Category: Jeremiah

Gedaliah Is Murdered

1 Now in theseventh month Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family [of David] and one of the princes of the king, came [at the instigation of the Ammonites] with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam in Mizpah. As they were eating a meal together there in Mizpah,

2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and killed the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed [governor] over the land.

3 Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were [at the banquet] with Gedaliah at Mizpah, in addition to the Chaldean soldiers who were there.

4 Now it happened on the second day after the killing of Gedaliah, before anyone knew about it,

5 that eighty men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria with their beards shaved off and their clothes torn and their bodies cut, carrying in their hands grain offerings and incense to present at the [site of the] house of the Lord[in Jerusalem].

6 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping [false tears] as he went. As he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!”

7 Yet when they came into the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered themand threw theminto the cistern (underground water reservoir).

8 But ten men who were among them said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us! We have stores of wheat and barley and oil and honey hidden in the field.” So he stopped and did not kill them along with their companions.

9 Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the corpses of the men whom he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one which King Asa [of Judah] had made [about three hundred years earlier] on account of King Baasha of Israel [believing that Baasha would lay siege to Mizpah]. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with [the bodies of] those who were killed.

10 Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah—even the king’s daughters (ladies of the court) and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had put under the charge of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and crossed over [the Jordan] to [meet his allies] the Ammonites.

Johanan Rescues the People

11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him heard of the murderous behavior of Ishmael the son of Nethaniah,

12 they took all their men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and found him by the great pool in Gibeon.

13 Now when all the [captive] people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him, they were glad.

14 So all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and joined Johanan the son of Kareah.

15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to join the Ammonites.

16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him took from Mizpah all the people whom he had rescued from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: the soldiers, the women, the children, and the high officials whom Johanan had brought back from Gibeon.

17 And they went and stayed in Geruth [the lodging place of] Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, intending to go to Egypt

18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed [governor] over the land [and whose death the king might avenge].

Warning against Going to Egypt

1 Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah (Azariah) the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached

2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition be presented before you, and pray to the Lordyour God for us,that is,for all this remnant [of the people of Judah]; for we were once many, but now [only] a few of us are left, as you see with your own eyes, [so please pray]

3 that the Lordyour God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.”

4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Now hear me, I will pray to the Lordyour God in accordance with your words; and I will declare to you whatever message the Lordanswers; I will keep nothing back from you.”

5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lordbe a true and faithful witness against us if we fail to act in accordance with all the things that the Lordyour God sends you to tell us.

6 Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen toandhonor the voice of the Lordour God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lordour God.”

7 Now after ten days [of prayer] had passed the word of the Lordcame to Jeremiah.

8 Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest,

9 and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him:

10 ‘If you will indeed remain in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relentandbe satisfied concerning the disaster that I have inflicted on you [as discipline, and I will replace judgment with compassion].

11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear [as if he were deity]; do not be afraid of him,’ says the Lord, ‘for [he is a mere man, but I am the living, omniscient God and] I am with you [always] to protect you and to deliver you from his hand.

12 And I will show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own land.

13 But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” and [in so doing] do not listen to the voice of the Lordyour God,

14 saying, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of the [warrior’s] trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there,”

15 then in that case listen to the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “If you are really determined to go to Egypt and to reside there [temporarily],

16 then the sword, of which you are afraid, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine of which you are afraid will follow closely after you in Egypt, and you will die there.

17 So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there [temporarily] will die by the sword, by famine and by virulent disease; none of them will remain or survive the disaster that I am going to bring on them.” ’ ”

18 For thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “As My anger and My wrath have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so My wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will become detested, an object of horror, a curse and a people scorned; and you will no longer see this place.”

19 The Lordhas spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, “Do not go into Egypt!” Know with certainty that I [Jeremiah] have warned youandtestified to you this day

20 that you have deceived yourselves; for you sent me to the Lordyour God, saying, “Pray for us to the Lordour God; and whatever the Lordour God says, declare it to us and we will do it.”

21 And so I have told you today, but you have not listened to the voice of the Lordyour God, in anything that He has sent me to tell you.

22 Now therefore know for certain that you will die by the sword, by famine, and by virulent disease in the land [of Egypt] where you wish to reside [temporarily].

In Egypt Jeremiah Warns of Judgment

1 Now it happened when Jeremiah, whom the Lordtheir God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the Lordtheir God—that is, all these words—

2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the proudandinsolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are not telling the truth! The Lordour God has not sent you to say, ‘Do not go into Egypt to live there.’

3 But Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Chaldeans, so they may [either] put us to death or exile us to Babylon.”

4 So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces and all the people disobeyed the voice of the Lord[which told them] to stay in the land of Judah.

5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to live in the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been driven—

6 the men, women, and children, the king’s daughters (ladies of the court), and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan; he also took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah.

7 So they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the Lord) and they went in as far asTahpanhes.

8 Then came the word of the Lordto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,

9 “Take some large stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar in the brickwork [of the terrace] which is at the entrance of Pharaoh’shouse in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some of themen ofJudah;

10 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am going to send and getNebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I am going to set his throne over these stones that I have hidden; and his [majestic, royal] canopy will be spread over them.

11 He will also come andstrike the land of Egypt, giving those who are [destined] for death, to death, and those who are [destined] for captivity, to captivity, and those who are [destined] for the sword, to the sword.

12 And [through him] I will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them (Egyptian idols) captive. He will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself with his garment, and he will go away from there safely.

13 Nebuchadnezzar will also break the imagesandshatter the obelisks ofHeliopolis in the land of Egypt; and he will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.” ’ ”

Conquest of Egypt Predicted

1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who were living in the land of Egypt—at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, saying,

2 “Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, ‘You have seen all the disaster that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and see, this day they are desolated and no one lives in them

3 because of the wickedness which they committed, provoking Me to anger by continuing to burn sacrificesandincense to serve other gods that they had not known,neitherthey, nor you, nor your fathers.

4 Yet I sent to you all My servants the prophets, again and again, saying, “Oh, do not do this shamefully vile thing which I hate.”

5 But they did not listen or turn [obediently] from their wickedness, and stop burning sacrificesandincense to other gods.

6 Therefore My wrath and My anger were poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; so they have become a ruin and a desolation, as it is this day.

7 Therefore now thus says the LordGod of hosts, the God of Israel, “Why did you commit this great evil against yourselves [bringing disaster] that will cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant?

8 Why do you [deliberately] provoke Me to anger with the works (idols) of your hands, burning sacrificesandincense to [make-believe] gods in the land of Egypt, where you [of your own accord] have come to live [as temporary residents], that you might be cut off and become a curse and a disgrace [an object of taunts] among all the nations of the earth?

9 Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives [who served their foreign gods], your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives [who imitated the sin of the queens], which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

10 They have not become apologetic [for their guilt and sin] even to this day; they have not feared [Me with reverence] nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.” ’

11 “Therefore thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to set My face against you for woe—even to cut off (destroy) all Judah [from the land].

12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who have decided to go into the land of Egypt to live there [instead of surrendering to the Chaldeans as directed], and they will all fall and die in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword or perish by famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by the sword or by famine; and they will become detestable, an object of horror, a curse, and a disgrace.

13 For I will punish all the inhabitants of the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with virulent disease;

14 so none of the survivors from the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to live there will survive, even though they lift up their souls in longing to return to the land of Judah, [the place] to which they long to return to live; none will return except a few refugees.’ ”

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives were burningsacrifices to other gods, and all the women who were standing by, a large group, including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah, saying,

16 “As for the word (message) that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we are not going to listen to you.

17 But rather we will certainly perform every word of the vows we have made: to burn sacrifices to thequeen of heaven (Ishtar) and to pour out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves and our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for [then] we had plenty of food and were prosperous and saw no misfortune.

18 But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”

19 And said the wives,“When we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without [the knowledge and approval of] our husbands that we made cakes [in the shape of a star] to represent her and pour out drink offerings to her?”

Tragedy for the Jews

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and to the women and to all the people who had given him that answer,

21 “The smoking sacrifices (incense) that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem—you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land—did not the Lordremember [in detail your idolatry] and did it not all come into His mind?

22 The Lordcould no longer endure it, because of the evil of your acts and the repulsive acts which you have committed; because of them your land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day.

