^49:12For the Lord says, “If even those who did not deserve to drink from the cup of my wrath must drink from it, do you think you will go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must certainly drink from the cup of my wrath.²⁸^49:13For I solemnly swear,”²⁹ says the Lord, “that Bozrah³⁰ will become a pile of ruins. It will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example to be used in curses.³¹ All the towns around it will lie in ruins forever.”

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Footnotes

28 The words “of my wrath” after “cup” in the first line and “from the cup of my wrath” in the last line are not in the text but are implicit in the metaphor. They have been supplied in the translation for clarity. The reference here is to the cup of God’s wrath which is connected with the punishment of war at the hands of the Babylonians referred to already in Jer 25:15–29. Those who do not deserve to drink are the innocent victims of war who get swept away with the guilty. Edom was certainly not one of the innocent victims as is clear from this judgment speech and those referred to in the study note on .
29 Heb “I swear by myself.” See 22:5 and the study note there.
30 Bozrah appears to have been the chief city in Edom, its capital city (see its parallelism with Edom in Isa 34:6; 63:1; Jer 49:22). The reference to “its towns” (translated here “all the towns around it”) could then be a reference to all the towns in Edom. It was located about twenty-five miles southeast of the southern end of the Dead Sea apparently in the district of Teman (see the parallelism in Amos 1:12).
31 See the study note on for the rendering of this term.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

For thus says the Lord: “If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, will you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink. For I have sworn by myself, declares the Lord, that Bozrah shall become a horror, a taunt, a waste, and a curse, and all her cities shall be perpetual wastes.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. I swear by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and a curse, an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

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. For by myself I have sworn” —this is the Lord’s declaration—“Bozrah will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and an example for cursing, and all its surrounding cities will become ruins forever.”

NLTNew Living Translation

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! 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.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

For thus says Yahweh, “Look, those who are not condemned to drink the cup must certainly drink it. And are you the one who will go entirely unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for you must certainly drink it. For I have sworn by myself,” declares Yahweh, “that Bozrah will become as a horror, as a disgrace, as a waste, and as a curse. And all her towns will be everlasting sites of ruins.”

KJV 1900King James Version

For thus saith the Lord;

Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken;

And art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished?

Thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.

For I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord,

That Bozrah shall become a desolation,

A reproach, a waste, and a curse;

And all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.

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