Jeremiah 49
New American Standard Bible
Prophecy against Ammon
49 Concerning the sons of (A)Ammon. This is what the Lord says:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Or has he no heirs?
Why then has [a]Malcam taken possession of Gad,
And his people settled in its cities?
2 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will cause an alarm of (B)war to be heard
Against (C)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon;
And it will become a desolate heap,
And her (D)towns will be set on fire.
Then Israel will take (E)possession of his possessors,”
Says the Lord.
3 “Wail, (F)Heshbon, for (G)Ai has been destroyed!
Cry out, daughters of Rabbah,
(H)Put on sackcloth and mourn,
And move about inside the walls;
For [b]Malcam will (I)go into exile
Together with his priests and his leaders.
4 How you (J)boast about the valleys!
Your valley is flowing away,
You (K)backsliding daughter
Who trusts in her (L)treasures, saying,
‘(M)Who can come against me?’
5 Behold, I am going to bring (N)terror upon you,”
Declares the Lord [c]God of armies,
“From all directions around you;
And you will be (O)driven away [d]one after another,
With no one to gather the (P)fugitives together.
6 But afterward I will (Q)restore
The fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”
Declares the Lord.
Prophecy against Edom
7 Concerning (R)Edom.
This is what the Lord of armies says:
“Is there no longer any (S)wisdom in (T)Teman?
Has good advice been lost by the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8 Flee away, turn back, dwell in the depths,
You inhabitants of (U)Dedan,
For I [e]will bring the (V)disaster of Esau upon him
At the time I [f]punish him.
9 (W)If grape pickers came to you,
Would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came by night,
They would destroy only what was sufficient for them.
10 But I have (X)stripped Esau bare,
I have uncovered his hiding places
So that he will not be able to conceal himself;
His [g]offspring have been destroyed along with his [h]brothers
And his neighbors, and (Y)he no longer exists.
11 Leave your [i](Z)orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
And let your (AA)widows trust in Me.”
12 For this is what the Lord says: “Behold, those [j]who were not sentenced to drink the (AB)cup will certainly drink it, so are you the one who will be held (AC)completely blameless? You will not be held blameless, but you will certainly drink it. 13 For I have (AD)sworn by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that (AE)Bozrah will become an (AF)object of horror, a disgrace, a wasteland, and a curse; and all its cities will become permanent ruins.”
14 I have (AG)heard a message from the Lord,
And a (AH)messenger is being sent among the nations, saying,
“(AI)Gather yourselves together and come against her,
And rise up for battle!”
15 “For behold, I have made you small among the nations,
Despised among people.
16 As for the terror you cause,
The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
You who live in the clefts of [k]the (AJ)rock,
Who occupy the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest as (AK)high as an eagle’s,
I will (AL)bring you down from there,” declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an (AM)object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will [l](AN)hiss at all its wounds. 18 Like the (AO)overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says the Lord, “(AP)no one will live there, nor will [m]anyone of mankind reside in it. 19 (AQ)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the (AR)thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase him away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is (AS)chosen. For who is (AT)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd (AU)who can stand against Me?”
20 Therefore hear the (AV)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Edom, and His purposes which He has in mind against the inhabitants of Teman: they will certainly drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; He will certainly make their pasture (AW)desolate because of them. 21 The (AX)earth has quaked at the noise of their downfall. There is an outcry! The noise of it has been heard at the [n]Red Sea. 22 Behold, [o]He will mount up and (AY)swoop like an eagle, and spread out His wings [p]against Bozrah; and the (AZ)hearts of the warriors of Edom on that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Prophecy against Damascus
23 Concerning (BA)Damascus:
“(BB)Hamath and (BC)Arpad are put to shame,
For they have heard bad news;
They (BD)despair.
There is anxiety at the sea,
It (BE)cannot be calmed.
24 Damascus has become helpless;
She has turned away to flee,
And panic has gripped her;
(BF)Distress and labor pains have seized her
Like a woman in childbirth.
25 How the (BG)city of praise has not been deserted,
The town of My joy!
26 Therefore, her (BH)young men will fall in her streets,
And all the men of war will perish on that day,” declares the Lord of armies.
27 “I will (BI)set fire to the wall of Damascus,
And it will devour the fortified palace of (BJ)Ben-hadad.”
Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning (BK)Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. This is what the Lord says:
“Arise, go up to Kedar
And devastate the [q](BL)people of the east.
29 They will take away their tents and their flocks;
They will carry off for themselves
Their tent (BM)curtains, all their goods and their (BN)camels,
And they will call out to one another, ‘(BO)Horror on every side!’
30 Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths,
You inhabitants of Hazor,” declares the Lord;
“For (BP)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against you
And devised a scheme against you.
31 Arise, go up against a nation which is (BQ)at ease,
Which lives securely,” declares the Lord.
“It has (BR)no gates or bars;
They (BS)dwell alone.
32 Their camels will become plunder,
And their many livestock for spoils,
And I will (BT)scatter to all the winds those who (BU)cut the corners of their hair;
And I will bring their disaster from every side,” declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor will become a (BV)haunt of jackals,
A desolation forever;
No one will live there,
Nor will [r]anyone of mankind reside in it.”
Prophecy against Elam
34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning (BW)Elam, (BX)at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:
35 “This is what the Lord of armies says:
‘Behold, I am going to (BY)break the bow of Elam,
The [s]finest of their might.
36 I will bring upon Elam the (BZ)four winds
From the four ends of heaven,
And will (CA)scatter them to all these winds;
And there will be no nation
To which the outcasts of Elam will not go.
37 So I will [t]shatter Elam before their enemies
And before those who seek their lives;
And I will (CB)bring disaster upon them,
Even My (CC)fierce anger,’ declares the Lord,
‘And I will (CD)send the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
38 Then I will set My throne in Elam,
And eliminate from there the king and officials,’
Declares the Lord.
39 ‘But it will come about in the last days
That I will (CE)restore the fortunes of Elam,’”
Declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 49:1 In 1 Kin 11:5, 33 and Zeph 1:5, Milcom
- Jeremiah 49:3 See note v 1
- Jeremiah 49:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 49:5 Lit each one before him
- Jeremiah 49:8 Or brought
- Jeremiah 49:8 Or punished
- Jeremiah 49:10 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 49:10 Or relatives
- Jeremiah 49:11 Or fatherless
- Jeremiah 49:12 Lit whose judgment was not to
- Jeremiah 49:16 Or Sela
- Jeremiah 49:17 Or whistle
- Jeremiah 49:18 Lit a son of man
- Jeremiah 49:21 Lit Sea of Reeds
- Jeremiah 49:22 Or one
- Jeremiah 49:22 Or over
- Jeremiah 49:28 Lit sons
- Jeremiah 49:33 Lit a son of man
- Jeremiah 49:35 Lit first
- Jeremiah 49:37 Or dismay
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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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.