Jeremiah 49
New American Standard Bible 1995
Prophecy against Ammon
49 Concerning the sons of (A)Ammon. Thus says the Lord:
“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,
“That I will cause a [b](B)trumpet blast of 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, O (F)Heshbon, for (G)Ai has been destroyed!
Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah,
(H)Gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament,
And rush back and forth inside the walls;
For [c]Malcam will (I)go into exile
Together with his priests and his princes.
4 “How (J)boastful you are about the valleys!
Your valley is flowing away,
O (K)backsliding daughter
Who trusts in her (L)treasures, saying,
‘(M)Who will come against me?’
5 “Behold, I am going to bring (N)terror upon you,”
Declares the Lord [d]God of hosts,
“From all directions around you;
And each of you will be (O)driven out [e]headlong,
With no one to gather the (P)fugitives together.
6 “But afterward I will (Q)restore
The [f]fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”
Declares the Lord.
Prophecy against Edom
7 Concerning (R)Edom.
Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“Is there no longer any (S)wisdom in (T)Teman?
Has good counsel been lost to the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8 “Flee away, turn back, dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of (U)Dedan,
For I [g]will bring the (V)disaster of Esau upon him
At the time I [h]punish him.
9 “(W)If grape gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came by night,
They would destroy only [i]until they had enough.
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 [j]offspring has been destroyed along with his [k]relatives
And his neighbors, and (Y)he is no more.
11 “Leave your [l](Z)orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
And let your (AA)widows trust in Me.”
12 For thus says the Lord, “Behold, those [m]who were not sentenced to drink the (AB)cup will certainly drink it, and are you the one who will be (AC)completely acquitted? You will not be acquitted, 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 reproach, a ruin and a curse; and all its cities will become perpetual ruins.”
14 I have (AG)heard a message from the Lord,
And an (AH)envoy is 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 men.
16 “As for the terror of you,
The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
O you who live in the clefts of [n]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 horrified and will (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 a son of man reside in it. 19 (AQ)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the [o](AR)thickets of the Jordan against [p]a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make him run away from it, and whoever is (AS)chosen I shall appoint over it. 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 purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their [q]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 [r]Red Sea. 22 Behold, [s]He will mount up and (AY)swoop like an eagle and spread out His wings [t]against Bozrah; and the (AZ)hearts of the mighty men of Edom in 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 are (BD)disheartened.
There is anxiety by 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 pangs have taken hold of her
Like a woman in childbirth.
25 “How [u]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 be [v]silenced in that day,” declares the Lord of hosts.
27 “I will (BI)set fire to the wall of Damascus,
And it will devour the [w]fortified towers of (BJ)Ben-hadad.”
Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning (BK)Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. Thus says the Lord,
“Arise, go up to Kedar
And devastate the [x](BL)men 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)Terror on every side!’
30 “Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths,
O 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 cattle for booty,
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 a son of man reside in it.”
Prophecy against Elam
34 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet concerning (BW)Elam, (BX)at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:
35 “Thus says the Lord of hosts,
‘Behold, I am going to (BY)break the bow of Elam,
The [y]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 [z]shatter Elam before their enemies
And before those who seek their lives;
And I will (CB)bring calamity upon them,
Even My (CC)fierce anger,’ declares the Lord,
‘And I will (CD)send out the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
38 ‘Then I will set My throne in Elam
And destroy [aa]out of it king and princes,’
Declares the Lord.
