Jeremiah 49
Christian Standard Bible
Prophecies against Ammon
49 About the Ammonites,(A) this is what the Lord says:
Does Israel have no sons?
Is he without an heir?
Why then has Milcom[a][b] dispossessed Gad(B)
and his people settled in their cities?
2 Therefore look, the days are coming(C)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
when I will make the shout of battle(D) heard
against Rabbah(E) of the Ammonites.
It will become a desolate mound,
and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Israel will dispossess their dispossessors,
says the Lord.
3 Wail, Heshbon,(F) for Ai is devastated;
cry out, daughters of Rabbah!
Clothe yourselves with sackcloth,(G) and lament;
run back and forth within your walls,[c]
because Milcom will go into exile
together with his priests and officials.(H)
4 Why do you boast about your valleys,
your flowing valley,[d]
you faithless daughter—
you who trust in your treasures
and say, “Who can attack me?”
5 Look, I am about to bring terror on you(I)—
this is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies—
from all those around you.
You will be banished, each person headlong,
with no one to gather up the fugitives.
6 But after that, I will restore the fortunes[e] of the Ammonites.(J)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Prophecies against Edom
7 About Edom,(K) this is what the Lord of Armies says:
Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?(L)
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom rotted away?(M)
8 Run! Turn back! Lie low,
residents of Dedan,(N)
for I will bring Esau’s calamity on him(O)
at the time I punish him.(P)
9 If grape harvesters came to you,
wouldn’t they leave a few grapes?(Q)
Were thieves to come in the night,
they would destroy only what they wanted.(R)
10 But I will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his secret places.(S)
He will try to hide,(T) but he will be unable.
His descendants will be destroyed
along with his relatives and neighbors.
He will exist no longer.(U)
11 Abandon your fatherless; I will preserve them;
let your widows trust in me.(V)
12 For this is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not remain unpunished, for you must drink it too. 13 For by myself I have sworn”(W)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“Bozrah[f] will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and an example for cursing, and all its surrounding cities will become ruins forever.”(X)
14 I have heard an envoy from the Lord;
a messenger has been sent among the nations:
Assemble yourselves to come against her.
Rise up for war!
15 I will certainly make you insignificant among the nations,
despised among humanity.
16 As to the terror you cause,[g]
your arrogant heart has deceived you.
You who live in the clefts of the rock,[h]
you who occupy the mountain summit,
though you elevate your nest like the eagles,
even from there I will bring you down.
This is the Lord’s declaration.(Y)
17 “Edom will become a desolation. Everyone who passes by her will be appalled and scoff because of all her wounds.(Z) 18 As when Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown along with their neighbors,”(AA) says the Lord, “no one will live there; no human being will stay in it even temporarily.(AB)
19 “Look, it will be like a lion coming from the thickets[i] of the Jordan to the watered grazing land.(AC) I will chase Edom away from her land in a flash. I will appoint whoever is chosen for her. For who is like me?(AD) Who will issue me a summons?(AE) Who is the shepherd who can stand against me?” (AF)
20 Therefore, hear the plans that the Lord has drawn up against Edom and the strategies he has devised against the people of Teman:(AG) The flock’s little lambs will certainly be dragged away,(AH) and their grazing land will be made desolate because of them.(AI) 21 At the sound of their fall the earth will quake;(AJ) the sound of her cry will be heard at the Red Sea.(AK) 22 Look! It will be like an eagle soaring upward, then swooping down and spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman with contractions.(AL)
Prophecies against Damascus
23 About Damascus:(AM)
Hamath and Arpad are put to shame,(AN)
for they have heard a bad report and are agitated,
like[j] the anxious sea that cannot be calmed.
24 Damascus has become weak;
she has turned to run;
panic has gripped her.
Distress and labor pains have seized her
like a woman in labor.(AO)
25 How can the city of praise not be abandoned,(AP)
the town that brings me joy?
26 Therefore, her young men will fall in her public squares;
all the warriors will perish in that day.
