Jeremiah 49
Christian Standard Bible
Prophecies against Ammon
49 About the Ammonites,(A) this is what the Lord says:
Does Israel have no sons?
Is he without an heir?
Why then has Milcom[a][b] dispossessed Gad(B)
and his people settled in their cities?
2 Therefore look, the days are coming(C)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
when I will make the shout of battle(D) heard
against Rabbah(E) of the Ammonites.
It will become a desolate mound,
and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Israel will dispossess their dispossessors,
says the Lord.
3 Wail, Heshbon,(F) for Ai is devastated;
cry out, daughters of Rabbah!
Clothe yourselves with sackcloth,(G) and lament;
run back and forth within your walls,[c]
because Milcom will go into exile
together with his priests and officials.(H)
4 Why do you boast about your valleys,
your flowing valley,[d]
you faithless daughter—
you who trust in your treasures
and say, “Who can attack me?”
5 Look, I am about to bring terror on you(I)—
this is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies—
from all those around you.
You will be banished, each person headlong,
with no one to gather up the fugitives.
6 But after that, I will restore the fortunes[e] of the Ammonites.(J)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Prophecies against Edom
7 About Edom,(K) this is what the Lord of Armies says:
Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?(L)
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom rotted away?(M)
8 Run! Turn back! Lie low,
residents of Dedan,(N)
for I will bring Esau’s calamity on him(O)
at the time I punish him.(P)
9 If grape harvesters came to you,
wouldn’t they leave a few grapes?(Q)
Were thieves to come in the night,
they would destroy only what they wanted.(R)
10 But I will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his secret places.(S)
He will try to hide,(T) but he will be unable.
His descendants will be destroyed
along with his relatives and neighbors.
He will exist no longer.(U)
11 Abandon your fatherless; I will preserve them;
let your widows trust in me.(V)
12 For this is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not remain unpunished, for you must drink it too. 13 For by myself I have sworn”(W)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“Bozrah[f] will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and an example for cursing, and all its surrounding cities will become ruins forever.”(X)
14 I have heard an envoy from the Lord;
a messenger has been sent among the nations:
Assemble yourselves to come against her.
Rise up for war!
15 I will certainly make you insignificant among the nations,
despised among humanity.
16 As to the terror you cause,[g]
your arrogant heart has deceived you.
You who live in the clefts of the rock,[h]
you who occupy the mountain summit,
though you elevate your nest like the eagles,
even from there I will bring you down.
This is the Lord’s declaration.(Y)
17 “Edom will become a desolation. Everyone who passes by her will be appalled and scoff because of all her wounds.(Z) 18 As when Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown along with their neighbors,”(AA) says the Lord, “no one will live there; no human being will stay in it even temporarily.(AB)
19 “Look, it will be like a lion coming from the thickets[i] of the Jordan to the watered grazing land.(AC) I will chase Edom away from her land in a flash. I will appoint whoever is chosen for her. For who is like me?(AD) Who will issue me a summons?(AE) Who is the shepherd who can stand against me?” (AF)
20 Therefore, hear the plans that the Lord has drawn up against Edom and the strategies he has devised against the people of Teman:(AG) The flock’s little lambs will certainly be dragged away,(AH) and their grazing land will be made desolate because of them.(AI) 21 At the sound of their fall the earth will quake;(AJ) the sound of her cry will be heard at the Red Sea.(AK) 22 Look! It will be like an eagle soaring upward, then swooping down and spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman with contractions.(AL)
Prophecies against Damascus
23 About Damascus:(AM)
Hamath and Arpad are put to shame,(AN)
for they have heard a bad report and are agitated,
like[j] the anxious sea that cannot be calmed.
24 Damascus has become weak;
she has turned to run;
panic has gripped her.
Distress and labor pains have seized her
like a woman in labor.(AO)
25 How can the city of praise not be abandoned,(AP)
the town that brings me joy?
26 Therefore, her young men will fall in her public squares;
all the warriors will perish in that day.
