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
New Living Translation
A Message about Ammon
49 This message was given concerning the Ammonites. This is what the Lord says:
“Are there no descendants of Israel
to inherit the land of Gad?
Why are you, who worship Molech,[a]
living in its towns?
2 In the days to come,” says the Lord,
“I will sound the battle cry against your city of Rabbah.
It will become a desolate heap of ruins,
and the neighboring towns will be burned.
Then Israel will take back the land
you took from her,” says the Lord.
3 “Cry out, O Heshbon,
for the town of Ai is destroyed.
Weep, O people of Rabbah!
Put on your clothes of mourning.
Weep and wail, hiding in the hedges,
for your god Molech, with his priests and officials,
will be hauled off to distant lands.
4 You are proud of your fertile valleys,
but they will soon be ruined.
You trusted in your wealth,
you rebellious daughter,
and thought no one could ever harm you.
5 But look! I will bring terror upon you,”
says the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
“Your neighbors will chase you from your land,
and no one will help your exiles as they flee.
6 But I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites
in days to come.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Messages about Edom
7 This message was given concerning Edom. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Is there no wisdom in Teman?
Is no one left to give wise counsel?
8 Turn and flee!
Hide in deep caves, you people of Dedan!
For when I bring disaster on Edom,[b]
I will punish you, too!
9 Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
If thieves came at night,
they would not take everything.
10 But I will strip bare the land of Edom,
and there will be no place left to hide.
Its children, its brothers, and its neighbors
will all be destroyed,
and Edom itself will be no more.
11 But I will protect the orphans who remain among you.
Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.”
12 And this is what the Lord says: “If the innocent must suffer, how much more must you! You will not go unpunished! You must drink this cup of judgment! 13 For I have sworn by my own name,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror and a heap of ruins; it will be mocked and cursed. All its towns and villages will be desolate forever.”
14 I have heard a message from the Lord
that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,
“Form a coalition against Edom,
and prepare for battle!”
15 The Lord says to Edom,
“I will cut you down to size among the nations.
You will be despised by all.
16 You have been deceived
by the fear you inspire in others
and by your own pride.
You live in a rock fortress
and control the mountain heights.
But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles,
I will bring you crashing down,”
says the Lord.
17 “Edom will be an object of horror.
All who pass by will be appalled
and will gasp at the destruction they see there.
18 It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighboring towns,” says the Lord.
“No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.
19 I will come like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan,
leaping on the sheep in the pasture.
I will chase Edom from its land,
and I will appoint the leader of my choice.
For who is like me, and who can challenge me?
What ruler can oppose my will?”
20 Listen to the Lord’s plans against Edom
and the people of Teman.
Even the little children will be dragged off like sheep,
and their homes will be destroyed.
21 The earth will shake with the noise of Edom’s fall,
and its cry of despair will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.[c]
22 Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,
spreading his wings over Bozrah.
Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
like a woman in labor.
A Message about Damascus
23 This message was given concerning Damascus. This is what the Lord says:
“The towns of Hamath and Arpad are struck with fear,
for they have heard the news of their destruction.
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 pain have gripped her
as they grip a woman in labor.
25 That famous city, a city of joy,
will be forsaken!
26 Her young men will fall in the streets and die.
Her soldiers will all be killed,”
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
27 “And I will set fire to the walls of Damascus
that will burn up the palaces of Ben-hadad.”
A Message about Kedar and Hazor
28 This message was given concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which were attacked by King Nebuchadnezzar[d] of Babylon. This is what the Lord says:
“Advance against Kedar!
Destroy the warriors from the East!
29 Their flocks and tents will be captured,
and their household goods and camels will be taken away.
Everywhere shouts of panic will be heard:
‘We are terrorized at every turn!’
30 Run for your lives,” says the Lord.
“Hide yourselves in deep caves, you people of Hazor,
for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has plotted against you
and is preparing to destroy you.
31 “Go up and attack that complacent nation,”
says the Lord.
“Its people live alone in the desert
without walls or gates.
32 Their camels and other livestock will all be yours.
I will scatter to the winds these people
who live in remote places.[e]
I will bring calamity upon them
from every direction,” says the Lord.
33 “Hazor will be inhabited by jackals,
and it will be desolate forever.
No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.”
A Message about Elam
34 This message concerning Elam came to the prophet Jeremiah from the Lord at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. 35 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“I will destroy the archers of Elam—
the best of their forces.
36 I will bring enemies from all directions,
and I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds.
They will be exiled to countries around the world.
37 I myself will go with Elam’s enemies to shatter it.
In my fierce anger, I will bring great disaster
upon the people of Elam,” says the Lord.
“Their enemies will chase them with the sword
until I have destroyed them completely.
38 I will set my throne in Elam,” says the Lord,
“and I will destroy its king and officials.
39 But I will restore the fortunes of Elam
in days to come.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
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