CHAPTER 49
1Concerning the Ammonites. Thus says the LORD:
Has Israel no sons?
none to inherit?
Why has Milcom* disinherited Gad,
why are his people living in its cities?
2Therefore the days are coming—oracle of the LORD—
when I will sound the battle alarm
against Rabbah of the Ammonites;
It shall become a mound of ruins,
and its villages destroyed by fire.
Israel shall then inherit those who disinherited it—
oracle of the LORD.a
3Wail, Heshbon, “The ruin is destroyed!”
shriek, villages of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth and lament!
Run back and forth in the sheepfolds.
For Milcom is going into exile,
taking priest and prince with him.b
4Why boast in your strength,
your ebbing strength, rebellious daughter?
Why trust in your treasures, saying,
“Who would dare attack me?”
5See, I am bringing terror upon you—
oracle of the Lord GOD of hosts—
from all around you;
You shall be scattered, each in headlong flight,
with no one to gather the fugitives.c
6But afterward I will restore the fortunes
of the Ammonites—oracle of the LORD.
Against Edom.*
7Concerning Edom. Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Is there no more wisdom in Teman,*
has counsel perished from the prudent,
is their wisdom gone?
8Flee, retreat, hide deep for lodging,
inhabitants of Dedan:
For I bring disaster upon Esau*
when I come to punish them.d
9If vintagers came upon you,
they would leave no gleanings;
If thieves by night,
they would destroy as they pleased.e
10So I myself will strip Esau;
I will uncover his lairs so he cannot hide.
Offspring and family are destroyed,
neighbors, too; he is no more.f
11Leave your orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
your widows, let them trust in me.g
12For thus says the LORD: Look, even those not sentenced to drink the cup must drink it! Shall you then go unpunished? You shall not! You shall drink every bit of it!h
13By myself I have sworn—oracle of the LORD—Bozrah* shall become an object of horror, a disgrace, a desolation, and a curse. Bozrah and all its cities shall become ruins forever.i
14I have heard a report from the LORD,
a herald has been sent among the nations:
“Gather together, move against it,
get ready for battle!”
15I will make you the least among the nations,
despised by all people!j
16The terror you spread,
the pride of your heart, beguiled you.
You denizens of rocks and crevices,
occupying towering peaks:
Though you build your nest high as the eagle,
from there I will bring you down—oracle of the LORD.k
18As when Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighbors were overthrown—oracle of the LORD—no one shall live in it, nor anyone settle there.l
19As when a lion comes up from a thicket of the Jordan
to a permanent pasture,
So in an instant, I will chase them off;
I will establish there whomever I choose.
For who is like me? Who holds me accountable?
What shepherd can stand against me?m
20Therefore, listen to the strategy
the LORD devised for Edom;
The plans he has drawn up
against the inhabitants of Teman:
They shall be dragged away, even the smallest of the flock;
their pasture shall be aghast because of them.
21With the din of their collapse the earth quakes,
to the Red Sea the outcry is heard!
22Look! like an eagle he soars aloft,
and spreads his wings over Bozrah;
On that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors become
like the heart of a woman in labor.n
23Concerning Damascus.
Hamath and Arpad* are shamed,
for they have heard bad news;
Anxious, they surge like the sea
which cannot calm down.o
24Damascus loses heart, turns to flee;
panic has seized it.
Distress and pangs take hold,
like the pain of a woman in labor.
25How can the glorious city be abandoned,
the town of joy!
26But now its young men shall fall in its squares,
all the warriors destroyed on that day—
oracle of the LORD of hosts.
27I will set fire to the wall of Damascus;
it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.*
28About Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, defeated.
Thus says the LORD:
Rise up, attack Kedar,
destroy the people from the east.p
29Their tents and flocks shall be taken away,
their tent curtains and all their goods;
Their camels they carry off,
they shout over them, “Terror on every side!”q
30Flee! wander about, hide deep for lodging,
inhabitants of Hazor—oracle of the LORD;
For Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has devised a strategy against you,
drawn up a plan against you,
31Get up! set out against a tranquil nation,
living in security—oracle of the LORD—
Without gates or bars,
dwelling alone.
32Their camels shall become spoils,
their hordes of cattle, plunder;
I will scatter to the winds those who shave their temples;
from every side I will bring their ruin—
oracle of the LORD.r
33Hazor shall become a haunt for jackals,
a wasteland forever,
Where no one lives,
no mortal stays.
34The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam* at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah:
35Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Look! I will break the bow of Elam,
the mainstay of their might.
36I will bring upon Elam the four winds
from the four ends of the heavens:
I will scatter them to all these winds, until there is no nation
to which the outcasts of Elam have not gone.
37I will terrify Elam before their foes,
those seeking their life;
I will bring evil upon them,
my burning wrath—oracle of the LORD.
I will send sword after them
until I have finished them off;
38I will set up my throne in Elam
and destroy from there king and princes—
oracle of the LORD.
39But at the end of days I will restore
the fortunes of Elam—oracle of the LORD.
* [49:1] Milcom: chief god of the Ammonites (cf. 1 Kgs 11:5). The Ammonites shared a border with Gad, an Israelite tribe in Transjordan (Jos 13:8–10); the Ammonites occupied its territory after the collapse of the Northern Kingdom.
* [49:7–22] Edom: southeast of the Dead Sea, a traditional enemy who profited from Judah’s downfall; cf. Ps 137:7; Lam 4:21–22; Ob 11–12.
* [49:7] Teman, a district of Edom (cf. Jb 2:11), represents the whole country, which was famous for the wisdom of its sages.
* [49:8] Esau: Jacob’s brother, the traditional ancestor of the Edomites; cf. Gn 36:1.
* [49:13] Bozrah: capital of Edom.
* [49:23] Hamath and Arpad: independent Aramean states north of Damascus, the direction from which the invasion is coming. Cf. Is 10:9–10.
* [49:27] Ben-hadad: a dynastic name for some of the kings who ruled in Damascus; cf. 1 Kgs 15:18, 20.
* [49:34] Elam: an ancient kingdom east of Babylonia.
h. [49:12] Jer 25:15, 28; Lam 4:21–22.
i. [49:13] Is 34:6; Ez 35:3–9; Ob 16.
l. [49:18] Jer 50:40; Dt 29:23.
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