This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.(AQ)
27 I will set fire to the wall of Damascus;
it will consume Ben-hadad’s citadels.(AR)
Prophecies against Kedar and Hazor
28 About Kedar(AS) and the kingdoms of Hazor, which King Nebuchadnezzar(AT) of Babylon defeated, this is what the Lord says:
Rise up, attack Kedar,
and destroy the people of the east!
29 They will take their tents and their flocks
along with their tent curtains and all their equipment.
They will take their camels for themselves.
They will call out to them,
“Terror is on every side!” (AU)
30 Run! Escape quickly! Lie low,
residents of Hazor—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
has drawn up a plan against you;
he has devised a strategy against you.
31 Rise up, attack a nation at ease,
one living in security.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
They have no doors, not even a gate bar;
they live alone.(AV)
32 Their camels will become plunder,
and their massive herds of cattle will become spoil.(AW)
I will scatter them to the wind in every direction,
those who clip the hair on their temples;
I will bring calamity on them across all their borders.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
33 Hazor will become a jackals’ den,(AX)
a desolation forever.
No one will live there;
no human being will stay in it even temporarily.(AY)
Prophecies against Elam
34 This is the word of the Lord that came to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam[k] at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah.(AZ) 35 This is what the Lord of Armies says:
I am about to shatter Elam’s bow,(BA)
the source[l] of their might.
36 I will bring the four winds against Elam
from the four corners of the heavens,
and I will scatter them to all these winds.
There will not be a nation
to which Elam’s banished ones will not go.
37 I will devastate Elam before their enemies,
before those who intend to take their lives.
I will bring disaster on them,
my burning anger.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
I will send the sword after them(BB)
until I finish them off.
38 I will set my throne in Elam,
and I will destroy the king and officials from there.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
39 Yet, in the last days,
I will restore the fortunes of Elam.(BC)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Jeremiah 49
International Standard Version
Prophecies against Ammon
49 To the people of Ammon:
This is what the Lord says:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Does he have no heir?
Why then has Milcom[a] taken possession of Gad,
and his people settled in its towns?
2 Therefore, look, the time is[b] coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I’ll cause a battle cry to be heard in
Rabbah[c] of the Ammonites.
It will become a desolate mound,
and its towns will be burned with fire.
Israel will take possession of those who possessed him,”
says the Lord.
3 “Wail, Heshbon, because Ai is destroyed.
Cry out, daughters of Rabbah,
put on sackcloth and lament.
Run back and forth inside the walls,
for Milcom is going into exile
along with his priests and his princes.
4 Why do you boast in your valleys?
Your valley is flowing away, faithless daughter,
who trusted in her treasures,
saying, ‘Who will come against me?’
5 Look, I’m bringing terror on you from all around you,”
declares the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.
“You will be driven out, fleeing recklessly,[d]
and there will be no one to gather the fugitives.
6 But afterwards I’ll restore the fortunes of
the people of Ammon,”[e]
declares the Lord.
Prophecies against Edom
7 To Edom:
This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
Has counsel perished among the prudent?
Is their wisdom gone?
8 Flee, turn around!
Go to a remote place to stay,
residents of Dedan!
For I’ll bring Esau’s[f] disaster on him
at the time when I punish him.
9 If the grape harvesters came to you,
would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came at night, they would destroy
only until they had enough.
10 But I’ll strip Esau bare.
I’ll uncover his hiding places so he cannot conceal himself.
His offspring, his relatives,
and his neighbors will be destroyed,
and he will no longer exist.
11 Leave your orphans. I’ll keep them alive.
Let your widows trust in me.”
12 For this is what the Lord says: “Look, those who don’t deserve[g] to drink the cup will surely drink it, and will you actually go unpunished? You won’t go unpunished! You will certainly drink it![h] 13 Indeed, I’ve sworn by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror and scorn, a waste, and an object of ridicule. All her towns will become perpetual ruins.”
14 I’ve heard a message from the Lord,
and a messenger has been sent
among the nations:
“Gather together and come up against her,
and rise up to fight.
15 Indeed, I’ll make you the least of the nations,
despised among men.
