Jeremiah 47–51

Judgment on Philistia

47The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet ^aagainst the Philistines, ^bbefore Pharaoh attacked Gaza.

²Thus says the Lord:

“Behold, ^cwaters rise ^dout of the north,

And shall be an overflowing flood;

They shall overflow the land and all that is in it,

The city and those who dwell within;

Then the men shall cry,

And all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.

³At the ^enoise of the stamping hooves of his strong horses,

At the rushing of his chariots,

At the rumbling of his wheels,

The fathers will not look back for their children,

¹Lacking courage,

⁴Because of the day that comes to plunder all the ^fPhilistines,

To cut off from ^gTyre and Sidon every helper who remains;

For the Lord shall plunder the Philistines,

^hThe remnant of the country of ⁱCaphtor. ²

^5jBaldness has come upon Gaza,

^kAshkelon is cut off

With the remnant of their valley.

How long will you cut yourself?

⁶“O you ^lsword of the Lord,

How long until you are quiet?

Put yourself up into your scabbard,

Rest and be still!

⁷How can ³it be quiet,

Seeing the Lord has ^mgiven it a charge

Against Ashkelon and against the seashore?

There He has ⁿappointed it.”

Judgment on Moab

48Against ^aMoab. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:

“Woe to ^bNebo!

For it is plundered,

^cKirjathaim is shamed and taken;

¹The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—

^2dNo more praise of Moab.

In ^eHeshbon they have devised evil against her:

‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’

You also shall be cut down, O ^fMadmen! ²

The sword shall pursue you;

³A voice of crying shall be from ^gHoronaim:

‘Plundering and great destruction!’

⁴“Moab is destroyed;

³Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;

^5hFor in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;

For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

⁶“Flee, save your lives!

And be like ⁴the ⁱjuniper in the wilderness.

⁷For because you have trusted in your works and your ^jtreasures,

You also shall be taken.

And ^kChemosh shall go forth into captivity,

His ^lpriests and his princes together.

⁸And ^mthe plunderer shall come against every city;

No one shall escape.

The valley also shall perish,

And the plain shall be destroyed,

As the Lord has spoken.

⁹“Give ⁿwings to Moab,

That she may flee and get away;

For her cities shall be desolate,

Without any to dwell in them.

^10oCursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully,

And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.

¹¹“Moab has been at ease from ⁵his youth;

He ^phas settled on his dregs,

And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,

Nor has he gone into captivity.

Therefore his taste remained in him,

And his scent has not changed.

¹²“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,

“That I shall send him ⁶wine-workers

Who will tip him over

And empty his vessels

And break the bottles.

¹³Moab shall be ashamed of ^qChemosh,

As the house of Israel ^rwas ashamed of ^sBethel, their confidence.

¹⁴“How can you say, ^t‘We are mighty

And strong men for the war’?

¹⁵Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;

Her chosen young men have ^ugone down to the slaughter,” says ^vthe King,

Whose name is the Lord of hosts.

¹⁶“The calamity of Moab is near at hand,

And his affliction comes quickly.

¹⁷Bemoan him, all you who are around him;

And all you who know his name,

Say, ^w‘How the strong staff is broken,

The beautiful rod!’

¹⁸“O ^xdaughter inhabiting ^yDibon,

Come down from your glory,

And sit in thirst;

For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,

He has destroyed your strongholds.

¹⁹O inhabitant of ^zAroer,

^aStand by the way and watch;

Ask him who flees

And her who escapes;

Say, ‘What has happened?’

²⁰Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.

^bWail and cry!

Tell it in ^cArnon, that Moab is plundered.

²¹“And judgment has come on the plain country:

On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,

²²On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,

²³On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,

²⁴On ^dKerioth and Bozrah,

On all the cities of the land of Moab,

Far or near.

^25eThe ⁷horn of Moab is cut off,

And his ^farm is broken,” says the Lord.

²⁶“Make ^ghim drunk,

Because he exalted himself against the Lord.

Moab shall wallow in his vomit,

And he shall also be in derision.

²⁷For ^hwas not Israel a derision to you?

ⁱWas he found among thieves?

For whenever you speak of him,

You shake your head in ^jscorn.

²⁸You who dwell in Moab,

Leave the cities and ^kdwell in the rock,

And be like ^lthe dove which makes her nest

In the sides of the cave’s mouth.

²⁹“We have heard the ^mpride of Moab

(He is exceedingly proud),

Of his loftiness and arrogance and ⁿpride,

And of the haughtiness of his heart.”

³⁰“I know his wrath,” says the Lord,

“But it is not right;

^oHis ⁸lies have made nothing right.

³¹Therefore ^pI will wail for Moab,

And I will cry out for all Moab;

⁹I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.

^32qO vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of ^rJazer.

Your plants have gone over the sea,

They reach to the sea of Jazer.