This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.(AQ)
27 I will set fire to the wall of Damascus;
it will consume Ben-hadad’s citadels.(AR)
Prophecies against Kedar and Hazor
28 About Kedar(AS) and the kingdoms of Hazor, which King Nebuchadnezzar(AT) of Babylon defeated, this is what the Lord says:
Rise up, attack Kedar,
and destroy the people of the east!
29 They will take their tents and their flocks
along with their tent curtains and all their equipment.
They will take their camels for themselves.
They will call out to them,
“Terror is on every side!” (AU)
30 Run! Escape quickly! Lie low,
residents of Hazor—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
has drawn up a plan against you;
he has devised a strategy against you.
31 Rise up, attack a nation at ease,
one living in security.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
They have no doors, not even a gate bar;
they live alone.(AV)
32 Their camels will become plunder,
and their massive herds of cattle will become spoil.(AW)
I will scatter them to the wind in every direction,
those who clip the hair on their temples;
I will bring calamity on them across all their borders.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
33 Hazor will become a jackals’ den,(AX)
a desolation forever.
No one will live there;
no human being will stay in it even temporarily.(AY)
Prophecies against Elam
34 This is the word of the Lord that came to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam[k] at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah.(AZ) 35 This is what the Lord of Armies says:
I am about to shatter Elam’s bow,(BA)
the source[l] of their might.
36 I will bring the four winds against Elam
from the four corners of the heavens,
and I will scatter them to all these winds.
There will not be a nation
to which Elam’s banished ones will not go.
37 I will devastate Elam before their enemies,
before those who intend to take their lives.
I will bring disaster on them,
my burning anger.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
I will send the sword after them(BB)
until I finish them off.
38 I will set my throne in Elam,
and I will destroy the king and officials from there.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
39 Yet, in the last days,
I will restore the fortunes of Elam.(BC)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Jeremiah 49
New International Reader's Version
A Message About Ammon
49 Here is what the Lord says about the people of Ammon.
He says,
“Doesn’t Israel have any sons?
Doesn’t Israel have anyone
to take over the family property?
Then why has the god named Molek taken over Gad?
Why do those who worship him live in its towns?
2 But a new day is coming,”
announces the Lord.
“At that time I will sound the battle cry.
I will sound it against Rabbah in the land of Ammon.
It will become a pile of broken-down buildings.
The villages around it will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
those who drove her out,”
says the Lord.
3 “Heshbon, weep for Ai! It is destroyed!
Cry out, you who live in Rabbah!
Put on the clothes of sadness and mourn.
Run here and there inside the walls.
Your god named Molek will be carried away.
So will its priests and officials.
4 Why do you brag about your valleys?
You brag that they produce so many crops.
Ammon, you are an unfaithful country.
You trust in your riches. You say,
‘Who will attack me?’
5 I will bring terror on you.
It will come from all those around you,”
announces the Lord. He is the Lord who rules over all.
“Every one of you will be driven away.
No one will bring back those who escape.
6 “But after that, I will bless the people of Ammon
with great success again,”
announces the Lord.
A Message About Edom
7 Here is what the Lord says about Edom.
The Lord who rules over all says,
“Isn’t there wisdom in the town of Teman anymore?
Can’t those who are wise give advice?
Has their wisdom disappeared completely?
8 Turn around and run away, you who live in Dedan.
Hide in deep caves.
I will bring trouble on Esau’s family line.
I will do this at the time I punish them.
9 Edom, suppose grape pickers came to harvest your vines.
They would still leave a few grapes.
Suppose robbers came at night.
They would steal only as much as they wanted.
10 But I will strip everything away from Esau’s people.
I will uncover their hiding places.
They will not be able to hide anywhere.
Their army is destroyed.
Their friends and neighbors are destroyed.
So there is no one to say,
11 ‘Leave your children whose fathers have died.
I will keep them alive.
Your widows can also depend on me.’ ”
12 The Lord says, “What if those who do not have to drink the cup must drink it anyway? Then shouldn’t you be punished? You will certainly be punished. You must drink the cup. 13 I make a promise in my own name. Bozrah will be destroyed,” announces the Lord. “People will be shocked at it. They will say Bozrah is a shameful place. They will use its name as a curse. And all its towns will be destroyed forever.”
