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Chapter 49

Against the Ammonites. Concerning the Ammonites. Thus says the Lord:

Has Israel no sons?
    none to inherit?
Why has Milcom[a] disinherited Gad,
    why are his people living in its cities?
Therefore the days are coming—oracle of the Lord
    when I will sound the battle alarm
    against Rabbah of the Ammonites;
It shall become a mound of ruins,
    and its villages destroyed by fire.
Israel shall then inherit those who disinherited it—
    oracle of the Lord.(A)
Wail, Heshbon, “The ruin is destroyed!”
    shriek, villages of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth and lament!
    Run back and forth in the sheepfolds.
For Milcom is going into exile,
    taking priest and prince with him.(B)
Why boast in your strength,
    your ebbing strength, rebellious daughter?
Why trust in your treasures, saying,
    “Who would dare attack me?”
See, I am bringing terror upon you—
    oracle of the Lord God of hosts—
    from all around you;
You shall be scattered, each in headlong flight,
    with no one to gather the fugitives.(C)
But afterward I will restore the fortunes
    of the Ammonites—oracle of the Lord.

Against Edom.[b] Concerning Edom. Thus says the Lord of hosts:

Is there no more wisdom in Teman,[c]
    has counsel perished from the prudent,
    is their wisdom gone?
Flee, retreat, hide deep for lodging,
    inhabitants of Dedan:
For I bring disaster upon Esau[d]
    when I come to punish them.(D)
If vintagers came upon you,
    they would leave no gleanings;
If thieves by night,
    they would destroy as they pleased.(E)
10 So I myself will strip Esau;
    I will uncover his lairs so he cannot hide.
Offspring and family are destroyed,
    neighbors, too; he is no more.(F)
11 Leave your orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
    your widows, let them trust in me.(G)

12 For thus says the Lord: Look, even those not sentenced to drink the cup must drink it! Shall you then go unpunished? You shall not! You shall drink every bit of it!(H) 13 By myself I have sworn—oracle of the Lord—Bozrah[e] shall become an object of horror, a disgrace, a desolation, and a curse. Bozrah and all its cities shall become ruins forever.(I)

14 I have heard a report from the Lord,
    a herald has been sent among the nations:
“Gather together, move against it,
    get ready for battle!”
15 I will make you the least among the nations,
    despised by all people!(J)
16 The terror you spread,
    the pride of your heart, beguiled you.
You denizens of rocks and crevices,
    occupying towering peaks:
Though you build your nest high as the eagle,
    from there I will bring you down—oracle of the Lord.(K)

17 Edom shall become an object of horror. Passersby recoil in terror, hissing at all its wounds. 18 As when Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighbors were overthrown—oracle of the Lord—no one shall live in it, nor anyone settle there.(L)

19 As when a lion comes up from a thicket of the Jordan
    to a permanent pasture,
So in an instant, I will chase them off;
    I will establish there whomever I choose.
For who is like me? Who holds me accountable?
    What shepherd can stand against me?(M)
20 Therefore, listen to the strategy
    the Lord devised for Edom;
The plans he has drawn up
    against the inhabitants of Teman:
They shall be dragged away, even the smallest of the flock;
    their pasture shall be aghast because of them.
21 With the din of their collapse the earth quakes,
    to the Red Sea the outcry is heard!
22 Look! like an eagle he soars aloft,
    and spreads his wings over Bozrah;
On that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors become
    like the heart of a woman in labor.(N)

Against Damascus. 23 Concerning Damascus.

Hamath and Arpad[f] are shamed,
    for they have heard bad news;
Anxious, they surge like the sea
    which cannot calm down.(O)
24 Damascus loses heart, turns to flee;
    panic has seized it.
Distress and pangs take hold,
    like the pain of a woman in labor.
25 How can the glorious city be abandoned,
    the town of joy!
26 But now its young men shall fall in its squares,
    all the warriors destroyed on that day—
    oracle of the Lord of hosts.
27 I will set fire to the wall of Damascus;
    it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.[g]

Against Arabia. 28 About Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, defeated.