39 ‘But it will come about in the last days
That I will (CE)restore the [ab]fortunes of Elam,’”
Declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 49:1 In 1 Kin 11:5, 33 and Zeph 1:5, Milcom
- Jeremiah 49:2 Or shout of
- Jeremiah 49:3 Cf v 1
- Jeremiah 49:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 49:5 Lit before him
- Jeremiah 49:6 Or captivity
- Jeremiah 49:8 Or brought
- Jeremiah 49:8 Or punished
- Jeremiah 49:9 Lit their sufficiency
- Jeremiah 49:10 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 49:10 Lit brothers
- Jeremiah 49:11 Or fatherless
- Jeremiah 49:12 Lit whose judgment was not to
- Jeremiah 49:16 Or Sela
- Jeremiah 49:19 Lit pride
- Jeremiah 49:19 Or an enduring habitation
- Jeremiah 49:20 Or habitation
- Jeremiah 49:21 Lit Sea of Reeds
- Jeremiah 49:22 Or one
- Jeremiah 49:22 Or over
- Jeremiah 49:25 Or deserted is the city of praise
- Jeremiah 49:26 Or destroyed
- Jeremiah 49:27 Or palaces
- Jeremiah 49:28 Lit sons
- Jeremiah 49:35 Lit first
- Jeremiah 49:37 Or dismay
- Jeremiah 49:38 Or from there
- Jeremiah 49:39 Or captivity
Jeremiah 49
Good News Translation
The Lord's Judgment on Ammon
49 (A)This is what the Lord said about Ammon: “Where are the men of Israel? Is there no one to defend their land? Why have they let the people who worship Molech take the territory of the tribe of Gad and settle there? 2 But the time is coming when I will make the people of the capital city of Rabbah hear the noise of battle, and it will be left in ruins and its villages burned to the ground. Then Israel will take its land back from those who took it from them. 3 People of Heshbon, cry out! Ai is destroyed! Women of Rabbah, go into mourning! Put on sackcloth and mourn. Run about in confusion. Your god Molech will be taken into exile, together with his priests and princes. 4 Why do you unfaithful people boast? Your strength is failing. Why do you trust in your power and say that no one would dare attack you? 5 I will bring terror on you from every side. You will all run away. Each one will run for his life, and there will be no one to bring your troops together again.
6 “But later on I will make Ammon prosperous again. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Lord's Judgment on Edom
7 (B)This is what the Lord Almighty said about Edom: “Have the people of Edom lost their good judgment? Can their advisers no longer tell them what to do? Has all their wisdom disappeared? 8 People of Dedan, turn and run! Hide! I am going to destroy Esau's descendants because the time has come for me to punish them. 9 When people pick grapes, they leave a few on the vines, and when robbers come at night, they take only what they want. 10 But I[a] have stripped Esau's descendants completely and uncovered their hiding places, so that they can no longer hide. All the people of Edom are destroyed. Not one of them is left. 11 Leave your orphans with me, and I will take care of them. Your widows can depend on me.
12 “If even those who did not deserve to be punished had to drink from the cup of punishment, do you think that you will go unpunished? No, you must drink from the cup! 13 I myself have sworn that the city of Bozrah will become a horrifying sight and a desert; people will make fun of it and use its name as a curse. All the nearby villages will be in ruins forever. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
14 I said, “Edom, I have received a message from the Lord. He has sent a messenger to tell the nations to assemble their armies and to get ready to attack you. 15 The Lord is going to make you weak, and no one will respect you. 16 Your pride has deceived you. No one fears you as much as you think they do. You live on the rocky cliffs, high on top of the mountain; but even though you live as high up as an eagle, the Lord will bring you down. The Lord has spoken.”
17 The Lord said, “The destruction that will come on Edom will be so terrible that everyone who passes by will be shocked and terrified. 18 (C)The same thing will happen to Edom that happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, when they and the nearby towns were destroyed. No one will ever live there again. I, the Lord, have spoken. 19 (D)Like a lion coming out of the thick woods along the Jordan River up to the green pasture land, I will come and make the Edomites run away suddenly from their country. Then the leader I choose will rule the nation. Who can be compared to me? Who would dare challenge me? What ruler could oppose me? 20 So listen to the plan that I have made against the people of Edom, and to what I intend to do to the people of the city of Teman. Even their children will be dragged off, and everyone will be horrified. 21 When Edom falls, there will be such a noise that the entire earth will shake, and the cries of alarm will be heard as far away as the Gulf of Aqaba. 22 The enemy will attack Bozrah like an eagle swooping down with outspread wings. On that day Edom's soldiers will be as frightened as a woman in labor.”
