Jeremiah 49:1–22

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