Jeremiah 49

Chapter 49

A Message about Ammon

1 This message was given concerning the Ammonites. This is what the LORD says:
“Are there no descendants of Israel
to inherit the land of Gad?
Why are you, who worship Molech,t
living in its towns?2 In the days to come,” says the LORD,
“I will sound the battle cry against your city of Rabbah.
It will become a desolate heap of ruins,
and the neighboring towns will be burned.
Then Israel will take back the land
you took from her,” says the LORD.3 “Cry out, O Heshbon,
for the town of Ai is destroyed.
Weep, O people of Rabbah!
Put on your clothes of mourning.
Weep and wail, hiding in the hedges,
for your god Molech, with his priests and officials,
will be hauled off to distant lands.4 You are proud of your fertile valleys,
but they will soon be ruined.
You trusted in your wealth,
you rebellious daughter,
and thought no one could ever harm you.5 But look! I will bring terror upon you,”
says the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
“Your neighbors will chase you from your land,
and no one will help your exiles as they flee.6 But I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites
in days to come.
I, the LORD, have spoken.”

Messages about Edom

7 This message was given concerning Edom. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Is there no wisdom in Teman?
Is no one left to give wise counsel?8 Turn and flee!
Hide in deep caves, you people of Dedan!
For when I bring disaster on Edom,t
I will punish you, too!9 Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
If thieves came at night,
they would not take everything.10 But I will strip bare the land of Edom,
and there will be no place left to hide.
Its children, its brothers, and its neighbors
will all be destroyed,
and Edom itself will be no more.11 But I will protect the orphans who remain among you.
Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.”12 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!

13 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.”
14 I have heard a message from the LORD
that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,
“Form a coalition against Edom,
and prepare for battle!”15 The LORD says to Edom,
“I will cut you down to size among the nations.
You will be despised by all.16 You have been deceived
by the fear you inspire in others
and by your own pride.
You live in a rock fortress
and control the mountain heights.
But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles,
I will bring you crashing down,”
says the LORD.17 “Edom will be an object of horror.
All who pass by will be appalled
and will gasp at the destruction they see there.18 It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighboring towns,” says the LORD.
“No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.19 I will come like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan,
leaping on the sheep in the pasture.
I will chase Edom from its land,
and I will appoint the leader of my choice.
For who is like me, and who can challenge me?
What ruler can oppose my will?”20 Listen to the LORD’s plans against Edom
and the people of Teman.
Even the little children will be dragged off like sheep,
and their homes will be destroyed.21 The earth will shake with the noise of Edom’s fall,
and its cry of despair will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.t22 Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,
spreading his wings over Bozrah.
Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
like a woman in labor.

A Message about Damascus

23 This message was given concerning Damascus. This is what the LORD says:
“The towns of Hamath and Arpad are struck with fear,
for they have heard the news of their destruction.
Their hearts are troubled
like a wild sea in a raging storm.24 Damascus has become feeble,
and all her people turn to flee.
Fear, anguish, and pain have gripped her
as they grip a woman in labor.25 That famous city, a city of joy,
will be forsaken!26 Her young men will fall in the streets and die.
Her soldiers will all be killed,”
says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.27 “And I will set fire to the walls of Damascus
that will burn up the palaces of Ben-hadad.”

A Message about Kedar and Hazor

28 This message was given concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which were attacked by King Nebuchadnezzart of Babylon. This is what the LORD says:
“Advance against Kedar!
Destroy the warriors from the East!29 Their flocks and tents will be captured,
and their household goods and camels will be taken away.
Everywhere shouts of panic will be heard:
‘We are terrorized at every turn!’30 Run for your lives,” says the LORD.
“Hide yourselves in deep caves, you people of Hazor,
for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has plotted against you
and is preparing to destroy you.31 “Go up and attack that complacent nation,”
says the LORD.
“Its people live alone in the desert
without walls or gates.32 Their camels and other livestock will all be yours.
I will scatter to the winds these people
who live in remote places.t
I will bring calamity upon them
from every direction,” says the LORD.33 “Hazor will be inhabited by jackals,
and it will be desolate forever.
No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.”

A Message about Elam

34 This message concerning Elam came to the prophet Jeremiah from the LORD at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah.

35 This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says:
“I will destroy the archers of Elam—
the best of their forces.36 I will bring enemies from all directions,
and I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds.
They will be exiled to countries around the world.37 I myself will go with Elam’s enemies to shatter it.
In my fierce anger, I will bring great disaster
upon the people of Elam,” says the LORD.
“Their enemies will chase them with the sword
until I have destroyed them completely.38 I will set my throne in Elam,” says the LORD,
“and I will destroy its king and officials.39 But I will restore the fortunes of Elam
in days to come.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Jeremiah 49

Judgment Against Ammon

1 The Lord spoke about the Ammonites.s
“Do you think there are not any people of the nation of Israel remaining?
Do you think there are not any of them remaining to reinherit their land?
Is that why you people who worship the god Milcoms
have taken possession of the territory of Gad and live in his cities?t

2 Because you did that,
I, the Lord, affirm thatt a time is coming
when I will make Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon,
hear the sound of the battle cry.
It will become a mound covered with ruins.t
Its villages will be burned to the ground.t
Then Israel will take back its land
from those who took their land from them.
I, the Lord, affirm it!t

3 Wail, you people in Heshbon, because Ai in Ammon is destroyed.
Cry out in anguish, you people in the villages surroundingt Rabbah.
Put on sackcloth and cry out in mourning.
Run about covered with gashes.s
For your god Milcom will go into exile
along with his priests and officials.s

4 Why do you brag about your great power?
Your power is ebbing away,t you rebellious people of Ammon,t
who trust in your riches and say,
‘Who would dare to attack us?’