Thus says the Lord:
Rise up, attack Kedar,
    destroy the people from the east.(P)
29 Their tents and flocks shall be taken away,
    their tent curtains and all their goods;
Their camels they carry off,
    they shout over them, “Terror on every side!”(Q)
30 Flee! wander about, hide deep for lodging,
    inhabitants of Hazor—oracle of the Lord;
For Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has devised a strategy against you,
    drawn up a plan against you,
31 Get up! set out against a tranquil nation,
    living in security—oracle of the Lord
Without gates or bars,
    dwelling alone.
32 Their camels shall become spoils,
    their hordes of cattle, plunder;
I will scatter to the winds those who shave their temples;
    from every side I will bring their ruin—
    oracle of the Lord.(R)
33 Hazor shall become a haunt for jackals,
    a wasteland forever,
Where no one lives,
    no mortal stays.

Against Elam. 34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam[h] at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah:

35 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Look! I will break the bow of Elam,
    the mainstay of their might.
36 I will bring upon Elam the four winds
    from the four ends of the heavens:
I will scatter them to all these winds, until there is no nation
    to which the outcasts of Elam have not gone.
37 I will terrify Elam before their foes,
    those seeking their life;
I will bring evil upon them,
    my burning wrath—oracle of the Lord.
I will send sword after them
    until I have finished them off;
38 I will set up my throne in Elam
    and destroy from there king and princes—
    oracle of the Lord.
39 But at the end of days I will restore
    the fortunes of Elam—oracle of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 49:1 Milcom: chief god of the Ammonites (cf. 1 Kgs 11:5). The Ammonites shared a border with Gad, an Israelite tribe in Transjordan (Jos 13:8–10); the Ammonites occupied its territory after the collapse of the Northern Kingdom.
  2. 49:7–22 Edom: southeast of the Dead Sea, a traditional enemy who profited from Judah’s downfall; cf. Ps 137:7; Lam 4:21–22; Ob 11–12.
  3. 49:7 Teman, a district of Edom (cf. Jb 2:11), represents the whole country, which was famous for the wisdom of its sages.
  4. 49:8 Esau: Jacob’s brother, the traditional ancestor of the Edomites; cf. Gn 36:1.
  5. 49:13 Bozrah: capital of Edom.
  6. 49:23 Hamath and Arpad: independent Aramean states north of Damascus, the direction from which the invasion is coming. Cf. Is 10:9–10.
  7. 49:27 Ben-hadad: a dynastic name for some of the kings who ruled in Damascus; cf. 1 Kgs 15:18, 20.
  8. 49:34 Elam: an ancient kingdom east of Babylonia.

A Message About Ammon

49 Concerning the Ammonites:(A)

This is what the Lord says:

“Has Israel no sons?
    Has Israel no heir?
Why then has Molek[a](B) taken possession of Gad?(C)
    Why do his people live in its towns?
But the days are coming,”
    declares the Lord,
“when I will sound the battle cry(D)
    against Rabbah(E) of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,(F)
    and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
    those who drove her out,(G)
says the Lord.
“Wail, Heshbon,(H) for Ai(I) is destroyed!
    Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth(J) and mourn;
    rush here and there inside the walls,
for Molek(K) will go into exile,(L)
    together with his priests and officials.
Why do you boast of your valleys,
    boast of your valleys so fruitful?
Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,(M)
    you trust in your riches(N) and say,
    ‘Who will attack me?’(O)
I 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.(P)

“Yet afterward, I will restore(Q) the fortunes of the Ammonites,”
declares the Lord.

