Jeremiah — Chapter 49

Concerning the Ammonites.Thus said GOD:Has Israel no sons,Has he no heir?Then why has MilcomaMilcom The name of the Ammonite deity; vocalized Malcam here and in v. 3. dispossessed Gad,And why have his people settled in Gad’sbGad’s Heb. “his.” towns?

Assuredly, days are coming—declares GOD—When I will sound the alarm of warAgainst Rabbah of the Ammonites;It shall become a desolate mound,And its villages shall be set on fire.And Israel shall dispossessThose who dispossessed him—said GOD.

Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is ravaged!Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah!Gird on sackcloth, lament,And run to and fro in the sheepfolds.cAnd run to and fro in the sheepfolds Meaning of Heb. uncertain. For Milcom shall go into exile,Together with his priests and attendants.

Why do you glory in strength,Your strength is drained,dWhy … drained Meaning of Heb. uncertain; for “strength” cf. Akkadian emuqu. O rebellious daughter,You who relied on your treasures,[Who said:] Who dares attack me?

I am bringing terror upon you—declares my Sovereign GOD of Hosts—From all those around you.Every one of you shall be driven in every direction,ein every direction Lit. “straight ahead.” And none shall gather in the fugitives.

But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites—declares GOD.

Concerning Edom.Thus said GOD of Hosts:Is there no more wisdom in Teman?Has counsel vanished from the prudent?Has their wisdom gone stale?

Flee, turn away, sit down low,O inhabitants of Dedan,For I am bringing Esau’s doom upon him,The time when I deal with him.

If vintagers were to come upon you,Would they leave no gleanings?Even thieves in the nightWould destroy only for their needs!fIf vintagers were to come upon you, / Would they leave no gleanings? / Even thieves in the night / Would destroy only for their needs! Cf. Obad. 1.5: “If thieves were to come to you, / Marauders by night, / They would steal no more than they needed. / If vintagers came to you, / They would surely leave some gleanings.”

But it is I who have bared Esau,Have exposed his place of concealment;He cannot hide.His offspring is ravaged,His kin and his neighbors—He is no more.gHe is no more Some Septuagint mss. read “And there is none to say.”

“Leave your orphans with me,I will rear them;Let your widows rely on me!”

For thus said GOD: If they who rightly should not drink of the cup must drink it, are you the one to go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished: you will have to drink!

For by Myself I swear—declares GOD—Bozrah shall become a desolation, a mockery, a ruin, and a curse;ha curse Cf. note at 24.9 and 42.18. and all its towns shall be ruins for all time.

I have received tidings from GOD,And an envoy is sent out among the nations:Assemble, and move against her,And rise up for war!

For I will make you least among nations,Most despised among humankind.

Your horrible nature,iYour horrible nature Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Your arrogant heart has seduced you,You who dwell in clefts of the rock,Who occupy the height of the hill!Should you nest as high as the eagle,From there I will pull you down—declares GOD.

And Edom shall be a cause of appallment; whoever passes by will be appalled and will hissjhiss Cf. note at 18.16. at all its wounds.

It shall be like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors—said GOD: nobody shall live there, no human shall sojourn there.

It shall be as when a lion comes up out of the jungle of the Jordan against a secure pasture: in a moment I can harry him out of it and appoint over it anyone I choose.kI can harry him out of it and appoint over it anyone I choose Emendation yields “he can harry them [i.e., the sheep] out of it; and what champion could one place in charge of them?” Then who is like Me? Who can summon Me? Who is the shepherd that can stand up against Me?

Hear, then, the plan that GOD has devised against Edom, and what has been purposed against the inhabitants of Teman:Surely the shepherd boysShall drag them away;Surely the pasture shall beAghast because of them.

At the sound of their downfallThe earth shall shake;The sound of screamingShall be heard at the Sea of Reeds.

See, like an eagle he flies up,He soars and spreads his wings against Bozrah;And the heart of Edom’s warriors in that dayShall be like the heart of a woman in travail.

Concerning Damascus.Hamath and Arpad are shamed,For they have heard bad news.They shake with anxiety,LikelLike So a few mss. Most mss. and editions read “In.” the sea that cannot rest.

Damascus has grown weak,She has turned around to flee;Trembling has seized her,Pain and anguish have taken hold of her,Like a woman in childbirth.

How has the glorious city not been deserted,mHow has the glorious city not been deserted Emendation yields “How has the glorious city been deserted”; so Vulgate. The citadel of my joy!

Assuredly, her young men shall lie fallen in her squares.And all her warriors shall be stilled in that day—declares GOD of Hosts.

I will set fire to the wall of Damascus,And it shall consume the fortresses of Ben-hadad.

Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon conquered.Thus said GOD:Arise, march against Kedar,And ravage the Kedemites!

They will take away their tents and their flocks,Their tent cloths and all their gear;They shall carry off their camels,And shall proclaim against them:Terror all around!

Flee, wander far,Sit down low, O inhabitants of Hazor—says GOD.For King Nebuchadrezzar of BabylonHas devised a plan against youAnd formed a purpose against you:

Rise up, attack a tranquil nationThat dwells secure—says GOD—That has no barred gates,That dwells alone.

Their camels shall become booty,And their abundant flocks a spoil;And I will scatter to every quarterThose who have their hair clipped;And from every direction I will bringDisaster upon them—says GOD.

Hazor shall become a lair of jackals,A desolation for all time.No one shall live there,No human shall sojourn there.

The word of GOD that came to the prophet Jeremiah concerning Elam, at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah:

Thus said GOD of Hosts: I am going to break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their strength.

And I shall bring four winds against Elam from the four quarters of heaven, and scatter them to all those winds. There shall not be a nation to which the fugitives from Elam do not come.

And I will break Elam before their enemies, before those who seek their lives; and I will bring disaster upon them, My flaming wrath—declares GOD. And I will dispatch the sword after them until I have consumed them.

And I will set My throne in Elam,And wipe out from there king and officials—says GOD.

But in the days to come I will restore the fortunes of Elam—declares GOD.