do to her;
(FU)For she has been proud against the Lord,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 (FV)Therefore her young men shall fall in the streets,
And all her men of war shall be cut off in that day,” says the Lord.
31 “Behold, I am against you,
O most haughty one!” says the Lord God of hosts;
“For your day has come,
[ag]The time that I will punish you.
32 The most (FW)proud shall stumble and fall,
And no one will raise him up;
(FX)I will kindle a fire in his cities,
And it will devour all around him.”
33 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“The children of Israel were oppressed,
Along with the children of Judah;
All who took them captive have held them fast;
They have refused to let them go.
34 (FY)Their Redeemer is strong;
(FZ)The Lord of hosts is His name.
He will thoroughly plead their (GA)case,
That He may give rest to the land,
And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 “A sword is against the Chaldeans,” says the Lord,
“Against the inhabitants of Babylon,
And (GB)against her princes and (GC)her wise men.
36 A sword is (GD)against the soothsayers, and they will be fools.
A sword is against her mighty men, and they will be dismayed.
37 A sword is against their horses,
Against their chariots,
And against all (GE)the mixed peoples who are in her midst;
And (GF)they will become like women.
A sword is against her treasures, and they will be robbed.
38 (GG)A [ah]drought is against her waters, and they will be dried up.
For it is the land of carved images,
And they are insane with their idols.
39 “Therefore(GH) the wild desert beasts shall dwell there with the jackals,
And the ostriches shall dwell in it.
(GI)It shall be inhabited no more forever,
Nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 (GJ)As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah
And their neighbors,” says the Lord,
“So no one shall reside there,
Nor son of man (GK)dwell in it.
41 “Behold,(GL) a people shall come from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
42 (GM)They shall hold the bow and the lance;
(GN)They are cruel and shall not show mercy.
(GO)Their voice shall roar like the sea;
They shall ride on horses,
Set in array, like a man for the battle,
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.
43 “The king of Babylon has (GP)heard the report about them,
And his hands grow feeble;
Anguish has taken hold of him,
Pangs as of a woman in (GQ)childbirth.
44 “Behold,(GR) he shall come up like a lion from the [ai]floodplain of the Jordan
Against the dwelling place of the strong;
But I will make them suddenly run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For who is like Me?
Who will arraign Me?
And (GS)who is that shepherd
Who will withstand Me?”
45 Therefore hear (GT)the counsel of the Lord that He has taken against Babylon,
And His (GU)purposes that He has proposed against the land of the Chaldeans:
(GV)Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;
Surely He will make their dwelling place desolate with them.
46 (GW)At the noise of the taking of Babylon
The earth trembles,
And the cry is heard among the nations.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 48:1 Heb. Misgab
- Jeremiah 48:2 A city of Moab
- Jeremiah 48:4 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX Proclaim it in Zoar
- Jeremiah 48:6 Or Aroer, a city of Moab
- Jeremiah 48:11 Heb. uses masc. and fem. pronouns interchangeably in this chapter.
- Jeremiah 48:12 Lit. tippers of wine bottles
- Jeremiah 48:25 Strength
- Jeremiah 48:30 idle talk
- Jeremiah 48:31 So with DSS, LXX, Vg.; MT He
- Jeremiah 48:33 cease
- Jeremiah 48:34 Or The Third Eglath, an unknown city, Is. 15:5
- Jeremiah 48:35 Places for pagan worship
- Jeremiah 49:1 Heb. Malcam, lit. their king; an Ammonite god, 1 Kin. 11:5; Molech, Lev. 18:21
- Jeremiah 49:2 Lit. daughters
- Jeremiah 49:3 See v. 1
- Jeremiah 49:4 Lit. Your valley is flowing
- Jeremiah 49:13 ruin
- Jeremiah 49:13 ruins
- Jeremiah 49:19 Or thicket
- Jeremiah 49:20 Or drag them away
- Jeremiah 49:23 anxiety
- Jeremiah 49:24 childbirth
- Jeremiah 49:32 Lit. cut off at the corner, Jer. 9:26; 25:23
- Jeremiah 49:35 Power
- Jeremiah 50:2 lift
- Jeremiah 50:2 Or Marduk; a Babylonian god
- Jeremiah 50:3 Or wander
- Jeremiah 50:8 male goats
- Jeremiah 50:9 So with some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr.; MT, Tg., Vg. a warrior who makes childless
- Jeremiah 50:11 Or neigh like steeds
- Jeremiah 50:21 Or Attack with the sword
- Jeremiah 50:29 Qr., some Heb. mss., LXX, Tg. add to her
- Jeremiah 50:31 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. The time of your punishment
- Jeremiah 50:38 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; Syr. sword; LXX omits A drought is
- Jeremiah 50:44 Or thicket
Jeremiah 48-50
New International Version
Jeremiah 48-50
New International Version
A Message About Moab(A)
48 Concerning Moab:(B)
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Woe to Nebo,(C) for it will be ruined.
