Jeremiah 49:1-6

Common English Bible

Prophecy against the Ammonites

49 Concerning the Ammonites, the Lord proclaims:

Doesn’t Israel have children?
    Aren’t there heirs to his land?
Why then has Milcom taken over Gad?
    Why have his people settled in its towns?
²Therefore, the time is coming,
        declares the Lord,
    when I will sound the battle alarm against Rabbah,
        the capital city of the Ammonites.
The city will be demolished,
    and its neighboring villages
        will be burned to the ground.
Then Israel will repossess
    the land seized by its captors,
        says the Lord.
³Weep, you people of Heshbon;
    Ai has been destroyed.
Wail, you daughters of Rabbah;
    put on funeral clothing,
        cry your eyes out,
        run for shelter.^[a]
Milcom will surely go into exile,
    together with his priests and ministers.

⁴Why do you brag about your strength?
    Your strength is exhausted,^[b]
        you rebellious daughter.
You trust in your treasures,
    never imagining who would attack you.
⁵I’m the one who will terrify you from every side,
    declares the Lord of heavenly forces.
Every one of you will be scattered about;
    no one will gather those who fled.
⁶Afterward, though, I will bring back
    the Ammonites from captivity,
        declares the Lord.