Word Against Ammon
Concerning the sons of aAmmon. Thus says Yahweh:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Or has he no one who can take possession?
Why then has Malcam taken possession of Gad
And his people settled in its cities?
2 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh,
“That I will cause a atrumpet blast of war to be heard
Against bRabbah of the sons of Ammon;
And it will become a desolate heap,
And her ctowns will be set on fire.
Then Israel will take dpossession of his possessors,”
Says Yahweh.
3 “Wail, O aHeshbon, for bAi has been destroyed!
Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah,
cGird yourselves with sackcloth and lament,
And rush back and forth inside the walls;
For Malcam will dgo into exile
Together with his priests and his princes.
4 How aboastful you are about the valleys!
Your valley is flowing away,
O bfaithless daughter
Who trusts in her ctreasures, saying,
‘dWho will come against me?’
5 Behold, I am going to bring adread upon you,”
Declares Lord Yahweh of hosts,
“From all around you;
And each of you will be bbanished headlong,
With no one to gather the cone who flees.
6 But afterward I will areturn
The fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”
Declares Yahweh.
Word Against Edom
7 Concerning aEdom.
Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Is there no longer any bwisdom in cTeman?
Has counsel been lost to the understanding?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8 Flee away, turn back, inhabit the depths,
O inhabitants of aDedan,
For I will bring the bdisaster of Esau upon him
At the time I punish him.
9 aIf grape gatherers came to you,
Would they not have gleanings remain?
If thieves came by night,
They would ruin only until they had enough.
10 But I have astripped Esau bare;
I have uncovered his hiding places,
So that he will not be able to conceal himself;
His seed has been destroyed along with his relatives
And his neighbors, and bhe is no more.
11 Leave your aorphans behind, I will keep them alive;
And let your bwidows trust in Me.”
12 For thus says Yahweh, “Behold, those who are not under judgment to drink the acup will certainly drink it, but are you the one who will go bcompletely unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but you will certainly drink it. 13 For I have asworn by Myself,” declares Yahweh, “that bBozrah will become an cobject of horror, a reproach, a ruin, and an imprecation; and all its cities will become perpetual ruins.”
14 I have aheard a message from Yahweh,
And an benvoy is sent among the nations, saying,
“cGather yourselves together and come against her,
And rise up for battle!”
15 “For behold, I have made you small among the nations,
Despised among men.
16 As for the terror of you,
The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the arock,
Who seize the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest as bhigh as an eagle’s,
I will cbring you down from there,” declares Yahweh.
17 “Edom will become an aobject of horror; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will bhiss at all its wounds. 18 Like the aoverthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says Yahweh, “bno one will live there, nor will a son of man sojourn in it. 19 aBehold, one will come up like a lion from the bthickets of the Jordan against an enduring pasture; for in an instant I will make him run away from it, and whoever is cchosen I shall appoint over it. For who is dlike Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd ewho can stand against Me?”
20 Therefore hear the acounsel of Yahweh which He has counseled against Edom, and His purposes which He has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their pasture bdesolate because of them. 21 The aearth has quaked at the noise of their downfall. There is an outcry! The noise of it has been heard at the Red Sea. 22 Behold, He will mount up and aswoop like an eagle and spread out His wings against Bozrah; and the bhearts of the mighty men of Edom in that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Word Against Damascus
23 Concerning aDamascus.
“bHamath and cArpad are put to shame,
For they have heard a bad report;
They are dmelting away.
There is anxiety by the sea,
It ecannot be quieted.
24 Damascus has become limp in their hands;
She has turned away to flee,
And panic has taken hold of her;
aDistress and pangs have seized her
Like a woman in childbirth.
25 How the acity of praise has not been forsaken,
The town of My joy!
26 Therefore, her ayoung men will fall in her open squares,
And all the men of war will be silenced in that day,” declares Yahweh of hosts.
27 “I will aset fire to the wall of Damascus,
And it will devour the fortified towers of bBen‑hadad.”
Word Against Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning aKedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down. Thus says Yahweh,
“Arise, go up to Kedar
And destroy the bmen of the east.