23 Because you have burned sacrifices [to idols] and because you have sinned against the Lordand have not obeyed the voice of the Lordor walked in His law and in His statutes and in His testimonies, therefore this tragedy has fallen on you, as it has this day.”

24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all [you of] Judah who are in the land of Egypt,

25 thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, as follows: ‘You and your wives have both declared with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand, saying, “We will certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven (Ishtar) and to pour out drink offerings to her.” Surely then confirm your vows and go ahead and perform your vows! [If you intend to defy all My warnings, proceed!]’

26 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all [you people of] Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, ‘Behold, I have sworn [an oath] by My great Name,’ says the Lord, ‘that My Name shall never again be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “As the Lord Godlives.”

27 Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not for good; and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine until they are all destroyed.

28 Yet a small number [of My choosing] who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs.

29 And this will be the sign to you,’ says the Lord, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for harm.’

30 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will givePharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and was seeking his life.’ ”

Message to Baruch

1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke toBaruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,

2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch:

3 ‘You said, “Woe is me! For the Lordhas added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaningandsighing and I find no rest.” ’

4 Say this to him, ‘The Lordspeaks in this way, “Behold, what I have built I will break down, and that which I have planted I will uproot, that is, the whole land.”

5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring disaster on all flesh,’ says the Lord, ‘but I will give your life to you [as your only reward and] as a prize of war wherever you go.’ ”

Defeat of Pharaoh Foretold

1 The word of the Lordthat came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the [Gentile] nations.

2 Concerning Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylondefeated [decisively] in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:

3 “Line up thebuckler (small shield) and [large] shield,

And advance for battle!

4 Harness the horses,

And mount, you riders!

Take your stand with your helmets!

Polish the spears,

Put on the coats of mail!

5 Why have I seen it?

They are terrified

And have turned back,

And their warriors are beaten down.

They take flight in haste

Without looking back;

Terror is on every side!”

Says the Lord.

6 Do not let the swift man run,

Nor the mighty man escape;

In the north by the river Euphrates

They have stumbled and fallen.

7 Who is this that rises up like the Nile [River],

Like the rivers [in the delta of Egypt] whose waters surge about?

8 Egypt rises like the Nile,

Even like the rivers whose waters surge about.

AndHe has said, “I will rise, I will cover that land;

I will certainly destroy the city and its inhabitants.”

9 Charge, you horses,

And drive like madmen, you chariots!

Let the warriors go forward:

Ethiopia and Put (Libya) who handle the shield,

And the Lydians who handle and bend the bow.

10 For that day belongs to the Lord Godof hosts,

A day of vengeance, that He may avenge Himself on His adversaries.

And the sword will devour and be satiated

And drink its fill of their blood;

For the Lord Godof hosts has a sacrifice [like that of a great sin offering]

In the north country by the river Euphrates.

11 Go up to Gilead and obtain [healing] balm,

O Virgin Daughter of Egypt!

In vain you use many medicines;

For you there is no healingorremedy.

12 The nations have heard of your disgraceandshame,

And your cry [of distress] has filled the earth.

For warrior has stumbled against warrior,

And both of them have fallen together.

13 The word that the Lordspoke to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt:

14 “Declare in Egypt and proclaim inMigdol,

And proclaim inMemphis and in Tahpanhes;

Say, ‘Take your stand and get yourself ready,

For the sword has devoured those around you.’

15 Why have your strong ones been cut down?

They do not stand because the Lorddrove them away.

16 He will make many stumbleandfall;

Yes, they have fallen one on another.

Then they said, ‘Arise, and let us go back

To our own people and to the land of our birth,

Away from the sword of the oppressor.’

17 They cried there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is destroyedandis merely a loud noise;

He has let the appointed time [of opportunity] pass by!’

18 As I live,” says the King,

Whose name is the Lordof hosts,

“Surely likeTabor among the mountains

Or like Carmel by the sea,

So shall he [the great king of Babylon] come.

19 O you daughter who dwells in Egyptandyou who dwell with her,

Prepare yourselves [with all you will need] to go into exile,

For Memphis will become desolate;

It will even be burned down and without inhabitant.

20 Egypt is a very pretty heifer,

But a horsefly (Babylonia) is coming [against her] out of the north!