Kiriathaim(D) will be disgraced and captured;
the stronghold[a] will be disgraced and shattered.
2 Moab will be praised(E) no more;
in Heshbon[b](F) people will plot her downfall:
‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’(G)
You, the people of Madmen,[c] will also be silenced;
the sword will pursue you.
3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,(H)
cries of great havoc and destruction.
4 Moab will be broken;
her little ones will cry out.[d]
5 They go up the hill to Luhith,(I)
weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaim(J)
anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
6 Flee!(K) Run for your lives;
become like a bush[e] in the desert.(L)
7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches,(M)
you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh(N) will go into exile,(O)
together with his priests and officials.(P)
8 The destroyer(Q) will come against every town,
and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
and the plateau(R) destroyed,
because the Lord has spoken.
9 Put salt(S) on Moab,
for she will be laid waste[f];(T)
her towns will become desolate,
with no one to live in them.
10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps their sword(U) from bloodshed!(V)
11 “Moab has been at rest(W) from youth,
like wine left on its dregs,(X)
not poured from one jar to another—
she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged.
12 But days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I will send men who pour from pitchers,
and they will pour her out;
they will empty her pitchers
and smash her jars.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed(Y) of Chemosh,(Z)
as Israel was ashamed
when they trusted in Bethel.(AA)
14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors,(AB)
men valiant in battle’?
15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
her finest young men(AC) will go down in the slaughter,(AD)”
declares the King,(AE) whose name is the Lord Almighty.(AF)
16 “The fall of Moab is at hand;(AG)
her calamity will come quickly.
17 Mourn for her, all who live around her,
all who know her fame;(AH)
say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter,(AI)
how broken the glorious staff!’
18 “Come down from your glory
and sit on the parched ground,(AJ)
you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,(AK)
for the one who destroys Moab
will come up against you
and ruin your fortified cities.(AL)
19 Stand by the road and watch,
you who live in Aroer.(AM)
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
ask them, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
Wail(AN) and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon(AO)
that Moab is destroyed.
21 Judgment has come to the plateau(AP)—
to Holon,(AQ) Jahzah(AR) and Mephaath,(AS)
22 to Dibon,(AT) Nebo(AU) and Beth Diblathaim,
23 to Kiriathaim,(AV) Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,(AW)
24 to Kerioth(AX) and Bozrah(AY)—
to all the towns(AZ) of Moab, far and near.
25 Moab’s horn[g](BA) is cut off;
her arm(BB) is broken,”
declares the Lord.
26 “Make her drunk,(BC)
for she has defied(BD) the Lord.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;(BE)
let her be an object of ridicule.(BF)
27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?(BG)
Was she caught among thieves,(BH)
that you shake your head(BI) in scorn(BJ)
whenever you speak of her?
28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,
you who live in Moab.
Be like a dove(BK) that makes its nest
at the mouth of a cave.(BL)
29 “We have heard of Moab’s pride(BM)—
how great is her arrogance!—
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
and the haughtiness(BN) of her heart.
30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”
declares the Lord,
“and her boasts(BO) accomplish nothing.
31 Therefore I wail(BP) over Moab,
for all Moab I cry out,
I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.(BQ)
32 I weep for you, as Jazer(BR) weeps,
you vines of Sibmah.(BS)
Your branches spread as far as the sea[h];
they reached as far as[i] Jazer.
The destroyer has fallen
on your ripened fruit and grapes.
33 Joy and gladness are gone
from the orchards and fields of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine(BT) from the presses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy.(BU)
Although there are shouts,
they are not shouts of joy.
34 “The sound of their cry rises
from Heshbon(BV) to Elealeh(BW) and Jahaz,(BX)
from Zoar(BY) as far as Horonaim(BZ) and Eglath Shelishiyah,
for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.(CA)
35 In Moab I will put an end
to those who make offerings on the high places(CB)
and burn incense(CC) to their gods,”
declares the Lord.
36 “So my heart laments(CD) for Moab like the music of a pipe;
it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.(CE)
The wealth they acquired(CF) is gone.
37 Every head is shaved(CG)
and every beard(CH) cut off;
every hand is slashed
and every waist is covered with sackcloth.(CI)
38 On all the roofs in Moab
and in the public squares(CJ)
there is nothing but mourning,
for I have broken Moab
like a jar(CK) that no one wants,”
declares the Lord.
39 “How shattered(CL) she is! How they wail!
How Moab turns her back in shame!
Moab has become an object of ridicule,(CM)
an object of horror to all those around her.”
40 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! An eagle is swooping(CN) down,
spreading its wings(CO) over Moab.
41 Kerioth[j](CP) will be captured
and the strongholds taken.
In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors(CQ)
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.(CR)
42 Moab will be destroyed(CS) as a nation(CT)
because she defied(CU) the Lord.
43 Terror(CV) and pit and snare(CW) await you,
you people of Moab,”
declares the Lord.
44 “Whoever flees(CX) from the terror
will fall into a pit,
whoever climbs out of the pit
will be caught in a snare;
for I will bring on Moab
the year(CY) of her punishment,”
declares the Lord.
45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
the fugitives stand helpless,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the midst of Sihon;(CZ)
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls(DA) of the noisy boasters.
46 Woe to you, Moab!(DB)
The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
and your daughters into captivity.
47 “Yet I will restore(DC) the fortunes of Moab
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.
Here ends the judgment on Moab.
A Message About Ammon
49 Concerning the Ammonites:(DD)
This is what the Lord says:
“Has Israel no sons?
Has Israel no heir?
Why then has Molek[k](DE) taken possession of Gad?(DF)
Why do his people live in its towns?
2 But the days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I will sound the battle cry(DG)
against Rabbah(DH) of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,(DI)
and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
those who drove her out,(DJ)”
says the Lord.
3 “Wail, Heshbon,(DK) for Ai(DL) is destroyed!
Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth(DM) and mourn;
rush here and there inside the walls,
for Molek(DN) will go into exile,(DO)
together with his priests and officials.
4 Why do you boast of your valleys,
boast of your valleys so fruitful?
Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,(DP)
you trust in your riches(DQ) and say,
‘Who will attack me?’(DR)
5 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.(DS)
6 “Yet afterward, I will restore(DT) the fortunes of the Ammonites,”
declares the Lord.
A Message About Edom(DU)(DV)
7 Concerning Edom:(DW)
This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?(DX)
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8 Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,(DY)
you who live in Dedan,(DZ)
for I will bring disaster on Esau
at the time when I punish him.
9 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,(EA)
so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
also his allies and neighbors,
so there is no one(EB) to say,
11 ‘Leave your fatherless children;(EC) I will keep them alive.
Your widows(ED) too can depend on me.’”
12 This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup(EE) must drink it, why should you go unpunished?(EF) You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13 I swear(EG) by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah(EH) will become a ruin and a curse,[l] an object of horror(EI) and reproach;(EJ) and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”(EK)
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(EL) of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,(EM)
who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nest(EN) as high as the eagle’s,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an object of horror;(EO)
all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
because of all its wounds.(EP)
18 As Sodom(EQ) and Gomorrah(ER) were overthrown,
along with their neighboring towns,”
says the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell(ES) in it.
19 “Like a lion(ET) coming up from Jordan’s thickets(EU)
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(EV) me and who can challenge me?(EW)
And what shepherd(EX) can stand against me?”
20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom,(EY)
what he has purposed(EZ) against those who live in Teman:(FA)
The young of the flock(FB) will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.(FC)
21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;(FD)
their cry(FE) will resound to the Red Sea.[m]
22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop(FF) down,
spreading its wings over Bozrah.(FG)
In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors(FH)
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.(FI)
A Message About Damascus
23 Concerning Damascus:(FJ)
“Hamath(FK) and Arpad(FL) are dismayed,
for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
troubled like[n] the restless sea.(FM)
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.(FN)
25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
the town in which I delight?
26 Surely, her young men(FO) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced(FP) in that day,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
27 “I will set fire(FQ) to the walls of Damascus;(FR)
it will consume(FS) the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.(FT)”
A Message About Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning Kedar(FU) and the kingdoms of Hazor,(FV) which Nebuchadnezzar(FW) king of Babylon attacked:
This is what the Lord says:
“Arise, and attack Kedar
and destroy the people of the East.(FX)
29 Their tents and their flocks(FY) will be taken;
their shelters will be carried off
with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
‘Terror(FZ) on every side!’
30 “Flee quickly away!
Stay in deep caves,(GA) you who live in Hazor,(GB)”
declares the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar(GC) 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;(GD)
its people live far from danger.
32 Their camels(GE) will become plunder,
and their large herds(GF) will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the winds(GG) those who are in distant places[o](GH)
and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor(GI) will become a haunt of jackals,(GJ)
a desolate(GK) place forever.
No one will live there;
no people will dwell(GL) in it.”
A Message About Elam
34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(GM) early in the reign of Zedekiah(GN) king of Judah:
35 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will break the bow(GO) of Elam,
the mainstay of their might.
36 I will bring against Elam the four winds(GP)
from the four quarters of heaven;(GQ)
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,”(GR)
declares the Lord.