A Message About Edom(R)(S)

Concerning Edom:(T)

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?(U)
    Has counsel perished from the prudent?
    Has their wisdom decayed?
Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,(V)
    you who live in Dedan,(W)
for I will bring disaster on Esau
    at the time when I punish him.
If 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?
10 But I will strip Esau bare;
    I will uncover his hiding places,(X)
    so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
    also his allies and neighbors,
    so there is no one(Y) to say,
11 ‘Leave your fatherless children;(Z) I will keep them alive.
    Your widows(AA) too can depend on me.’”

12 This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup(AB) must drink it, why should you go unpunished?(AC) You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13 I swear(AD) by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah(AE) will become a ruin and a curse,[b] an object of horror(AF) and reproach;(AG) and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”(AH)

14 I 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.
16 The terror you inspire
    and the pride(AI) of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,(AJ)
    who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nest(AK) as high as the eagle’s,
    from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an object of horror;(AL)
    all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
    because of all its wounds.(AM)
18 As Sodom(AN) and Gomorrah(AO) were overthrown,
    along with their neighboring towns,”
says the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
    no people will dwell(AP) in it.

19 “Like a lion(AQ) coming up from Jordan’s thickets(AR)
    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(AS) me and who can challenge me?(AT)
    And what shepherd(AU) can stand against me?”

20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom,(AV)
    what he has purposed(AW) against those who live in Teman:(AX)
The young of the flock(AY) will be dragged away;
    their pasture will be appalled at their fate.(AZ)
21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;(BA)
    their cry(BB) will resound to the Red Sea.[c]
22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop(BC) down,
    spreading its wings over Bozrah.(BD)
In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors(BE)
    will be like the heart of a woman in labor.(BF)

A Message About Damascus

23 Concerning Damascus:(BG)

“Hamath(BH) and Arpad(BI) are dismayed,
    for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
    troubled like[d] the restless sea.(BJ)
24 Damascus has become feeble,
    she has turned to flee
    and panic has gripped her;
anguish and pain have seized her,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(BK)
25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
    the town in which I delight?
26 Surely, her young men(BL) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced(BM) in that day,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
27 “I will set fire(BN) to the walls of Damascus;(BO)
    it will consume(BP) the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.(BQ)

A Message About Kedar and Hazor

28 Concerning Kedar(BR) and the kingdoms of Hazor,(BS) which Nebuchadnezzar(BT) king of Babylon attacked:

This is what the Lord says:

“Arise, and attack Kedar
    and destroy the people of the East.(BU)
29 Their tents and their flocks(BV) will be taken;
    their shelters will be carried off
    with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
    ‘Terror(BW) on every side!’

30 “Flee quickly away!
    Stay in deep caves,(BX) you who live in Hazor,(BY)
declares the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar(BZ) king of Babylon has plotted against you;
    he has devised a plan against you.

31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease,
    which lives in confidence,”
declares the Lord,
“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;(CA)
    its people live far from danger.
32 Their camels(CB) will become plunder,
    and their large herds(CC) will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the winds(CD) those who are in distant places[e](CE)
    and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor(CF) will become a haunt of jackals,(CG)
    a desolate(CH) place forever.
No one will live there;
    no people will dwell(CI) in it.”

A Message About Elam

34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(CJ) early in the reign of Zedekiah(CK) king of Judah:

35 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“See, I will break the bow(CL) of Elam,
    the mainstay of their might.
36 I will bring against Elam the four winds(CM)
    from the four quarters of heaven;(CN)
I will scatter them to the four winds,
    and there will not be a nation
    where Elam’s exiles do not go.
37 I will shatter Elam before their foes,
    before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
    even my fierce anger,”(CO)
declares the Lord.
“I will pursue them with the sword(CP)
    until I have made an end of them.
38 I will set my throne in Elam
    and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the Lord.

39 “Yet I will restore(CQ) the fortunes of Elam
    in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3
  2. Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
  3. Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds
  4. Jeremiah 49:23 Hebrew on or by
  5. Jeremiah 49:32 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads