Jeremiah 49
49
Prophecy against the Ammonites
1Concerning the Ammonites, the LORD proclaims:
Doesn’t Israel have children?
Aren’t there heirs to his land?
Why then has Milcom taken over Gad?
Why have his people settled in its towns?
2Therefore, the time is coming,
declares the LORD,
when I will sound the battle alarm against Rabbah,
the capital city of the Ammonites.
The city will be demolished,
and its neighboring villages
will be burned to the ground.
Then Israel will repossess
the land seized by its captors,
says the LORD.
3Weep, you people of Heshbon;
Ai has been destroyed.
Wail, you daughters of Rabbah;
put on funeral clothing,
cry your eyes out,
run for shelter.#49.3 Heb uncertain; or run back and forth in the sheepfolds
Milcom will surely go into exile,
together with his priests and ministers.
4Why do you brag about your strength?
Your strength is exhausted,#49.4 Heb uncertain
you rebellious daughter.
You trust in your treasures,
never imagining who would attack you.
5I’m the one who will terrify you from every side,
declares the LORD of heavenly forces.
Every one of you will be scattered about;
no one will gather those who fled.
6Afterward, though, I will bring back
the Ammonites from captivity,
declares the LORD.
Prophecy against Edom
7Concerning 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?
8Turn, flee, and run for cover,
you inhabitants of Dedan.
I’m bringing disaster on Esau:
its day of reckoning.
9If 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.
10But 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,#49.10 LXX; MT and there will ( or he will) be no more
11“Leave me your orphans,
and I’ll look after them;
trust your widows into my care.”
12The LORD proclaims: If the innocent must drink the cup, why do you expect to escape punishment? You won’t! You will drink it! 13I 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.
14I have heard a report from the LORD
that a messenger is sent among the nations:
Join forces and come against her;
prepare for war!
15I’m about to cut you down to size before the nations;
you will be scorned by everyone.
16The 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.
17Then Edom will become a wasteland.
All who pass by will be shocked by its injuries.
18It 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.
19Like a lion coming up
from the jungle of the Jordan
to a well-watered meadow,#49.19 Heb uncertain
so I will suddenly chase down Edom
and single out its choicest of rams.#49.19 Heb uncertain
Who is like me?
Who can direct me?
What shepherd can withstand me?
20Therefore, 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.#49.20 Heb uncertain
21The earth quakes
as the Edomites go down;
their screams echo
as far as the Reed Sea.#49.21 Or Red Sea
22Look! 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.
Prophecy against Damascus
23Concerning Damascus:
Hamath and Arpad lose heart
when they hear the bad news.
They are trembling with fear,
like the raging sea,
which can’t become quiet.
24Damascus staggers about;
she tries to flee,
but panic overwhelms her.
She’s gripped by anguish and pain,
like a woman in labor.
25Forsaken#49.25 Vulg; MT Not forsaken is the renowned city,
city of my delight.
26Yes, her young men will fall in the streets,
and her soldiers will be silent on that day,
declares the LORD of heavenly forces.
27I will set fire to the walls of Damascus;
it will burn up the fortresses of Ben-hadad.
Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor
28Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar defeated, the LORD proclaims:
Get ready to attack Kedar;
destroy the people from the east!
29Seize#49.29 Or They will seize…they will take off their tents and their flocks,
their belongings and all their goods.
Take off with their camels
and shout as you go:
“Panic Lurks Everywhere!”
30Run away; take cover,
you people of Hazor,
declares the LORD.
Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar
has taken counsel and devised a plan against you.
31Get ready to attack a nation
that feels safe and secure,
declares the LORD,
one without barred gates
that lives by itself.
32Their camels will become plunder;
their many cattle will be pillaged.
I will scatter to the winds those who are clean-shaven,#49.32 Or those who have temples that are shaved
and I will bring disaster on them from every side,
declares the LORD.
33Hazor will become a den for wild dogs,
a wilderness forever.
No one will live there;
no human will dwell in it.
Prophecy against Elam
34This is what the LORD told the prophet Jeremiah concerning Elam at the beginning of the rule of Judah’s King Zedekiah. 35The LORD of heavenly forces proclaims:
I’m going to break the bow of Elam,
the backbone of its military might.
36I will bring against Elam four winds
from the four corners of heaven,
and I will scatter them to the winds.
Those banished from Elam will migrate to every nation.
37I will terrify Elam before their enemies,
before those who seek to kill them.
I will bring disaster upon them,
my fierce anger,
declares the LORD.
I will send the sword to attack them
until I have destroyed them all.
38I will establish my rule in Elam
and dispose of its king and officials,
declares the LORD.
39But in the days to come
I will bring back the captives of Elam,
declares the LORD.
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Jeremiah 49: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 49
49
1This is what the Lord says about the Ammonites:
Don't the Israelites have any children? Don't they have heirs to inherit their property? So why has Milcom#49:1. “Milcom”: the name of the principal Ammonite god, also identified as “Molech.” taken over the territory belonging to the tribe of Gad? Why are his people living in their towns?
2Watch out! The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will signal the attack on the Ammonite town of Rabbah.#49:2. “Rabbah”: the Ammonite capital, known today as Amman, Jordan. It will be turned into a pile of ruins, and its villages will be burned down. Then the Israelites will drive out the people who took over their land, says the Lord.