21 Also her mercenaries in her army

Are like fattened calves,

For they too have turned back and have fled together;

They did not stand [their ground],

Because the day of their disaster has come upon them,

The time of their punishment.

22 The sound [of Egypt fleeing from the enemy] is like [the rustling of] an escaping serpent,

For her foes advance with a mighty army

And come against her like woodcutters with axes.

23 They have cut down her forest,” says the Lord;

“Certainly it will no longer be found,

Because they (the invaders) are more numerous than locusts

And cannot be counted.

24 The Daughter of Egypt has been shamed,

Given over to the power of the people of the north [the Chaldeans of Babylonia].”

25 The Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I am going to punish Amon [chief god of the sacred city] of Thebes [the capital of Upper Egypt], and Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her gods and her kings—even Pharaoh and those who put their trust in him [as a shield against Babylon].

26 I will put them into the hand of those who seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his servants. Afterward Egypt will beinhabited as in the days of old,” says the Lord.

27 “But as for you, do not fear, O My servant Jacob,

Nor be dismayed, O Israel!

For behold, I will save you from [your captivity in] a distantland,

And your descendants from the land of their exile;

And Jacob will return and be quiet and secure,

And no one will make him afraid.

28 Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the Lord,

“For I am with you.

For I will make a fullandcomplete end of all the nations

To which I have driven you;

Yet I will not make a full end of you.

But I will disciplineandcorrect you appropriately

And by no means will I declare you guiltlessorleave you unpunished.”

Prophecy against Philistia

1 The word of the Lordthat came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attackedandconquered [the Philistine city of] Gaza.

2 Thus says the Lord:

“Behold, waters are going to rise out of the north (Babylonia)

And become an overflowing stream

And overflow the land and all that is in it,

The city and those who live in it.

Then the people will cry out,

And all the inhabitants of the land [of Philistia] will wail.

3 Because of the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of the war-horses [of the Babylonian king],

The rattling of his chariots, and the rumbling of his wheels,

The fathers have not lookedandturned back for their children,

So weak are their hands [with terror]

4 Because of the day that is coming

To destroy all the Philistines

And to cut off from Tyre and Sidon

Every ally who remains.

For the Lordis going to destroy the Philistines,

The remnant [still surviving] of the coastland ofCaphtor.

5 Baldness [as a sign of mourning] will come on Gaza;

Ashkelon will be cut offandruined.

O remnant of their valley,

How long will you gash yourselves [as a sign of mourning]?

6 O you sword of the Lord,

How long will it be before you are quiet?

Put yourself into your sheath;

Rest and be still.

7 How can His sword be quiet

When the Lordhas given it an order?

Against Ashkelon and against the [whole Philistine] seashore

There He has assigned it.”

Prophecy against Moab

1 ConcerningMoab.

Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel,

“Woe (judgment is coming) to [the city of]Nebo, for it has been destroyed!

Kiriathaim has been shamed, it has been captured;

Misgab [the high fortress] has been shamed, broken downandcrushed.

2 The glory of Moab is no more;

InHeshbon they planned evil against her,

Saying, ‘Come, let us cut her off from being a nation!’

You also, O [city of] Madmen, shall be silenced;

The sword will pursue you.

3 The sound of an outcry from Horonaim,

‘Desolation and great destruction!’

4 Moab is destroyed;

Her little ones have called out a cryof distress[to be heard as far as Zoar].

5 For the Ascent of Luhith

Will be climbed by [successive groups of] fugitives with continual weeping;

For on the descent of Horonaim

They have heard the distress of the cry of destruction.

6 Run! Save your lives,

That you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.

7 For because you have trusted in your works [your hand-made idols] and in your treasures [instead of in God],

Even you yourself will be captured;

AndChemosh [your disgusting god cannot rescue you, but] will go away into exile [along with the fugitives]

Together with his priests and his princes.

8 And the destroyer will come upon every city;

No city will escape.

The [Jordan] valley also will be ruined

And the plain will be devastated,

As the Lordhas said.

9 Give a gravestone to Moab,

For she will fall into ruins;

Her cities (pastures, farms) will be desolate,

Without anyone to live in them.

10 Cursed is the one who does the work of the Lordnegligently,

And cursed is the one who restrains his sword from blood [in executing the judgment of the Lord].

