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49 Of the children of Ammon. Yahweh says:

“Has Israel no sons?
    Has he no heir?
Why then does Malcam possess Gad,
    and his people dwell in its cities?
Therefore behold, the days come,”
    says Yahweh,
“that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard against Rabbah of the children of Ammon;
    and it will become a desolate heap,
    and her daughters will be burned with fire:
then Israel will possess those who possessed him,”
    says Yahweh.
“Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste!
    Cry, you daughters of Rabbah!
Clothe yourself in sackcloth.
    Lament, and run back and forth among the fences;
for Malcam will go into captivity,
    his priests and his princes together.
Why do you boast in the valleys,
    your flowing valley, backsliding daughter?
You trusted in her treasures,
    saying, ‘Who will come to me?’
Behold, I will bring a terror on you,”
    says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies,
“from all who are around you.
    All of you will be driven completely out,
    and there will be no one to gather together the fugitives.

“But afterward I will reverse the captivity of the children of Ammon,”
    says Yahweh.

Of Edom, Yahweh of Armies says:

“Is wisdom no more in Teman?
    Has counsel perished from the prudent?
    Has their wisdom vanished?
Flee! Turn back!
    Dwell in the depths, inhabitants of Dedan;
    for I will bring the calamity of Esau on him when I visit him.
If grape gatherers came to you,
    would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
If thieves came by night,
    wouldn’t they steal until they had enough?
10 But I have made Esau bare,
    I have uncovered his secret places,
    and he will not be able to hide himself.
His offspring is destroyed,
    with his brothers and his neighbors;
    and he is no more.
11 Leave your fatherless children.
    I will preserve them alive.
    Let your widows trust in me.”

12 For Yahweh says: “Behold, they to whom it didn’t pertain to drink of the cup will certainly drink; and are you he who will altogether go unpunished? You won’t go unpunished, but you will surely drink. 13 For I have sworn by myself,” says Yahweh, “that Bozrah will become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse. All its cities will be perpetual wastes.”

14 I have heard news from Yahweh,
    and an ambassador is sent among the nations,
saying, “Gather yourselves together!
    Come against her!
    Rise up to the battle!”

15 “For, behold, I have made you small among the nations,
    and despised among men.
16 As for your terror,
    the pride of your heart has deceived you,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
    who hold the height of the hill,
though you should make your nest as high as the eagle,
    I will bring you down from there,” says Yahweh.
17 “Edom will become an astonishment.
    Everyone who passes by it will be astonished,
    and will hiss at all its plagues.
18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and its neighbor cities,” says Yahweh,
    “no man will dwell there,
    neither will any son of man live therein.

19 “Behold, he will come up like a lion from the pride of the Jordan against the strong habitation:
    for I will suddenly make them run away from it;
and whoever is chosen,
    I will appoint him over it.
For who is like me?
    Who will appoint me a time?
    Who is the shepherd who will stand before me?”
20 Therefore hear the counsel of Yahweh, that he has taken against Edom;
    and his purposes, that he has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman:
Surely they will drag them away,
    the little ones of the flock.
    Surely he will make their habitation desolate over them.
21 The earth trembles at the noise of their fall;
    there is a cry, the noise which is heard in the Red Sea.
22 Behold, he will come up and fly as the eagle,
    and spread out his wings against Bozrah.
    The heart of the mighty men of Edom at that day will be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

23 Of Damascus:

“Hamath is confounded, and Arpad;
    for they have heard evil news.
    They have melted away.
There is sorrow on the sea.
    It can’t be quiet.
24 Damascus has grown feeble,
    she turns herself to flee,
    and trembling has seized her.
Anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her,
    as of a woman in travail.
25 How is the city of praise not forsaken,
    the city of my joy?
26 Therefore her young men will fall in her streets,
    and all the men of war will be brought to silence in that day,”
    says Yahweh of Armies.
27 “I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,
    and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad.”

28 Of Kedar, and of the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck. Yahweh says:
“Arise, go up to Kedar,
    and destroy the children of the east.
29 They will take their tents and their flocks.
    they will carry away for themselves their curtains,
    all their vessels, and their camels;
    and they will cry to them, ‘Terror on every side!’
30 Flee!
    Wander far off!
Dwell in the depths, you inhabitants of Hazor,” says Yahweh;
    “for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you,
    and has conceived a purpose against you.
31 Arise! Go up to a nation that is at ease,
    that dwells without care,” says Yahweh;
    “that has neither gates nor bars,
    that dwells alone.
32 Their camels will be a booty,
    and the multitude of their livestock a plunder.
I will scatter to all winds those who have the corners of their beards cut off;
    and I will bring their calamity from every side of them,”
    says Yahweh.
33 Hazor will be a dwelling place of jackals,
    a desolation forever.
No man will dwell there,
    neither will any son of man live therein.”

34 Yahweh’s word that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, 35 “Yahweh of Armies says:

‘Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,
    the chief of their might.
36 I will bring on Elam the four winds from the four quarters of the sky,
    and will scatter them toward all those winds.
    There will be no nation where the outcasts of Elam will not come.
37 I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies,
    and before those who seek their life.
I will bring evil on them, even my fierce anger,’ says Yahweh;
    ‘and I will send the sword after them,
    until I have consumed them.
38 I will set my throne in Elam,
    and will destroy from there king and princes,’ says Yahweh.
39 ‘But it will happen in the latter days
    that I will reverse the captivity of Elam,’ says Yahweh.”

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?
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.
“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.
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?’
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.
But afterwards I’ll restore the fortunes of
    the people of Ammon,”[e]
        declares the Lord.

Prophecies against Edom

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?
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.
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

  1. Jeremiah 49:1 Milcom or Molech was the chief deity of the Ammonites.
  2. Jeremiah 49:2 Lit. the days are
  3. Jeremiah 49:2 Rabbah was the capital city of Ammon.
  4. Jeremiah 49:5 Lit. each one before him
  5. Jeremiah 49:6 Lit. the sons of Ammon
  6. Jeremiah 49:8 I.e. the Edomites were descendants of Esau
  7. Jeremiah 49:12 Lit. it was not their judgment
  8. Jeremiah 49:12 The Heb. lacks it
  9. Jeremiah 49:17 Lit. hiss; i.e. hissing was an expression of contempt
  10. Jeremiah 49:18 Lit. her
  11. Jeremiah 49:19 Lit. a perpetual pasture
  12. Jeremiah 49:19 So LXX; Heb. him; i.e. the Edomites
  13. Jeremiah 49:21 So MT; LXX lacks Reed
  14. Jeremiah 49:23 Lit. by
  15. Jeremiah 49:24 The Heb. lacks that of
  16. Jeremiah 49:25 Lit. How
  17. Jeremiah 49:25 Lit. city of praise
  18. Jeremiah 49:32 Lit. cut off of the side