Jeremiah 49–50

A Message About Ammon

49Concerning the Ammonites:^y

This is what the Lord says:

“Has Israel no sons?

Has Israel no heir?

Why then has Molek^az taken possession of Gad?^a

Why do his people live in its towns?

²But the days are coming,”

declares the Lord,

“when I will sound the battle cry^b

against Rabbah^c of the Ammonites;

it will become a mound of ruins,^d

and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.

Then Israel will drive out

those who drove her out,^e”

says the Lord.

³“Wail, Heshbon,^f for Ai^g is destroyed!

Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!

Put on sackcloth^h and mourn;

rush here and there inside the walls,

for Molekⁱ will go into exile,^j

together with his priests and officials.

⁴Why do you boast of your valleys,

boast of your valleys so fruitful?

Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,^k

you trust in your riches^l and say,

‘Who will attack me?’^m

⁵I will bring terror on you

from all those around you,”

declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

“Every one of you will be driven away,

and no one will gather the fugitives.ⁿ

⁶“Yet afterward, I will restore^o the fortunes of the Ammonites,”

declares the Lord.

A Message About Edom

49:9–10pp—Ob 5–6 49:14–16pp—Ob 1–4

⁷Concerning Edom:^p

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?^q

Has counsel perished from the prudent?

Has their wisdom decayed?

⁸Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,^r

you who live in Dedan,^s

for I will bring disaster on Esau

at the time when I punish him.

⁹If grape pickers came to you,

would they not leave a few grapes?

If thieves came during the night,

would they not steal only as much as they wanted?

¹⁰But I will strip Esau bare;

I will uncover his hiding places,^t

so that he cannot conceal himself.

His armed men are destroyed,

also his allies and neighbors,

so there is no one^u to say,

¹¹‘Leave your fatherless children;^v I will keep them alive.

Your widows^w too can depend on me.’ ”

¹²This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup^x must drink it, why should you go unpunished?^y You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. ¹³I swear^z by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah^a will become a ruin and a curse,^b an object of horror^b and reproach;^c and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”^d

¹⁴I have heard a message from the Lord;

an envoy was sent to the nations to say,

“Assemble yourselves to attack it!

Rise up for battle!”

¹⁵“Now I will make you small among the nations,

despised by mankind.

¹⁶The terror you inspire

and the pride^e of your heart have deceived you,

you who live in the clefts of the rocks,^f

who occupy the heights of the hill.

Though you build your nest^g as high as the eagle’s,

from there I will bring you down,”

declares the Lord.

¹⁷“Edom will become an object of horror;^h

all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff

because of all its wounds.ⁱ

¹⁸As Sodom^j and Gomorrah^k were overthrown,

along with their neighboring towns,”

says the Lord,

“so no one will live there;

no people will dwell^l in it.

¹⁹“Like a lion^m coming up from Jordan’s thicketsⁿ

to a rich pastureland,

I will chase Edom from its land in an instant.

Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?

Who is like^o me and who can challenge me?^p

And what shepherd^q can stand against me?”

²⁰Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom,^r

what he has purposed^s against those who live in Teman:^t

The young of the flock^u will be dragged away;

their pasture will be appalled at their fate.^v

²¹At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;^w

their cry^x will resound to the Red Sea.^c

²²Look! An eagle will soar and swoop^y down,

spreading its wings over Bozrah.^z

In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors^a

will be like the heart of a woman in labor.^b

A Message About Damascus

²³Concerning Damascus:^c

“Hamath^d and Arpad^e are dismayed,

for they have heard bad news.

They are disheartened,

troubled like^d the restless sea.^f

²⁴Damascus has become feeble,

she has turned to flee

and panic has gripped her;

anguish and pain have seized her,

pain like that of a woman in labor.^g

²⁵Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,

the town in which I delight?

²⁶Surely, her young men^h will fall in the streets;

all her soldiers will be silencedⁱ in that day,”

declares the Lord Almighty.

²⁷“I will set fire^j to the walls of Damascus;^k

it will consume^l the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.^m”

A Message About Kedar and Hazor

²⁸Concerning Kedarⁿ and the kingdoms of Hazor,^o which Nebuchadnezzar^p king of Babylon attacked:

This is what the Lord says:

“Arise, and attack Kedar

and destroy the people of the East.^q

²⁹Their tents and their flocks^r will be taken;

their shelters will be carried off

with all their goods and camels.

People will shout to them,

‘Terror^s on every side!’

³⁰“Flee quickly away!

Stay in deep caves,^t you who live in Hazor,^u”

declares the Lord.

“Nebuchadnezzar^v king of Babylon has plotted against you;

he has devised a plan against you.