The Lord's Judgment on Damascus
23 (E)This is what the Lord said about Damascus: “The people in the cities of Hamath and Arpad are worried and troubled because they have heard bad news. Anxiety rolls over them like a sea, and they cannot rest. 24 The people of Damascus are weak and have fled in terror. They are in pain and misery like a woman in labor. 25 The famous city that used to be happy[b] is completely deserted. 26 On that day her young men will be killed in the city streets, and all her soldiers destroyed. 27 I will set the walls of Damascus on fire and will burn down King Benhadad's palaces. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken.”
Judgment on the Tribe of Kedar and the City of Hazor
28 This is what the Lord said about the tribe of Kedar and the districts controlled by Hazor, which were conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia: “Attack the people of Kedar and destroy that tribe of eastern people! 29 Seize their tents and their flocks, their tent curtains and everything in their tents. Take their camels and tell the people, ‘Terror is all around you!’
30 “People of Hazor, I, the Lord, warn you to run far away and hide. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia has plotted against you, and this is what he says, 31 ‘Come on! We'll attack those people that feel safe and secure! Their city has no gates or locks and is completely unprotected.’
32 “Take their camels and all their livestock! I will scatter in every direction those people who cut their hair short, and I will bring disaster on them from every side. 33 Hazor will be made a desert forever, a place where only jackals live. No one will ever live there again. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Lord's Judgment on Elam
34 Soon after Zedekiah became king of Judah, the Lord Almighty spoke to me about the country of Elam. 35 He said, “I will kill all the archers who have made Elam so powerful. 36 I will make winds blow against Elam from all directions, and I will scatter her people everywhere, until there is no country where her refugees have not gone. 37 I will make the people of Elam afraid of their enemies, who want to kill them. In my great anger I will destroy the people of Elam and send armies against them until I have wiped them out. 38 I will destroy their kings and leaders, and set up my throne there. 39 But later on I will make the people of Elam prosperous again. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 49:10 they leave a few … they take only what they want. 10 But I; or they leave nothing … they take everything. 10 And so I.
- Jeremiah 49:25 Some ancient translations happy; Hebrew my happiness.
Jeremiah 49
Complete Jewish Bible
49 Concerning the people of ‘Amon, here is what Adonai says:
“Has Isra’el no sons?
Has he no heir?
Then why has Malkam inherited Gad,
with his people settled in its cities?
2 Therefore,” says Adonai, “the days are coming
when I will sound the battle alarm
against Rabbah and the people of ‘Amon;
it will become a tel of ruins,
her villages burned to the ground.
Then Isra’el will inherit from them
who disinherited him,” says Adonai.
3 “Wail, Heshbon, for ‘Ai is doomed!
Cry out, daughters of Rabbah!
Wear sackcloth and mourn,
running here and there among the sheep pens.
For Malkam will go into exile,
together with his priests and officers.
4 Why do you take such pride in the valleys,
your well-watered valleys, rebellious daughter?
You trusted in your riches
and thought, ‘Who can attack me?’
5 I am bringing terror on you,”
says Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, “from every side.
Each of you will be driven out headlong,
with no one to gather the fugitives.
6 But afterwards, I will bring back
the exiles of ‘Amon,” says Adonai.
7 Concerning Edom, this is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says:
“Is there no wisdom left in Teman?
Have her wise men forgotten how to counsel?
Has their wisdom vanished?
8 Flee! Turn back! Hide yourselves well,
you who live in D’dan;
for I am bringing calamity on ‘Esav,
when the time for me to punish him comes.
9 If grape-pickers came to you,
they would leave no grapes for gleaning.
If thieves came at night,
they would destroy until they were satisfied.
10 So I, for my part, have stripped ‘Esav bare,
I have exposed his hiding-places;
he will not be able to hide himself.
