1 C oncerning the Ammonites, thus saith the Lord; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?

About the sons of Ammon, the Lord says, “Does Israel have no sons? Does she have no one to receive what she leaves? Why then has Malcam taken Gad as his own? Why do his people live in its cities?

2 T herefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the Lord.

But the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will blow a horn giving the sound of war against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon. And it will become a waste. Its towns will be set on fire. Then Israel will take the land from those who had taken it from her,” says the Lord.

3 H owl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.

“Cry out, O Heshbon, for Ai has been destroyed! Cry out, O people of Rabbah. Put on clothes made from hair and cry in sorrow. And run this way and that way inside the walls. For Malcam will go to a strange land, together with his religious leaders and his important men.

4 W herefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? that trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me?

How you speak in pride about the valleys! Your valley is flowing away, O daughter without faith who trusts in her riches, saying, ‘Who will come against me?’

5 B ehold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord God of hosts, from all those that be about thee; and ye shall be driven out every man right forth; and none shall gather up him that wandereth.

I will bring much trouble upon you,” says the Lord God of All. “It will come from all around you, and each of you will be driven away. There will be no one to gather together those who run for their lives.

6 A nd afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the Lord.

But after this I will return the sons of Ammon to their land,” says the Lord. God Speaks through Jeremiah about Edom

7 C oncerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?

About Edom, the Lord of All says, “Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman? Have wise words been lost from the wise? Is their wisdom all gone?

8 F lee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.

Run away! Turn back and live in the deep places, O people of Dedan. For I will bring the trouble of Esau upon him when I punish him.

9 I f grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough.

If those who gather grapes came to you, would they not leave some grapes behind? If robbers came during the night, would they not take only what was enough for them?

10 B ut I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.

But I have taken all that Esau has. I have taken the covering from his hiding places so that he will not be able to hide himself. His children, his brothers, and his neighbors are destroyed. And he is no more.

11 L eave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.

Leave your children behind, who have lost their parents, and I will keep them alive. And let your women whose husbands have died trust in Me.”

12 F or thus saith the Lord; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.

For the Lord says, “If those who were not to drink the cup must drink it, will you go without being punished? You will not go without being punished, but you must drink it.

13 F or I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.

For I have promised by Myself,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah will become an object of trouble, a shame, a waste, and a curse. All its cities will be destroyed forever.”

14 I have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.

I have heard word from the Lord. A man with news is sent among the nations, saying, “Gather together and come against her! Rise up for battle!

15 F or, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men.

For I have made you small among the nations, hated among men.

16 T hy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.

As for the fear you have caused, the pride of your heart has fooled you, O you who live in the holes of rocks, who live on the top of the hill. Even if you make your nest as high as an eagle’s, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.

17 A lso Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.

‘Edom will become an object of trouble. Everyone who passes by will be surprised and will make fun of all its suffering.

18 A s in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.

As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors were destroyed, no one will live there,” says the Lord. “No man will live there.

19 B ehold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

One will come up like a lion from the trees by the Jordan to rich grass fields. All at once I will make him run away from Edom. And I will make whoever I choose rule over it. For who is like Me? Who will call Me into court? What shepherd can stand against Me?”

20 T herefore hear the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them.

So hear the plan the Lord has made against Edom. Listen to His plans which He has made against the people of Teman. Even the little ones of the flock will be pulled away. For sure He will make their fields an empty waste because of them.

21 T he earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.

The earth will shake at the sound of their fall. The sound of their cry will be heard at the Red Sea.

22 B ehold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

See, one will come and fly down in a hurry like an eagle. He will spread out his wings against Bozrah. In that day the hearts of the strong men of Edom will be like the heart of a woman giving birth. God Speaks through Jeremiah about Damascus

23 C oncerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.

About Damascus, He says, “Hamath and Arpad are troubled, for they have heard bad news. Their hearts have become weak. They are troubled like the sea which cannot be quiet.

24 D amascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.

Damascus has become weak. She has turned to run away. Fear has taken hold of her. Pain and sorrows have taken hold of her like a woman giving birth.

25 H ow is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!

Why does the city of praise, the town of My joy, still have people in it?

26 T herefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord of hosts.

For sure her young men will fall in her streets. And all the men of war will be destroyed in that day,” says the Lord of All.

27 A nd I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad.

“I will set fire to the wall of Damascus. And it will burn up the strong towers of Ben-hadad.” God Speaks through Jeremiah about Kedar and Hazor

28 C oncerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the Lord; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east.

About Kedar and the nations of Hazor, which were beaten in battle by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord says, “Get up and go to Kedar, and destroy the men of the east.

29 T heir tents and their flocks shall they take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every side.

Their tents and their flocks will be taken. Their tent curtains, and all their good things, and their camels will be carried away for themselves. And men will call out to them, ‘Trouble is on every side!’

30 F lee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the Lord; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.

Run! Run far away! Live in the deep places, O people of Hazor,” says the Lord. “For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has made a plan against you. He has thought of a way to hurt you.

31 A rise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone.

Get up and go to fight against a nation which is at rest and lives without fear,” says the Lord. “It has no gates with pieces of iron. And its people live alone.

32 A nd their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, saith the Lord.

Their camels and their many cattle will become a prize of war. I will send everywhere to the winds those who are in the farthest places. I will bring trouble to them from every side,” says the Lord.

33 A nd Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.

“Hazor will become a place where wild dogs live, a waste place forever. No man will live there, and no man will stay there.” God Speaks through Jeremiah about Elam

34 T he word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,

This is the Word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the man of God about Elam, at the beginning of the rule of King Zedekiah of Judah, saying,

35 T hus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.

“The Lord of All says, ‘I will break the bow of Elam, the best of their strength.

36 A nd upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.

I will bring the four winds to Elam from the four ends of heaven. And I will have these winds send them everywhere. There will not be a nation to which the people sent out of Elam will not go.

37 F or I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the Lord; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:

I will fill Elam with fear in front of those who hate them and want to kill them. I will bring much trouble upon them, even My burning anger,’ says the Lord. ‘I will send the sword after them until I have destroyed them.

38 a nd I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the Lord.

Then I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy their kings and leaders,’ says the Lord.

39 B ut it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the Lord.

‘But in the last days I will return the people of Elam to their land,’” says the Lord.