Judgment on Ammon
aConcerning the Ammonites.
Thus says the Lord:
“Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then has bMilcom cdispossessed Gad,
and his people settled in its cities?
2 Therefore, behold, the days are coming,
declares the Lord,
when I will cause athe battle cry to be heard
against bRabbah of the Ammonites;
it shall become a desolate cmound,
and its villages shall be burned with fire;
then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him,
says the Lord.
3 “Wail, O aHeshbon, for Ai is laid waste!
Cry out, O daughters of bRabbah!
cPut on sackcloth,
lament, and run to and fro among the hedges!
For dMilcom shall go into exile,
ewith his priests and his officials.
4 Why do you boast of your valleys,
aO faithless daughter,
bwho trusted in her treasures, saying,
‘Who will come against me?’
5 Behold, aI will bring terror upon you,
declares the Lord God of hosts,
from all who are around you,
and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him,
with none to gather the fugitives.
6 “But aafterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the Lord.”
Judgment on Edom
7 Concerning aEdom.
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
b“Is wisdom no more in bTeman?
cHas counsel perished from the prudent?
cHas their wisdom vanished?
8 aFlee, turn back, dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of bDedan!
For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,
cthe time when I punish him.
9 aIf grape gatherers came to you,
would they not leave bgleanings?
aIf thieves came by night,
would they not destroy only enough for themselves?
10 aBut I have stripped Esau bare;
bI have uncovered his hiding places,
and he is not able to conceal himself.
His children are destroyed, and his brothers,
and his neighbors; and che is no more.
11 aLeave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive;
aand let your widows trust in me.”
12 For thus says the Lord: a“If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, bwill you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink. 13 aFor I have sworn by myself, declares the Lord, that bBozrah shall become ca horror, a taunt, a waste, and a curse, and all her cities shall be perpetual wastes.”
14 aI have heard a message from the Lord,
and an envoy has been sent among the nations:
b“Gather yourselves together and come against her,
and rise up for battle!
15 For behold, I will make you small among the nations,
despised among mankind.
16 The horror you inspire has deceived you,
and the pride of your heart,
you who live in the clefts of the rock,
who hold the height of the hill.
Though you amake your nest as high as the eagle’s,
I will bring you down from there,
declares the Lord.
17 a“Edom shall become a horror. bEveryone who passes by it will be horrified band will hiss because of all its disasters. 18 aAs when Sodom and Gomorrah and their bneighboring cities were overthrown, says the Lord, cno man shall dwell there, cno man shall sojourn in her. 19 aBehold, blike a lion coming up from cthe jungle of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make him run away from her. And I will appoint over her whomever I choose. dFor who is like me? eWho will summon me? fWhat shepherd can stand before me? 20 Therefore hear the plan that the Lord has made against aEdom and the purposes that he has formed against the inhabitants of bTeman: cEven the little ones of the flock shall be dragged away. Surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 21 At the sound of their fall athe earth shall tremble; the sound of their cry shall be heard at the Red Sea. 22 Behold, aone shall mount up and fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against bBozrah, and the heart of the warriors of Edom shall be in that day like the heart cof a woman in her birth pains.”
Judgment on Damascus
23 Concerning aDamascus:
b“Hamath and cArpad are confounded,
for they have heard bad news;
they melt in fear,
dthey are troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet.
24 aDamascus has become feeble, bshe turned to flee,
and panic seized her;
anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her,
as cof a woman in labor.
25 How is athe famous city not forsaken,
the city of my joy?
26 aTherefore her young men shall fall in her squares,
and all her soldiers shall be destroyed in that day,
declares the Lord of hosts.
27 And aI will kindle a fire in the wall of bDamascus,
and it shall devour the strongholds of cBen‑hadad.”
Judgment on Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning aKedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down.
Thus says the Lord:
b“Rise up, advance against aKedar!
Destroy cthe people of the east!
29 aTheir tents and their flocks shall be taken,
their acurtains and all their goods;
their camels shall be led away from them,
and men shall cry to them: b‘Terror on every side!’
30 aFlee, wander far away, dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor!
declares the Lord.
For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
has made a plan against you
and formed a purpose against you.
31 a“Rise up, advance against a nation bat ease,
cthat dwells securely,
declares the Lord,
cthat has no gates or bars,
that dwells alone.
32 aTheir camels shall become plunder,
their herds of livestock a spoil.
bI will scatter to every wind
cthose who cut the corners of their hair,
and I will bring their calamity
from every side of them,
declares the Lord.
33 Hazor shall become aa haunt of jackals,
an everlasting waste;
bno man shall dwell there;
bno man shall sojourn in her.”
Judgment on Elam
34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning aElam, in the beginning of the reign of bZedekiah king of Judah.
35 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will break athe bow of bElam, the mainstay of their might. 36 And I will bring upon aElam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. And I will scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of aElam shall not come. 37 I will aterrify bElam before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, cmy fierce anger, declares the Lord. dI will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them, 38 and I will set my throne in aElam and destroy their king and officials, declares the Lord.
39 “But in the latter days aI will restore the fortunes of bElam, declares the Lord.”