16 The terror you cause and the pride of your heart have deceived you.
You who live in hidden places in the rocks,
who hold on to the heights of the hill,
although you make your nest high like the eagle,
I’ll bring you down from there,”
declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an object of horror. Everyone who passes by her will be horrified and will scoff[i] because of all her wounds. 18 Just like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and their[j] neighbors,” says the Lord, “no one will live there. No human being will reside in it. 19 Look, like a lion comes up from the thicket of the Jordan to a pasture that grows year round,[k] so I’ll drive them[l] away from her in an instant, and I’ll appoint whomever is chosen over her. Indeed, who is like me? Who gives me counsel? Who is the shepherd who will stand against me?” 20 Therefore, hear the plan that the Lord has made against Edom, and the strategy that he devised against the inhabitants of Teman. Surely he will drag the little ones of the flock away. Surely their pasture will be desolate because of them. 21 The earth will quake at the sound of their fall. A cry—it’s her voice—is heard at the Reed[m] Sea. 22 Look, he will rise up and fly swiftly like an eagle. He will spread his wings against Bozrah, and on that day the hearts of the warriors of Edom will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Prophecies against Damascus
23 To Damascus:
“Hamath and Arpad will be humiliated.
Their courage melts because they have heard bad news.
There is anxiety like[n] the sea that cannot be calmed.
24 Damascus will become weak.
She will turn to flee, but panic will seize her.
Distress and anguish will take hold of her
like that of[o] a woman giving birth.
25 Why[p] is the famous city,[q] the joyful town,
not abandoned?
26 Therefore her young men will fall in her streets,
and all her soldiers will be silenced on that day,”
declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
27 “I’ll kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,
and it will devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.”
Prophecies against Kedar and Hazor
28 To Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed:
This is what the Lord says:
“Arise, go against Kedar!
Plunder the people of the east!
29 Take their tents and their flocks,
their tent curtains and all their goods.
Take their camels away from them.
Cry out against them, ‘Terror is all around!’
30 Flee! Run away quickly!
Go to a remote place to stay, residents of Hazor,”
declares the Lord.
“For King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has formed a plan
and devised a strategy against them.
31 “Arise, go up against a nation at ease, living securely,”
declares the Lord,
“without gates or bars, living alone.
32 Their camels will become booty,
their many herds will become spoil.
I’ll scatter to the winds
those who shave the corners of their beards,[r]
and I’ll bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor will become a dwelling place for jackals,
a perpetual wasteland.
No one will live there;
no human being will reside in it.”
Prophecies against Elam
34 This is what came as a message from the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet about Elam at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah:
35 This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says:
“Look, I’m going to break the bow of Elam,
the finest of their troops.
36 I’ll bring the four winds against Elam
from the four corners of the heavens,
and I’ll scatter them to all these winds.
There will be no nation to which the exiles
from Elam won’t go.
37 I’ll terrify Elam before their enemies
and before those who seek to kill them.
I’ll bring on them disaster and become fiercely angry at them,”
declares the Lord.
“I’ll send the sword after them,
until I’ve made an end of them.
38 I’ll put my throne in Elam,
and destroy the king and the officials there,”
declares the Lord.
39 “But in the latter days I’ll restore
the fortunes of Elam,”
declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 49:1 Milcom or Molech was the chief deity of the Ammonites.
- Jeremiah 49:2 Lit. the days are
- Jeremiah 49:2 Rabbah was the capital city of Ammon.
- Jeremiah 49:5 Lit. each one before him
- Jeremiah 49:6 Lit. the sons of Ammon
- Jeremiah 49:8 I.e. the Edomites were descendants of Esau
- Jeremiah 49:12 Lit. it was not their judgment
- Jeremiah 49:12 The Heb. lacks it
- Jeremiah 49:17 Lit. hiss; i.e. hissing was an expression of contempt
- Jeremiah 49:18 Lit. her
- Jeremiah 49:19 Lit. a perpetual pasture
- Jeremiah 49:19 So LXX; Heb. him; i.e. the Edomites
- Jeremiah 49:21 So MT; LXX lacks Reed
- Jeremiah 49:23 Lit. by
- Jeremiah 49:24 The Heb. lacks that of
- Jeremiah 49:25 Lit. How
- Jeremiah 49:25 Lit. city of praise
- Jeremiah 49:32 Lit. cut off of the side
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