Jeremiah 49:7-22
New Living Translation
Messages about Edom
7 This message was given concerning Edom. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Is there no wisdom in Teman?
Is no one left to give wise counsel?
8 Turn and flee!
Hide in deep caves, you people of Dedan!
For when I bring disaster on Edom,[a]
I will punish you, too!
9 Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
If thieves came at night,
they would not take everything.
10 But I will strip bare the land of Edom,
and there will be no place left to hide.
Its children, its brothers, and its neighbors
will all be destroyed,
and Edom itself will be no more.
11 But I will protect the orphans who remain among you.
Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.”
12 And this is what the Lord says: “If the innocent must suffer, how much more must you! You will not go unpunished! You must drink this cup of judgment! 13 For I have sworn by my own name,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror and a heap of ruins; it will be mocked and cursed. All its towns and villages will be desolate forever.”
14 I have heard a message from the Lord
that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,
“Form a coalition against Edom,
and prepare for battle!”
15 The Lord says to Edom,
“I will cut you down to size among the nations.
You will be despised by all.
16 You have been deceived
by the fear you inspire in others
and by your own pride.
You live in a rock fortress
and control the mountain heights.
But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles,
I will bring you crashing down,”
says the Lord.
17 “Edom will be an object of horror.
All who pass by will be appalled
and will gasp at the destruction they see there.
18 It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighboring towns,” says the Lord.
“No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.
19 I will come like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan,
leaping on the sheep in the pasture.
I will chase Edom from its land,
and I will appoint the leader of my choice.
For who is like me, and who can challenge me?
What ruler can oppose my will?”
20 Listen to the Lord’s plans against Edom
and the people of Teman.
Even the little children will be dragged off like sheep,
and their homes will be destroyed.
21 The earth will shake with the noise of Edom’s fall,
and its cry of despair will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.[b]
22 Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,
spreading his wings over Bozrah.
Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
like a woman in labor.
Jeremiah 49:7-22
Common English Bible
Prophecy against Edom
7 Concerning Edom, the Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Is wisdom no longer in Teman?
Has good sense vanished from the perceptive?
Are they no longer wise?
8 Turn, flee, and run for cover,
you inhabitants of Dedan.
I’m bringing disaster on Esau:
its day of reckoning.
9 If workers would come to you to pick grapes,
they would at least leave a few on the vine.
If thieves would come in the night,
they would take only what they needed.
10 But me? I will strip Esau bare.
I will expose his hiding places,
and he will find no place to take cover.
His offspring, family, and acquaintances will perish,
and there will be no one left to say,[a]
11 “Leave me your orphans,
and I’ll look after them;
trust your widows into my care.”
12 The Lord proclaims: If the innocent must drink the cup, why do you expect to escape punishment? You won’t! You will drink it! 13 I myself swear, declares the Lord, that Bozrah will become an object of horror and scorn, a wasteland and a curse. And all of its towns will lie in ruins forever.
14 I have heard a report from the Lord
that a messenger is sent among the nations:
Join forces and come against her;
prepare for war!
15 I’m about to cut you down to size before the nations;
you will be scorned by everyone.
16 The terror you have inflicted on others has deceived you,
as has your own pride.
Though you live in a fortress
and occupy the high ground;
though you nest on high like the eagles,
I will bring you down,
declares the Lord.
17 Then Edom will become a wasteland.
All who pass by will be shocked by its injuries.
18 It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
and their surrounding towns,
says the Lord.
No one will live there;
no human will dwell in it.
19 Like a lion coming up
from the jungle of the Jordan
to a well-watered meadow,[b]
so I will suddenly chase down Edom
and single out its choicest of rams.[c]
Who is like me?
Who can direct me?
What shepherd can withstand me?
20 Therefore, listen to the counsel
that the Lord has for Edom
and the plans he’s devised
against the people of Teman:
The little ones of the flock
will be dragged off,
as their pasture watches
in utter disbelief.[d]
21 The earth quakes
as the Edomites go down;
their screams echo
as far as the Reed Sea.[e]
22 Look! One who mounts up and soars like an eagle,
who swoops down and spreads his wings over Bozrah.
On that day, the heart of every soldier from Edom
will be like that of a woman in the throes of labor.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 49:10 LXX; MT and there will ( or he will) be no more
- Jeremiah 49:19 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 49:19 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 49:20 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 49:21 Or Red Sea
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible