Jeremiah 49

International Standard Version

“Does Israel have no sons?
    Does he have no heir?
Why then has Milcom^[a] taken possession of Gad,
    and his people settled in its towns?
² Therefore, look, the time is^[b] coming,”
    declares the Lord,
“when I’ll cause a battle cry to be heard in
    Rabbah^[c] of the Ammonites.
It will become a desolate mound,
    and its towns will be burned with fire.
Israel will take possession of those who possessed him,”
    says the Lord.
³ “Wail, Heshbon, because Ai is destroyed.
    Cry out, daughters of Rabbah,
        put on sackcloth and lament.
Run back and forth inside the walls,
    for Milcom is going into exile
        along with his priests and his princes.
⁴ Why do you boast in your valleys?
Your valley is flowing away, faithless daughter,
    who trusted in her treasures,
        saying, ‘Who will come against me?’
⁵ Look, I’m bringing terror on you from all around you,”
    declares the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.
“You will be driven out, fleeing recklessly,^[d]
    and there will be no one to gather the fugitives.
⁶ But afterwards I’ll restore the fortunes of
    the people of Ammon,”^[e]
        declares the Lord.

This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says:
    “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
Has counsel perished among the prudent?
    Is their wisdom gone?
⁸ Flee, turn around!
    Go to a remote place to stay,
residents of Dedan!
    For I’ll bring Esau’s^[f] disaster on him
    at the time when I punish him.
⁹ If the grape harvesters came to you,
    would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came at night, they would destroy
    only until they had enough.
¹⁰ But I’ll strip Esau bare.
    I’ll uncover his hiding places so he cannot conceal himself.
His offspring, his relatives,
    and his neighbors will be destroyed,
        and he will no longer exist.
¹¹ Leave your orphans. I’ll keep them alive.
    Let your widows trust in me.”

¹⁴ I’ve heard a message from the Lord,
    and a messenger has been sent
        among the nations:
“Gather together and come up against her,
    and rise up to fight.
¹⁵ Indeed, I’ll make you the least of the nations,
    despised among men.
¹⁶ The terror you cause and the pride of your heart have deceived you.
You who live in hidden places in the rocks,
    who hold on to the heights of the hill,
although you make your nest high like the eagle,
    I’ll bring you down from there,”
        declares the Lord.

“Hamath and Arpad will be humiliated.
    Their courage melts because they have heard bad news.
        There is anxiety like^[n] the sea that cannot be calmed.
²⁴ Damascus will become weak.
    She will turn to flee, but panic will seize her.
Distress and anguish will take hold of her
    like that of^[o] a woman giving birth.
²⁵ Why^[p] is the famous city,^[q] the joyful town,
    not abandoned?
²⁶ Therefore her young men will fall in her streets,
    and all her soldiers will be silenced on that day,”
        declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
²⁷ “I’ll kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,
    and it will devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.”

This is what the Lord says:

“Arise, go against Kedar!
    Plunder the people of the east!
²⁹ Take their tents and their flocks,
    their tent curtains and all their goods.
Take their camels away from them.
    Cry out against them, ‘Terror is all around!’
³⁰ Flee! Run away quickly!
    Go to a remote place to stay, residents of Hazor,”
        declares the Lord.
“For King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has formed a plan
    and devised a strategy against them.

³¹ “Arise, go up against a nation at ease, living securely,”
    declares the Lord,
        “without gates or bars, living alone.
³² Their camels will become booty,
    their many herds will become spoil.
I’ll scatter to the winds
    those who shave the corners of their beards,^[r]
and I’ll bring disaster on them from every side,”
    declares the Lord.

³³ “Hazor will become a dwelling place for jackals,
    a perpetual wasteland.
No one will live there;
    no human being will reside in it.”

³⁵ This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says:
“Look, I’m going to break the bow of Elam,
    the finest of their troops.
³⁶ I’ll bring the four winds against Elam
    from the four corners of the heavens,
and I’ll scatter them to all these winds.
    There will be no nation to which the exiles
        from Elam won’t go.
³⁷ I’ll terrify Elam before their enemies
    and before those who seek to kill them.
I’ll bring on them disaster and become fiercely angry at them,”
    declares the Lord.
“I’ll send the sword after them,
    until I’ve made an end of them.
³⁸ I’ll put my throne in Elam,
    and destroy the king and the officials there,”
        declares the Lord.
³⁹ “But in the latter days I’ll restore
    the fortunes of Elam,”
        declares the Lord.