3Weep, people of Heshbon, for the town of Ai has been destroyed. Cry for help, people of Rabbah! Put on clothes made of sackcloth and start mourning; run to and fro inside your city walls, because your god Milcom will go into exile along with his priests and leaders.
4Why do you boast that your valleys are so productive, you unfaithful people? You trust in your wealth, saying, “Who would dare attack us?”
5Watch out! I'm going to bring the surrounding nations to terrorize you, declares the Lord God Almighty. You will all be driven out and scattered, and no one will be able to gather you refugees together again. 6However, later on I will bring you Ammonites back from exile, declares the Lord.
7This is what the Lord Almighty says about Edom:#49:7. For a parallel prophecy against Edom see Obadiah, who uses similar language.
Aren't there any wise people left in Teman?#49:7. Teman was a district in the country of Edom. Isn't there any good advice from those with insight? Has their wisdom rotted away? 8Turn and run away! Find somewhere to hide, people of Dedan, because I'm bringing disaster down on you descendants of Esau when I punish you.
9If people harvesting grapes came to you, they'd leave some behind, wouldn't they? If thieves came during the night, they'd only steal what they wanted, wouldn't they? 10But I'm going to strip the whole country bare, leaving its people with nowhere to hide. All of Esau's descendants will be destroyed, along with their relatives and friends—they will all be gone.
11However, you can leave your orphans to me because I will protect them. Have your widows put their trust in me.
12This is what the Lord says: If those who were not required to drink from the cup of judgment had to do so, how could you not be punished yourselves? You won't go unpunished, because you have to drink it too. 13I made myself a solemn promise, declares the Lord, that the town of Bozrah will become a place that horrifies people, a complete humiliation, a pile of ruins, and a name that's used as a curse word. All its surrounding towns will also be left in ruins forever.
14I received this message from the Lord. He has sent a messenger to the nations:
Get yourselves ready to attack Edom! Prepare for battle! 15Watch as I will make you insignificant compared to other nations—everyone will look down on you. 16The fear you once created in others, and your pride in yourselves, has fooled you into overconfidence, you people living on the rocky mountain tops. Though you make your homes high out of reach like an eagle's nest, I will tear you down, even from there, declares the Lord. 17People will be horrified at what's happened to Edom. Everyone passing by will be shocked, and will sneer at all its damage. 18Just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, along with their neighboring towns, says the Lord, nobody will live there—they will become uninhabited. 19Watch out! I'm going to come like a lion from the tangled undergrowth beside the Jordan to attack the animals grazing#49:19. “Attack the animals grazing”: supplied for clarity. the green pasture. In fact I'm going to chase the Edomites from their land very quickly.
Who will I choose to conquer them? Who is like me? Who can challenge me? Which leader#49:19. “Leader”: literally, “shepherd.” could oppose me?
20So listen to what the Lord has planned to do to Edom and the people of Teman: Their children will be dragged away like lambs from the flock, and because of them their pasture will become a wasteland. 21When they fall, the sound they make will make the earth shake; their cries will be heard all the way to the Red Sea. 22Watch as an enemy like an eagle flies high, then swoops down, spreading its wings as it attacks Bozrah. At that time Edom's warriors will be as scared as a woman in labor.
23A prophecy about Damascus:
The towns of Hamath and Arpad#49:23. Two towns some considerable distance north of Damascus. are disturbed, because they've received bad news. They are fearful, restless like the sea. Nothing can calm their worries. 24The people of Damascus are demoralized—they turn and run away in panic, overcome by pain and anguish like a woman in labor.
25Why isn't the city that is praised deserted, the city that made me happy?#49:25. Some believe this verse is not spoken by the Lord but by one of the city's residents.
26For on that day its young men will die in its streets, all its defenders will be killed, declares the Lord of Hosts. 27I'm going to set fire to the walls of Damascus; that will burn down the fortresses of Ben-hadad.
28A prophecy about the land of Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that were attacked by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. This is what the Lord says:
Go and attack Kedar; destroy the people of the east! 29Take their tents and their flocks! Carry off their tent curtains and all their possessions! Take their camels for yourselves. Shout out to them: “Terror is everywhere!”
30Run!#49:30. This verse is addressed to those being attacked. Get away as far as you can! Find somewhere to hide, people of Hazor, declares the Lord. For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has made plans to attack and destroy you.
31Go and attack#49:31. The Lord is speaking to Nebuchadnezzar again. that self-satisfied nation that thinks it's safe, declares the Lord. They don't have any barred gates and have no allies. 32Their camels and large herds will be plunder for you. I will scatter them everywhere, these desert people who trim their hair on the sides of their heads. I will bring disaster down on them from all directions, declares the Lord. 33Hazor will become a place where jackals live, a place abandoned forever. No one will live there; it will become uninhabited.
34This is the Lord's message that came to Jeremiah the prophet about Elam. This was at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah. 35This is what the Lord Almighty says:
Look! I'm going to smash the bows of the Elamites, the weapon they rely on for their power. 36I will bring winds from all directions to attack Elam, and I will scatter them in all directions. There won't be a nation that doesn't have some of Elam's exiles.
37I will smash the Elamites in front of their enemies, before those who want to kill them. In my furious anger I will bring disaster down on them, declares the Lord. I will chase them down with the sword until I have destroyed them. 38I will set up my throne in Elam, and destroy its king and officials, declares the Lord.
39However, later on I will bring the Elamites back from exile, declares the Lord.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com