5 I will bring terror on you from every side,”
says the Lord God who rules over all.t
“You will be scattered in every direction.t
No one will gather the fugitives back together.

6 Yet in days to come
I will reverse Ammon’s ill fortune.”t
says the Lord.t

Judgment Against Edom

7 The Lord who rules over allt spoke about Edom.s
“Is wisdom no longer to be found in Teman?s
Can Edom’s counselors not give her any good advice?t
Has all of their wisdom turned bad?t

8 Turn and flee! Take up refuge in remote places,t
you people who live in Dedan.s
For I will bring disaster on the descendants of Esau.
I have decided it is time for me to punish them.t

9 If grape pickers came to pick your grapes,
would they not leave a few grapes behind?t
If robbers came at night,
would they not pillage only what they needed?t

10 But I will strip everything away from Esau’s descendants.
I will uncover their hiding places so they cannot hide.
Their children, relatives, and neighbors will all be destroyed.
Not one of them will be left!

11 Leave your orphans behind and I will keep them alive.
Your widows too can depend on me.”t
12 For 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.ts

13 For I solemnly swear,”t says the Lord, “that Bozrahs will become a pile of ruins. It will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example to be used in curses.t All the towns around it will lie in ruins forever.”

14 I said,t “I have heard a message from the Lord.
A messenger has been sent among the nations to say,
‘Gather your armies and march out against her!
Prepare to do battle with her!’”t

15 The Lord says to Edom,t
“I will certainly make you small among nations.
I will make you despised by all humankind.

16 The terror you inspire in otherst
and the arrogance of your heart have deceived you.
You may make your home in the clefts of the rocks;
you may occupy the highest places in the hills.t
But even if you made your home where the eagles nest,
I would bring you down from there,”
says the Lord.

17 “Edom will become an object of horror.
All who pass by it will be filled with horror;
they will hiss out their scorn
because of all the disasters that have happened to it.s

18 Edom will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah
and the towns that were around them.
No one will live there.
No human being will settle in it,”
says the Lord.

19 “A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordant
scatters the sheep in the pastureland around it.t
So too I will chase the Edomites off their land.t
Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose.t
For there is no one like me, and there is no one who can call me to account.t
There is not rulert who can stand up against me.

20 So listen to what I, the Lord, have planned against Edom,
what I intend to do tot the people who live in Teman.s
Their little ones will be dragged off.
I will completely destroy their land because of what they have done.t

21 The people of the earth will quake when they hear of their downfall.t
Their cries of anguish will be heard all the way to the Gulf of Aqaba.t

22 Look! Like an eagle with outspread wings,
a nation will soar up and swoop down on Bozrah.
At that time the soldiers of Edom will be as fearful
as a woman in labor.”s

Judgment Against Damascus

23 The Lord spoket about Damascus.s
“The people of Hamath and Arpadts will be dismayed
because they have heard bad news.
Their courage will melt away because of worry.
Their hearts will not be able to rest.s

24 The people of Damascus will lose heart and turn to flee.
Panic will grip them.
Pain and anguish will seize them
like a woman in labor.

25 How deserted will that once-famous cityt be,
that city that was once filled witht joy!s

26 For her young men will fall in her city squares.
All her soldiers will be destroyed at that time,”
says the Lord who rules over all.t

27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus;
it will burn up the palaces of Ben Hadad.”s

Judgment Against Kedar and Hazor

28 The Lord spoke about Kedars and the kingdoms of Hazors that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered.
“Army of Babylon,t go and attack Kedar.
Lay waste those who live in the eastern desert.s

29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken away.
Their tent curtains, equipment, and camels will be carried off.
People will shoutt to them,
‘Terror is all around you!’”s

30 The Lord says,t “Flee quickly, you who live in Hazor.s
Take up refuge in remote places.t
For King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has laid out plans to attack you.
He has formed his strategy on how to defeat you.”t

31 The Lord says,t “Army of Babylon,t go and attack
a nation that lives in peace and security.
They have no gates or walls to protect them.t
They live all alone.

32 Their camels will be taken as plunder.
Their vast herds will be taken as spoil.
I will scatter to the four winds
those desert peoples who cut their hair short at the temples.t
I will bring disaster against them
from every direction,” says the Lord.t

33 “Hazor will become a permanent wasteland,
a place where only jackals live.s
No one will live there.
No human being will settle in it.”s

Judgment Against Elam

34 Early in the reignt of King Zedekiah of Judah, the Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam.ts

35 The Lord who rules over all said,
“I will kill all the archers of Elam,
who are the chief source of her military might.t

36 I will cause enemies to blow through Elam from every direction
like the winds blowing in from the four quarters of heaven.
I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds.
There will not be any nation where the refugees of Elam will not go.t

37 I will make the people of Elam terrified of their enemies,
who are seeking to kill them.
I will vent my fierce anger
and bring disaster upon them,”t says the Lord.t
“I will send armies chasing after themt
until I have completely destroyed them.

38 I will establish my sovereignty over Elam.t
I will destroy their king and their leaders,”t says the Lord.t

39 “Yet in days to come
I will reverse Elam’s ill fortune.”ts
says the Lord.t