The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.

^33sJoy and gladness are taken

From the plentiful field

And from the land of Moab;

I have caused wine to ¹fail from the winepresses;

No one will tread with joyous shouting—

Not joyous shouting!

³⁴“From ^tthe cry of Heshbon to ^uElealeh and to Jahaz

They have uttered their voice,

^vFrom Zoar to Horonaim,

Like ²a three-year-old heifer;

For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.

³⁵“Moreover,” says the Lord,

“I will cause to cease in Moab

^wThe one who offers sacrifices in the ³high places

And burns incense to his gods.

³⁶Therefore ^xMy heart shall wail like flutes for Moab,

And like flutes My heart shall wail

For the men of Kir Heres.

Therefore ^ythe riches they have acquired have perished.

³⁷“For ^zevery head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;

On all the hands shall be cuts, and ^aon the loins sackcloth—

³⁸A general lamentation

On all the ^bhousetops of Moab,

And in its streets;

For I have ^cbroken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.

³⁹“They shall wail:

‘How she is broken down!

How Moab has turned her back with shame!’

So Moab shall be a derision

And a dismay to all those about her.”

⁴⁰For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, ^done shall fly like an eagle,

And ^espread his wings over Moab.

⁴¹Kerioth is taken,

And the strongholds are surprised;

^fThe mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be

Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.

⁴²And Moab shall be destroyed ^gas a people,

Because he exalted himself against the Lord.

^43hFear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you,

O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.

⁴⁴“He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit,

And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the ⁱsnare.

For upon Moab, upon it ^jI will bring

The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.

⁴⁵“Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon

Because of exhaustion.

But ^ka fire shall come out of Heshbon,

A flame from the midst of ^lSihon,

And ^mshall devour the brow of Moab,

The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.

⁴⁶ⁿWoe to you, O Moab!

The people of Chemosh perish;

For your sons have been taken captive,

And your daughters captive.

⁴⁷“Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab

^oIn the latter days,” says the Lord.

Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

Judgment on Ammon

49Against the ^aAmmonites. Thus says the Lord:

“Has Israel no sons?

Has he no heir?

Why then does ¹Milcom inherit ^bGad,

And his people dwell in its cities?

^2cTherefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,

“That I will cause to be heard an alarm of war

In ^dRabbah of the Ammonites;

It shall be a desolate mound,

And her ²villages shall be burned with fire.

Then Israel shall take possession of his inheritance,” says the Lord.

³“Wail, O ^eHeshbon, for Ai is plundered!

Cry, you daughters of Rabbah,

^fGird yourselves with sackcloth!

Lament and run to and fro by the walls;

For ³Milcom shall go into captivity

With his ^gpriests and his princes together.

⁴Why ^hdo you boast in the valleys,

⁴Your flowing valley, O ⁱbacksliding daughter?

Who trusted in her ^jtreasures, ^ksaying,

‘Who will come against me?’

⁵Behold, I will bring fear upon you,”

Says the Lord God of hosts,

“From all those who are around you;

You shall be driven out, everyone headlong,

And no one will gather those who wander off.

⁶But ^lafterward I will bring back

The captives of the people of Ammon,” says the Lord.

Judgment on Edom

^7mAgainst Edom.

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

ⁿ“Is wisdom no more in Teman?

^oHas counsel perished from the prudent?

Has their wisdom ^pvanished?

⁸Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of ^qDedan!

For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,

The time that I will punish him.

^9rIf grape-gatherers came to you,

Would they not leave some gleaning grapes?

If thieves by night,

Would they not destroy until they have enough?

^10sBut I have made Esau bare;

I have uncovered his secret places,

And he shall not be able to hide himself.

His descendants are plundered,

His brethren and his neighbors,

And ^the is no more.

¹¹Leave your fatherless children,

I will preserve them alive;

And let your widows trust in Me.”

¹²For thus says the Lord: “Behold, ^uthose whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And are you the one who will altogether go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink of it. ¹³For ^vI have sworn by Myself,” says the Lord, “that ^wBozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a ⁵waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual ⁶wastes.”

^14xI have heard a message from the Lord,

And an ambassador has been sent to the nations:

“Gather together, come against her,

And rise up to battle!

¹⁵“For indeed, I will make you small among nations,

Despised among men.

¹⁶Your fierceness has deceived you,

The ^ypride of your heart,

O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,

Who hold the height of the hill!

^zThough you make your ^anest as high as the eagle,

^bI will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.

¹⁷“Edom also shall be an astonishment;

^cEveryone who goes by it will be astonished

And will hiss at all its plagues.

^18dAs in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah

And their neighbors,” says the Lord,

“No one shall remain there,

Nor shall a son of man dwell in it.

¹⁹“Behold, ^ehe shall come up like a lion from …