³¹“Arise and attack a nation at ease,

which lives in confidence,”

declares the Lord,

“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;^w

its people live far from danger.

³²Their camels^x will become plunder,

and their large herds^y will be spoils of war.

I will scatter to the winds^z those who are in distant places^ea

and will bring disaster on them from every side,”

declares the Lord.

³³“Hazor^b will become a haunt of jackals,^c

a desolate^d place forever.

No one will live there;

no people will dwell^e in it.”

A Message About Elam

³⁴This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,^f early in the reign of Zedekiah^g king of Judah:

³⁵This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will break the bow^h of Elam,

the mainstay of their might.

³⁶I will bring against Elam the four windsⁱ

from the four quarters of heaven;^j

I will scatter them to the four winds,

and there will not be a nation

where Elam’s exiles do not go.

³⁷I will shatter Elam before their foes,

before those who want to kill them;

I will bring disaster on them,

even my fierce anger,”^k

declares the Lord.

“I will pursue them with the sword^l

until I have made an end of them.

³⁸I will set my throne in Elam

and destroy her king and officials,”

declares the Lord.

³⁹“Yet I will restore^m the fortunes of Elam

in days to come,”

declares the Lord.

A Message About Babylon

51:15–19pp—Jer 10:12–16

50This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylonⁿ and the land of the Babylonians^a:

²“Announce and proclaim^o among the nations,

lift up a banner^p and proclaim it;

keep nothing back, but say,

‘Babylon will be captured;^q

Bel^r will be put to shame,^s

Marduk^t filled with terror.

Her images will be put to shame

and her idols^u filled with terror.’

³A nation from the north^v will attack her

and lay waste her land.

No one will live^w in it;

both people and animals^x will flee away.

⁴“In those days, at that time,”

declares the Lord,

“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together^y

will go in tears^z to seek^a the Lord their God.

⁵They will ask the way^b to Zion

and turn their faces toward it.

They will come^c and bind themselves to the Lord

in an everlasting covenant^d

that will not be forgotten.

⁶“My people have been lost sheep;^e

their shepherds^f have led them astray^g

and caused them to roam on the mountains.

They wandered over mountain and hill^h

and forgot their own resting place.ⁱ

⁷Whoever found them devoured^j them;

their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,^k

for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,

the Lord, the hope^l of their ancestors.’

⁸“Flee^m out of Babylon;ⁿ

leave the land of the Babylonians,

and be like the goats that lead the flock.

⁹For I will stir^o up and bring against Babylon

an alliance of great nations^p from the land of the north.^q

They will take up their positions against her,

and from the north she will be captured.^r

Their arrows^s will be like skilled warriors

who do not return empty-handed.

¹⁰So Babylonia^b will be plundered;^t

all who plunder her will have their fill,”

declares the Lord.

¹¹“Because you rejoice and are glad,

you who pillage my inheritance,^u

because you frolic like a heifer^v threshing grain

and neigh like stallions,

¹²your mother will be greatly ashamed;

she who gave you birth will be disgraced.^w

She will be the least of the nations—

a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.^x

¹³Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited

but will be completely desolate.^y

All who pass Babylon will be appalled;^z

they will scoff^a because of all her wounds.^b

¹⁴“Take up your positions around Babylon,

all you who draw the bow.^c

Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,^d

for she has sinned against the Lord.

¹⁵Shout^e against her on every side!

She surrenders, her towers fall,

her walls^f are torn down.

Since this is the vengeance^g of the Lord,

take vengeance on her;

do to her^h as she has done to others.ⁱ

¹⁶Cut off from Babylon the sower,

and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.

Because of the sword^j of the oppressor

let everyone return to their own people,^k

let everyone flee to their own land.^l

¹⁷“Israel is a scattered flock^m

that lionsⁿ have chased away.

The first to devour^o them

was the king^p of Assyria;

the last to crush their bones^q

was Nebuchadnezzar^r king^s of Babylon.”

¹⁸Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land

as I punished the king^t of Assyria.^u

¹⁹But I will bring^v Israel back to their own pasture,

and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;

their appetite will be satisfied^w

on the hills^x of Ephraim and Gilead.^y

²⁰In those days, at that time,”

declares the Lord,

“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,

but there will be none,^z

and for the sins^a of Judah,

but none will be found,

for I will forgive^b the remnant^c I spare.

²¹“Attack the land of Merathaim

and those who live in Pekod.^d

Pursue, kill and completely destroy^c them,”

declares the Lord.

“Do everything I have commanded you.

²²The noise^e of battle is in the land,

the noise of great destruction!

²³How broken and shattered

is the hammer^f of the whole earth!^g

How desolate^h is…