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.
Jeremiah 49
GOD’S WORD Translation
A Prophecy against Ammon
49 This is what the Lord says about the people of Ammon:
Doesn’t Israel have any children? Doesn’t it have any heirs?
Why, then, has the god Milcom [a] taken over the inheritance
of Gad’s descendants?
Why do Milcom’s people live in Gad’s cities?
2 That is why the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah,
where the people of Ammon live.
It will become a pile of rubble.
Its villages will be burned down.
Then Israel will take possession of its inheritance, says the Lord.
3 Cry loudly, Heshbon, because Ai is destroyed.
Cry, people of Rabbah, put on your sackcloth, and mourn.
Run back and forth between the walls.
Milcom will be taken away into captivity
with its priests and officials.
4 Why do you brag about your valleys,
your fertile valleys, you unfaithful people?
You trust your treasures.
You think, “Who would attack me?”
5 I am going to bring terror on you from all around,
declares the Almighty Lord of Armies.
Everyone will be scattered.
No one will gather the refugees.
6 But afterward, I will return the captives of Ammon, declares the Lord.
A Prophecy against Edom(A)
7 This is what the Lord of Armies says about Edom:
Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman?
Has wisdom disappeared from your people?
Has their wisdom vanished?
8 Turn and run.
Hide in deep caves, inhabitants of Dedan.
When I punish them,
I will bring disaster on the descendants of Esau.
9 If people come to pick your grapes,
won’t they leave a few grapes behind?
If thieves come during the night,
won’t they steal only until they’ve had enough?
10 Yet, I will strip the descendants of Esau.
I will find their hiding places.
They won’t be able to hide.
Their children and relatives will be destroyed.
None of their neighbors will say,
11 “Abandon your orphans, and I will keep them alive.
Your widows can trust me.”
12 This is what the Lord says: If those who don’t deserve to drink from the cup still drink from it, why should you go unpunished? You won’t go unpunished. You must drink from it. 13 I take an oath on myself, declares the Lord, that Bozrah will become a pile of rubble. It will become something horrifying, ridiculed, ruined, and cursed. All its cities will lie in ruins permanently.
14 I heard a message from the Lord.
A messenger was sent among the nations to say,
“Assemble, and attack Edom.
Get ready for battle.”
15 “Edom, I will make you the smallest of nations
and despised among humanity.
16 You have frightened other people.
Your arrogance has deceived you.
You live on rocky cliffs
and occupy the highest places in the hills.
Even though you build your nest as high as an eagle,
I will bring you down from there,” declares the Lord.
17 “Then Edom will become something horrible.
Everyone who passes by it will be horrified
and hiss at all its wounds.
18 Edom will be like Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighboring cities
when they were destroyed.
No one will live there.
No human will stay there,” says the Lord.
19 “I will suddenly chase them from their places
like a lion coming out of the jungle
along the Jordan River into pastureland.
I will appoint over Edom whomever I choose.
Who is like me? Who can challenge me?
Is there any leader who can stand up to me?”
20 Listen to the plans that the Lord is making against Edom
and the things he intends to do to those who live in Teman.
He will surely drag away the little ones of the flock.
He will surely destroy the pasture
because of the people who live in Teman.
21 The earth will quake at the sound of their downfall.
The sound of their crying will be heard at the Red Sea.
22 The enemy will swoop down like eagles
and spread their wings over Bozrah.
On that day Edom’s soldiers will be like women in childbirth.
A Prophecy against Damascus
23 This is a message about Damascus.
“Hamath and Arpad are worried because they heard the bad news.
They melt in fear.
They are troubled like a sea that can’t be calmed.
24 The people of Damascus are weak.
They turn to flee, but panic grips them.
Anguish and pain grip them like a woman in labor.
25 Why isn’t that famous, happy city abandoned?
26 That is why its young men will die in the streets,
and its soldiers will be silenced that day,”
declares the Lord of Armies.
27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus
and burn down Benhadad’s palaces.”
A Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor
28 This is about the tribe of Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated. This is what the Lord says:
Get ready, attack Kedar,
and loot the people from the east.
29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken.
Their tent curtains, utensils, and camels will be carried away.
People will shout to them, “Terror is all around!”
30 Run far away! Find a place to hide,
inhabitants of Hazor, declares the Lord.
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has made plans against you
and intends to attack you.
31 Get ready! Attack the nation living peacefully and securely,
declares the Lord.
It is a nation with no gates or bars.
Its people live alone.
32 Their camels will be taken as prizes.
Their large herds will be taken as loot.
I will scatter to the winds
those who shave the hair on their foreheads.
I will bring disaster on them from every side,
declares the Lord.
33 Hazor will be a place where only jackals live.
It will become a permanent wasteland.
No one will live there.
No human will stay there.
A Prophecy against Elam
34 Early in the rule of King Zedekiah of Judah, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam.
35 This is what the Lord of Armies says:
I’m going to break the bows of Elam’s archers,
the most important weapon of their strength.
36 I’ll bring the four winds
from the four corners of heaven against Elam
and scatter its people in every direction.
There won’t be a nation
where Elam’s refugees won’t go.
37 I’ll defeat the people of Elam in the presence of their enemies,
in the presence of those who want to kill them.
I’ll bring disaster with my burning anger, declares the Lord.
I’ll send armies after them until I put an end to them.
38 I’ll set my throne in Elam and destroy its king and officials,
declares the Lord.
39 But afterward, I’ll return the captives of Elam, declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- 49:1 Or “Molech.”
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