Jeremiah 49:7-39
A Message About Edom
Here is what the Lord says about Edom.
The Lord who rules over all says,
“Isn’t there wisdom in the town of Teman anymore?
Can’t those who are wise give advice?
Has their wisdom disappeared completely?
Turn around and run away, you who live in Dedan.
Hide in deep caves.
I will bring trouble on Esau’s family line.
I will do this at the time I punish them.
Edom, suppose grape pickers came to harvest your vines.
They would still leave a few grapes.
Suppose robbers came at night.
They would steal only as much as they wanted.
But I will strip everything away from Esau’s people.
I will uncover their hiding places.
They will not be able to hide anywhere.
Their army is destroyed.
Their friends and neighbors are destroyed.
So there is no one to say,
‘Leave your children whose fathers have died.
I will keep them alive.
Your widows can also depend on me.’ ”
The Lord says, “What if those who do not have to drink the cup must drink it anyway? Then shouldn’t you be punished? You will certainly be punished. You must drink the cup. I make a promise in my own name. Bozrah will be destroyed,” announces the Lord. “People will be shocked at it. They will say Bozrah is a shameful place. They will use its name as a curse. And all its towns will be destroyed forever.”
I’ve heard a message from the Lord.
A messenger was sent to the nations. The Lord told him to say,
“Gather yourselves together to attack Edom!
Prepare for battle!”
The Lord says to Edom, “I will make you weak among the nations.
They will hate you.
You live in the safety of the rocks.
You live on top of the hills.
But the terror you stir up has now turned against you.
Your proud heart has tricked you.
You build your nest as high as an eagle does.
But I will bring you down from there,”
announces the Lord.
“People of Edom,
all those who pass by you will be shocked.
They will make fun of you
because of all your wounds.
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.
So were the towns that were near them,”
says the Lord.
“You will be just like them.
No one will live in your land.
No human beings will stay there.
“I will be like a lion coming up
from the bushes by the Jordan River.
I will hunt in rich grasslands.
I will chase you from your land in an instant.
What nation will I choose to do this?
Which one will I appoint?
Is anyone like me?
Who would dare to argue with me?
What leader can stand against me?”
So listen to what the Lord has planned
against the people of Edom.
Hear what he has planned against those who live in Teman.
Edom’s young people will be dragged away.
Their grasslands will be shocked at their fate.
When the earth hears Edom fall, it will shake.
The people’s cries will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.
Look! An enemy is coming.
It’s like an eagle diving down.
It will spread its wings over Bozrah.
At that time the hearts of Edom’s soldiers
will tremble in fear.
They’ll be like the heart of a woman having a baby.
A Message About Damascus
Here is what the Lord says about Damascus. He says,
“The people of Hamath and Arpad are terrified.
They have heard bad news.
They have lost all hope.
They are troubled like the rolling sea.
The people of Damascus have become weak.
They have turned to run away.
Panic has taken hold of them.
Suffering and pain have taken hold of them.
Their pain is like the pain of a woman having a baby.
Why hasn’t the famous city been deserted?
It is the town I take delight in.
You can be sure its young men will fall dead in the streets.
All its soldiers will be put to death at that time,”
announces the Lord who rules over all.
“I will set the walls of Damascus on fire.
It will burn down the strong towers of King Ben-Hadad.”
A Message About Kedar and Hazor
Here is what the Lord says about the people of Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was planning to attack them.
The Lord says to the armies of Babylon,
“Prepare for battle. Attack Kedar.
Destroy the people of the east.
Their tents and flocks will be taken away from them.
Their tents will be carried off.
All their goods and camels will be stolen.
People will shout to them,
‘There is terror on every side!’
“Run away quickly!
You who live in Hazor, stay in deep caves,”
announces the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon,
has made plans against you.
He has decided to attack you.
“Armies of Babylon, prepare for battle.
Attack a nation that feels secure.
Its people do not have any worries,”
announces the Lord.
“That nation does not have gates or bars that lock them.
Its people live far from danger.
Their camels will be stolen.
Their large herds will be taken away.
I will scatter to the winds those who are in places far away.
I will bring trouble on them from every side,”
announces the Lord.
“Hazor will become a home for wild dogs.
It will be a dry and empty desert forever.
No one will live in that land.
No human beings will stay there.”
A Message About Elam
A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet. It was about Elam. It came shortly after Zedekiah became king of Judah.
The Lord who rules over all said,
“Elam’s bow is the secret of its strength.
But I will break it.
I will bring the four winds against Elam.
I will bring them from all four directions.
I will scatter Elam’s people to the four winds.
They will be taken away
to every nation on earth.
I will use Elam’s enemies to smash them.
Those who want to kill them will kill them.
I will bring trouble on Elam’s people.
My anger will be great against them,”
announces the Lord.
“I will chase them with swords.
I will hunt them down
until I have destroyed them.
I will set up my throne in Elam.
I will destroy its king and officials,”
announces the Lord.
“But in days to come I will bless Elam
with great success again,”
announces the Lord.
Jeremiah 50:1-10
A Message About Babylon
Here is the message the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. It was about the city of Babylon and the land of Babylon. He said,
“Announce this message among the nations.
Lift up a banner.
Let the nations hear the message.
Do not keep anything back.
Say, ‘Babylon will be captured.
The god named Bel will be put to shame.
The god named Marduk will be filled with terror.
Babylon’s gods will be put to shame.
The gods its people made will be filled with terror.’
A nation from the north will attack it.
That nation will destroy Babylon.
No one will live there.
People and animals alike will run away.
“The days are coming,”
announces the Lord.
“At that time the people of Israel and Judah will gather together.
They will come in tears to me.
I am the Lord their God.
They will ask how to get to Zion.
Then they will turn their faces toward it.
They will come and join themselves to me.
They will enter into the covenant I make with them.
It will last forever.
It will never be forgotten.
“My people have been like lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray.
They have caused them to wander in the mountains.
They have wandered over mountains and hills.
They have forgotten that I am their true resting place.
Everyone who found them destroyed them.
Their enemies said, ‘We aren’t guilty.
They sinned against the Lord.
He gave them everything they needed.
He has always been Israel’s hope.’
“People of Judah, run away from Babylon.
Leave the land of Babylon.
Be like the goats that lead the flock.
I will stir up great nations
that will join forces against Babylon.
I will bring them from the land of the north.
They will take up their battle positions against Babylon.
They will come from the north and capture it.
Their arrows will be like skilled soldiers.
They will not miss their mark.
So the riches of Babylon will be taken away.
All those who steal from it will have more than enough,”
announces the Lord.
