1 A bout 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?

Of the children of Ammon. Thus saith Jehovah: Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth Malcam possess Gad, and his people well in the cities thereof?

2 B ut 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.

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard against Rabbah of the children of Ammon; and it shall become a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel possess them that did possess him, saith Jehovah.

3 “ 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.

Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste; cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth: lament, and run to and fro among the fences; for Malcam shall go into captivity, his priests and his princes together.

4 H ow 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?’

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

5 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.

Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, from all that are round about thee; and ye shall be driven out every man right forth, and there shall be none to gather together the fugitives.

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

But afterward I will bring back the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith Jehovah.

7 A bout 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?

Of Edom. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?

8 R un 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.

Flee ye, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I shall visit him.

9 I f 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?

If grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, would they not destroy till they had enough?

10 B ut 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.

But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is destroyed, and his brethren, and his neighbors; and he is not.

11 L eave 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.”

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

12 F or 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.

For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, they to whom it pertained not to drink of the cup shall assuredly drink; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink.

13 F or 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.”

For I have sworn by myself, saith Jehovah, that Bozrah shall become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.

14 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!

I have heard tidings from Jehovah, and an ambassador is sent among the nations, saying, Gather yourselves together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.

15 F or I have made you small among the nations, hated among men.

For, behold, I have made thee small among the nations, and despised among men.

16 A s 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.

As for thy terribleness, the pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, 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 Jehovah.

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

And Edom shall become an astonishment: every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.

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

As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith Jehovah, no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.

19 O ne 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?”

Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the pride of the Jordan against the strong habitation: for I will suddenly make them run away from it; and whoso is chosen, him will I appoint over it: for who is like me? and who will appoint me a time? and who is the shepherd that will stand before me?

20 S o 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.

Therefore hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely they shall drag them away, even the little ones of the flock; surely he shall make their habitation desolate over them.

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

The earth trembleth at the noise of their fall; there is a cry, the noise whereof is heard in the Red Sea.

22 S ee, 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

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

23 A bout 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.

Of Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad; for they have heard evil tidings, they are melted away: there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.

24 D amascus 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.

Damascus is waxed feeble, she turneth herself to flee, and trembling hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her, as of a woman in travail.

25 W hy does the city of praise, the town of My joy, still have people in it?

How is the city of praise not forsaken, the city of my joy?

26 F or 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.

Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be brought to silence in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts.

27 “ 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

And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.

28 A bout 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.

Of Kedar, and of the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote. Thus saith Jehovah: Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and destroy the children of the east.

29 T heir 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!’

Their tents and their flocks shall they take; they shall carry away for themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Terror on every side!

30 R un! 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.

Flee ye, wander far off, dwell in the depths, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith Jehovah; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.

31 G et 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.

Arise, get you up unto a nation that is at ease, that dwelleth without care, saith Jehovah; that have neither gates nor bars, that dwell alone.

32 T heir 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.

And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter unto all winds them that have the corners of their hair cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, saith Jehovah.

33 “ 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

And Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation for ever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.

34 T his 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,

The word of Jehovah that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,

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

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.

36 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.

And 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.

37 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.

And 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 Jehovah; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them;

38 T hen I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy their kings and leaders,’ says the Lord.

and I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence king and princes, saith Jehovah.

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

But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam, saith Jehovah.