“I will pursue them with the sword(GS)
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(GT) the fortunes of Elam
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.
A Message About Babylon(GU)
50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon(GV) and the land of the Babylonians[p]:
2 “Announce and proclaim(GW) among the nations,
lift up a banner(GX) and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;(GY)
Bel(GZ) will be put to shame,(HA)
Marduk(HB) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols(HC) filled with terror.’
3 A nation from the north(HD) will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live(HE) in it;
both people and animals(HF) will flee away.
4 “In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together(HG)
will go in tears(HH) to seek(HI) the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way(HJ) to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come(HK) and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant(HL)
that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have been lost sheep;(HM)
their shepherds(HN) have led them astray(HO)
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill(HP)
and forgot their own resting place.(HQ)
7 Whoever found them devoured(HR) them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,(HS)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
the Lord, the hope(HT) of their ancestors.’
8 “Flee(HU) out of Babylon;(HV)
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.
9 For I will stir(HW) up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nations(HX) from the land of the north.(HY)
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.(HZ)
Their arrows(IA) will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
10 So Babylonia[q] will be plundered;(IB)
all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.
11 “Because you rejoice and are glad,
you who pillage my inheritance,(IC)
because you frolic like a heifer(ID) threshing grain
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother will be greatly ashamed;
she who gave you birth will be disgraced.(IE)
She will be the least of the nations—
a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.(IF)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
but will be completely desolate.(IG)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;(IH)
they will scoff(II) because of all her wounds.(IJ)
14 “Take up your positions around Babylon,
all you who draw the bow.(IK)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,(IL)
for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout(IM) against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
her walls(IN) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance(IO) of the Lord,
take vengeance on her;
do to her(IP) as she has done to others.(IQ)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword(IR) of the oppressor
let everyone return to their own people,(IS)
let everyone flee to their own land.(IT)
17 “Israel is a scattered flock(IU)
that lions(IV) have chased away.
The first to devour(IW) them
was the king(IX) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(IY)
was Nebuchadnezzar(IZ) king(JA) of Babylon.”
18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the king(JB) of Assyria.(JC)
19 But I will bring(JD) Israel back to their own pasture,
and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied(JE)
on the hills(JF) of Ephraim and Gilead.(JG)
20 In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,(JH)
and for the sins(JI) of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive(JJ) the remnant(JK) I spare.
21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.(JL)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[r] them,”
declares the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(JM) of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
is the hammer(JN) of the whole earth!(JO)
How desolate(JP) is Babylon
among the nations!
24 I set a trap(JQ) for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(JR)
because you opposed(JS) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weapons(JT) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.(JU)
26 Come against her from afar.(JV)
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.(JW)
Completely destroy(JX) her
and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(JY)
let them go down to the slaughter!(JZ)
Woe to them! For their day(KA) has come,
the time(KB) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(KC) and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zion(KD)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(KE)
vengeance for his temple.(KF)
29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.(KG)
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.(KH)
Repay(KI) her for her deeds;(KJ)
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(KK) the Lord,
the Holy One(KL) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(KM) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(KN) you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(KO) has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(KP) one will stumble and fall(KQ)
and no one will help her up;(KR)
I will kindle a fire(KS) in her towns
that will consume all who are around her.”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“The people of Israel are oppressed,(KT)
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.(KU)
34 Yet their Redeemer(KV) is strong;
the Lord Almighty(KW) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(KX)
so that he may bring rest(KY) to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.
35 “A sword(KZ) against the Babylonians!”(LA)
declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wise(LB) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(LC)
They will be filled with terror.(LD)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(LE)
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.(LF)
A sword against her treasures!(LG)
They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[s] her waters!(LH)
They will dry(LI) up.
For it is a land of idols,(LJ)
idols that will go mad with terror.
39 “So desert creatures(LK) and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.(LL)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah(LM)
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.(LN)
41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(LO)
a great nation and many kings
are being stirred(LP) up from the ends of the earth.(LQ)
42 They are armed with bows(LR) and spears;
they are cruel(LS) and without mercy.(LT)
They sound like the roaring sea(LU)
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(LV)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.(LW)
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(LX)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(LY)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen(LZ) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(MA)
And what shepherd can stand against me?”
45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposed(MB) against the land of the Babylonians:(MC)
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;(MD)
its cry(ME) will resound among the nations.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab
- Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.
- Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.
- Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar
- Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer
- Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away
- Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.
- Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea
- Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of
- Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities
- Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3
- Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
- Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Jeremiah 49:23 Hebrew on or by
- Jeremiah 49:32 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
- Jeremiah 50:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 25, 35 and 45
- Jeremiah 50:10 Or Chaldea
- Jeremiah 50:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
- Jeremiah 50:38 Or A sword against
New King James Version (NKJV) 
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