Jeremiah 49
Lexham English Bible
A Message Concerning Ammon
49 Concerning the Ammonites:[a] Thus says Yahweh,
“Are there no sons for Israel?
Or is there no heir for him?
Why has Milcom taken possession of Gad,
and his people dwelled in its towns?
2 Therefore[b] look, days are coming,” declares[c] Yahweh,
“and I will sound against Rabbah, the Ammonites,[d]
the alarm of the war,
and it will become as a mound of desolation,
and its daughters will burn in the fire.
Then Israel will dispossess his dispossessors,” says Yahweh.
3 “Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is devastated.
Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah, put on sackcloth.
Lament and run back and forth among the walls.
For Milcom will go into exile,
his priests and his officials together.
4 Why do you boast in your valleys?
Your valleys[e] are ebbing.
O unfaithful daughter, who trusted in her treasures,
who said, ‘Who will come against me?’
5 Look, I am going to bring dread on you,”
declares[f] Lord Yahweh of hosts,
“from all your surrounding neighbors.
And you will be scattered,
each one before it,[g]
and there is no one who gathers the fugitives.[h]
6 Yet afterward[i] I will restore
the fortunes[j] of the Ammonites,”[k] declares[l] Yahweh.
A Message Concerning Edom
7 Concerning Edom, thus says Yahweh of hosts:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
Has counsel become lost from those who understand?
Is their wisdom rotting?
8 Flee! Turn back! Get down low![m]
O inhabitants of Dedan.
For I will bring upon him the disaster of Esau
at the time when I will punish him.
9 If grape-gatherers come to you,
would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves in the night,
they destroy only enough for them.[n]
10 But I have stripped Esau bare.
I have uncovered his hiding places,
and he is not able to hide himself.
His offspring are devastated, along with[o] his brothers,
and his neighbors, and he is no more.[p]
11 Leave your orphans. I will let them[q] live.
And your widows, let them trust in me.”
12 For thus says Yahweh, “Look, those who are not condemned[r] to drink the cup must certainly drink it.[s] And are you the one who will go entirely unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for you must certainly drink it.[t] 13 For I have sworn by myself,” declares[u] Yahweh, “that Bozrah will become as a horror, as a disgrace, as a waste, and as a curse. And all her towns will be everlasting sites of ruins.”[v]
14 I have heard a message from Yahweh,
and a messenger has been sent among the nations.
“Gather and come against her,
and rise for the battle.”
15 “For look, I will make you small among the nations,
despised by the humankind.
16 Your terror has deceived you,
the pride of your heart,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
you who seize the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest high like the eagle,
from there I will bring you down,” declares[w] Yahweh.
17 “And Edom will become as a horror,
everyone who passes by it[x] will be appalled,
and will hiss because of all its blows.
18 As the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighbors,” says Yahweh,
“no one[y] will live there,
and the son of humankind will not dwell as an alien in it.
19 Look, like a lion he comes up from the thickets of the Jordan
to a pastureland by a constantly flowing stream.[z]
So I will chase him away hurriedly[aa] from it.
And whoever is chosen I will appoint over it.
For who is like me, and who can summon me?
And who is this, the shepherd who can stand before me?”[ab]
20 Therefore[ac] hear the plan of Yahweh that he has planned against Edom,
and his plans that he has planned against the inhabitants of Teman.
Surely[ad] they will drag them away,
the little ones of the flock.
Surely[ae] he will cause to be desolated over them
their grazing place.
21 The earth will quake from the sound of their falling.
A cry of distress! Their voice will be heard at the Red Sea.[af]
22 Look, like an eagle he will go up and he will swoop down,
and he will spread out his wings against Bozrah.
And the heart of the warriors of Edom will be in that day
like the heart of a woman who is in labor.
A Message Concerning Damascus
23 Concerning Damascus:
“Hamath and Arpad are ashamed,
for they have heard bad news;
they melt.
There is concern in the sea.
It is not able to keep quiet.
24 Damascus has grown slack.
She has turned away to flee and panic.
Anxiety has seized her,
and labor pains have grasped her,
like a woman in labor.
25 How the city of praise has not been abandoned!
The city of my joy!
26 Therefore[ag] her young men will fall in her public squares,
and all the soldiers[ah] will perish in that day,” declares[ai] Yahweh of hosts.
27 “And I will kindle a fire at the wall of Damascus,
and it will devour the citadel fortresses of Ben-hadad.”