14 I’ve heard a message from the Lord.
A messenger was sent to the nations. The Lord told him to say,
“Gather yourselves together to attack Edom!
Prepare for battle!”
15 The Lord says to Edom, “I will make you weak among the nations.
They will hate you.
16 You live in the safety of the rocks.
You live on top of the hills.
But the terror you stir up has now turned against you.
Your proud heart has tricked you.
You build your nest as high as an eagle does.
But I will bring you down from there,”
announces the Lord.
17 “People of Edom,
all those who pass by you will be shocked.
They will make fun of you
because of all your wounds.
18 Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.
So were the towns that were near them,”
says the Lord.
“You will be just like them.
No one will live in your land.
No human beings will stay there.
19 “I will be like a lion coming up
from the bushes by the Jordan River.
I will hunt in rich grasslands.
I will chase you from your land in an instant.
What nation will I choose to do this?
Which one will I appoint?
Is anyone like me?
Who would dare to argue with me?
What leader can stand against me?”
20 So listen to what the Lord has planned
against the people of Edom.
Hear what he has planned against those who live in Teman.
Edom’s young people will be dragged away.
Their grasslands will be shocked at their fate.
21 When the earth hears Edom fall, it will shake.
The people’s cries will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.
22 Look! An enemy is coming.
It’s like an eagle diving down.
It will spread its wings over Bozrah.
At that time the hearts of Edom’s soldiers
will tremble in fear.
They’ll be like the heart of a woman having a baby.
A Message About Damascus
23 Here is what the Lord says about Damascus. He says,
“The people of Hamath and Arpad are terrified.
They have heard bad news.
They have lost all hope.
They are troubled like the rolling sea.
24 The people of Damascus have become weak.
They have turned to run away.
Panic has taken hold of them.
Suffering and pain have taken hold of them.
Their pain is like the pain of a woman having a baby.
25 Why hasn’t the famous city been deserted?
It is the town I take delight in.
26 You can be sure its young men will fall dead in the streets.
All its soldiers will be put to death at that time,”
announces the Lord who rules over all.
27 “I will set the walls of Damascus on fire.
It will burn down the strong towers of King Ben-Hadad.”
A Message About Kedar and Hazor
28 Here is what the Lord says about the people of Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was planning to attack them.
The Lord says to the armies of Babylon,
“Prepare for battle. Attack Kedar.
Destroy the people of the east.
29 Their tents and flocks will be taken away from them.
Their tents will be carried off.
All their goods and camels will be stolen.
People will shout to them,
‘There is terror on every side!’
30 “Run away quickly!
You who live in Hazor, stay in deep caves,”
announces the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon,
has made plans against you.
He has decided to attack you.
31 “Armies of Babylon, prepare for battle.
Attack a nation that feels secure.
Its people do not have any worries,”
announces the Lord.
“That nation does not have gates or bars that lock them.
Its people live far from danger.
32 Their camels will be stolen.
Their large herds will be taken away.
I will scatter to the winds those who are in places far away.
I will bring trouble on them from every side,”
announces the Lord.
33 “Hazor will become a home for wild dogs.
It will be a dry and empty desert forever.
No one will live in that land.
No human beings will stay there.”
A Message About Elam
34 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet. It was about Elam. It came shortly after Zedekiah became king of Judah.
35 The Lord who rules over all said,
“Elam’s bow is the secret of its strength.
But I will break it.
36 I will bring the four winds against Elam.
I will bring them from all four directions.
I will scatter Elam’s people to the four winds.
They will be taken away
to every nation on earth.
37 I will use Elam’s enemies to smash them.
Those who want to kill them will kill them.
I will bring trouble on Elam’s people.
My anger will be great against them,”
announces the Lord.
“I will chase them with swords.
I will hunt them down
until I have destroyed them.
38 I will set up my throne in Elam.
I will destroy its king and officials,”
announces the Lord.
39 “But in days to come I will bless Elam
with great success again,”
announces the Lord.
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