He is doomed — sons, brothers and neighbors —
so that he is no more.
11 Leave your orphans; I will keep them alive;
let your widows trust in me.”
12 For this is what Adonai says: “Those who do not deserve to drink from this cup will have to drink it anyway, so should you go unpunished? No, you will not go unpunished; you will certainly drink it. 13 For I have sworn by myself,” says Adonai, “that Botzrah will become a ruin and an object of astonishment, reproach and cursing; all its cities will be ruins forever.”
14 I have heard a message from Adonai:
“A messenger is sent among the nations, saying:
‘Gather together, and march against her!
Prepare for battle!’
15 Here! I will make you least among nations,
the most despised of people.
16 Your capacity to terrorize
has deceived you and made you arrogant.
You make your home in the rocky crags
and seize the top of the mountain;
but even if you build your nest high as an eagle’s,
from there I will drag you down,” says Adonai.
17 Edom will become an object of horror;
everyone passing by will whistle
in astonishment at all its disasters.
18 It will be like the overthrow of S’dom,
‘Amora and their neighboring towns,” says Adonai.
“No one will settle there any more,
no human being will live there again.
19 It will be like a lion coming up from the thickets
of the Yarden against a strong settlement:
in an instant I will chase him away
and appoint over it whomever I choose.
For who is like me? Who can call me to account?
What shepherd can stand up to me?”
20 So hear the plan of Adonai
that he has devised against Edom,
and his purpose that he will accomplish
against those who live in Teman:
the least of the flock will drag them away;
their own pasture will be in shock at them.
21 The earth quakes at the sound of their fall;
their cry can be heard at the Sea of Suf.
22 Like a vulture he will soar, swoop down
and spread out his wings against Botzrah.
On that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
23 Concerning Dammesek:
“Hamat and Arpad are confused;
having heard bad news, they dissolve in fear,
like the churning sea, which cannot calm itself.
24 Dammesek, weakened, turns to flee;
trembling has seized her;
anguish and pain take hold of her
like the pains of a woman in labor.
25 How can a city so praised be deserted,
a city that gave me such joy?
26 Therefore her young men will fall in her squares,
and all her warriors be silenced on that day,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
27 “I will light a fire inside Dammesek’s walls
which will consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad.”
28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hatzor, which N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel struck, Adonai says:
“Set out! March against Kedar!
Plunder the people of the east!
29 They will seize their tents and their flocks,
their tent curtains and all their equipment;
their camels too they will take for themselves
and shout at them, ‘Terror in every direction!’
30 Flee! Leave your homes! Hide yourselves well,
you who live in Hatzor,” says Adonai;
“for N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel
has devised a plan against you;
he has formed a scheme against you.
31 Get up! March on a nation at ease,
that lives secure,” says Adonai.
“They have neither gates nor bars;
they live in isolation.
32 Their camels will be booty,
their many cattle a spoil.
I will scatter to the winds
those who shave the sides of their heads;
From every direction I will bring
their disaster on them,” says Adonai.
33 “Hatzor will be a place for jackals to live,
desolate forever;
no one will settle there any more,
no human being will live there again.”
34 This is the word of Adonai that came to Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning ‘Eilam at the beginning of the reign of Tzidkiyahu king of Y’hudah: 35 “Adonai-Tzva’ot says:
‘I will break ‘Eilam’s bow,
the mainstay of their might.
36 I will bring against ‘Eilam the four winds
from the four quarters of the sky
and scatter them to all those winds.
There will not be one nation to which
the dispersed of ‘Eilam will not come.
37 I will break ‘Eilam before their foes,
before those who seek their lives;
I will bring disaster on them,
my burning anger,’ says Adonai.
‘I will send the sword to pursue them
until I have finished them off.
38 I will put my throne in ‘Eilam
and destroy their king and leaders,’ says Adonai.
39 ‘But in the acharit-hayamim,
I will bring back the exiles of ‘Eilam,’ says Adonai.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.