A Message Concerning Kedar and the Kingdoms of Hazor
28 Concerning Kedar and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon defeated. Thus says Yahweh:
“Rise up, go up against Kedar
and destroy the people[aj] of the east.
29 They will take their tents, and their flocks,
their tent curtains, and all their equipment,
and their camels they will carry away for themselves,
and they will call to them, ‘Terror is from all around.’
30 Flee! Wander far away! Get down low![ak]
O inhabitants of Hazor,” declares[al] Yahweh.
“For Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has planned a plan against you.
And he has schemed[am] a scheme[an] against you.
31 Rise up, go up against a nation which is at ease,
living securely,”[ao] declares[ap] Yahweh.
“There are no gates and there are no bars[aq] for them,
they dwell alone.
32 And their camels will become as plunder,
and the multitude of their livestock as spoil.
And I will scatter to every wind those who are trimmed to the side,
and from every side[ar] I will bring their disaster,” declares[as] Yahweh.
33 “And Hazor will become as a lair of jackals,
a waste forever;
no one will live there,
and no son of humankind will dwell as an alien in it.”
A Message Concerning Elam
34 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the king of Judah, saying,[at] 35 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts:
‘Look, I am going to break the bow of Elam,
the first and best of their might.
36 And I will bring to Elam four winds,
from the four corners of heaven,
and I will scatter them to all these winds,
and there will not be a nation
where the scattered people of Elam will not go.
37 So I will shatter Elam before[au] their enemies,
and before[av] the seekers of their life.
And I will bring disaster upon them,
my burning anger,[aw]’ declares[ax] Yahweh.
‘And I will send after them the sword
until I have destroyed them.
38 And I will set my throne in Elam
and I will destroy from there king and officials,’ declares[ay] Yahweh.
39 ‘And then[az] in the last of the days
I will restore the fortunes[ba] of Elam,’ declares[bb] Yahweh.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 49:1 Literally “sons of Ammon”
- Jeremiah 49:2 Literally “To thus”
- Jeremiah 49:2 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:2 Literally “sons of Ammon”
- Jeremiah 49:4 Hebrew “valley”
- Jeremiah 49:5 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:5 Literally “to the face of it”
- Jeremiah 49:5 Hebrew “fugitive”
- Jeremiah 49:6 Literally “after thus”
- Jeremiah 49:6 Hebrew “fortune”
- Jeremiah 49:6 Literally “sons of Ammon”
- Jeremiah 49:6 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:8 Literally “make deep to dwell”
- Jeremiah 49:9 Literally “their enough”
- Jeremiah 49:10 Literally “and”
- Jeremiah 49:10 Literally “and not he”
- Jeremiah 49:11 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Jeremiah 49:12 Literally “who there is not their justice”
- Jeremiah 49:12 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Jeremiah 49:12 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Jeremiah 49:13 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:13 Literally “sites of ruins of eternity”
- Jeremiah 49:16 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:17 Literally “all who passes by it”
- Jeremiah 49:18 Literally “not a man”
- Jeremiah 49:19 Literally “a pasture of everflowing”
- Jeremiah 49:19 Literally “I will do in an instant I will chase him away”
- Jeremiah 49:19 Literally “to the face of me”
- Jeremiah 49:20 Literally “To thus”
- Jeremiah 49:20 Literally “If not”
- Jeremiah 49:20 Literally “If not”
- Jeremiah 49:21 Hebrew “Sea of Reeds”
- Jeremiah 49:26 Literally “To thus”
- Jeremiah 49:26 Literally “the men of the battle”
- Jeremiah 49:26 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:28 Or “sons”
- Jeremiah 49:30 Literally “Make deep to dwell”
- Jeremiah 49:30 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:30 Or “planned”
- Jeremiah 49:30 Or “plan”
- Jeremiah 49:31 Literally “with confidence”
- Jeremiah 49:31 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:31 Hebrew “bar”
- Jeremiah 49:32 Literally “all his sides”
- Jeremiah 49:32 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:34 Literally “to say”
- Jeremiah 49:37 Literally “to the face of”
- Jeremiah 49:37 Literally “to the face of”
- Jeremiah 49:37 Literally “the blaze of my nose”
- Jeremiah 49:37 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:38 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 49:39 Literally “And it will happen”
- Jeremiah 49:39 Hebrew “fortune”
- Jeremiah 49:39 Literally “a declaration of”
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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