11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth;

He has also been undisturbed, and settled like wine on his dregs,

And he has not been emptied from one vessel to another,

Nor has he gone into exile.

Therefore his flavor remains in him,

And his scent has not changed.

12 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will send to Moab those who will tip him over and who will empty his vessels and break his [earthenware] jars in pieces.

13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh [his worthless, disgusting god], as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their [misplaced] confidence.

14 How can you say, ‘We are great warriors

And valiant men in war?’

15 Moab has been made desolate and his cities have gone up [in smoke and flame];

And his chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter,”

Says the King, whose name is the Lordof hosts.

16 “The destruction of Moab will come soon,

And his disaster hurries quickly.

17 Show sympathy for him, all you [nations] who are around him,

And all you [distant nations] who know his name;

Say, ‘How has the mighty scepter [of national power] been broken,

And the splendid staff [of glory]!’

18 Come down from your glory,

O Daughter living inDibon,

And sit on the parched ground [among the thirsty]!

For the destroyer of Moab has advanced against you;

He has destroyed your strongholds.

19 O inhabitant of Aroer,

Stand by the road and keep watch!

Ask [of] him who flees and [ask of] her who escapes,

Saying, ‘What has happened?’

20 Moab is shamed, for she has been broken downandshattered.

Wail and cry out!

Tell by [the banks of] the Arnon

That Moab has been destroyed.

21 “Judgment has come on [the land of] the plain—upon Holon, Jahzah, and against Mephaath,

22 against Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim,

23 against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon,

24 against Kerioth, Bozrah and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near.

25 The horn (strength) of Moab has been cut off and his arm [of authority] is shattered,” says the Lord.

26 “Make him drunk, for he has become arrogantandmagnified himself against the Lord[by denying Reuben’s occupation of the land the Lordhad assigned him]. Moab also will wallow in his vomit, and he too shall become a laughingstock.

27 For was not Israel a laughingstock to you? Was he caught among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shakeyour head in scorn.

28 You inhabitants of Moab,

Leave the cities and live among the rocks,

And be like the dove that makes her nest

In the walls of the yawning ravine.

29 We have heard of the [giddy] pride of Moab, the extremely proud one—

His haughtiness, his arrogance, his conceit, and his self-exaltation.

30 I know his [insolent] wrath,” says the Lord,

“But it is futile;

His idle boasts [in his deeds] have accomplished nothing.

31 Therefore I will wail over Moab,

And I will cry out for all Moab.

I will sighandmourn over the men of Kir-heres (Kir-hareseth).

32 O vines of Sibmah, I will weep for you

More than the weeping of Jazer [over its ruins and wasted vineyards].

Your tendrils [of influence] stretched across the sea,

Reaching [even] to the sea of Jazer.

The destroyer has fallen

On your summer fruits and your [season’s] crop of grapes.

33 So joy and gladness are taken away

From the fruitful field and from the land of Moab.

And I have made the wine cease from the wine presses;

No one treadsthe grapeswith shouting.

Their shouting is not joyful shouting [but is instead, a battle cry].

34 From the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, even to Jahaz they have raised their voice, from Zoar even to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolations.

35 Moreover, I will cause to cease in Moab,” says the Lord, “the one who ascendsandoffers sacrifice in the high place and the one who burns incense to his gods.

36 “Therefore My heart moansandsighs for Moab like flutes, and My heart moansandsighs like flutes for the men of Kir-heres (Kir-hareseth); therefore [the remnant of] the abundant riches they gained has perished.

37 For every head is [shaven] bald and every beard cut off; there are cuts (slashes) on all the hands and sackcloth on theloins [all expressions of mourning].

38 On all the housetops of Moab and in its streets there is lamentation (expressions of grief for the dead) everywhere, for I have broken Moab like a vessel in which there is no pleasure,” says the Lord.

39 “How it is broken down! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab will become a laughingstock and a [horrifying] terror to all who are around him.”

40 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, one (Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon) will fly swiftly like an eagle

And spread out his wings against Moab.

41 Kerioth [and the cities] has been taken

And the strongholds seized;

And the hearts of the warriors of Moab in that day

Shall be like the heart of a woman in childbirth.

42 Moab will bedestroyed from being a nation (people)

Because he has become arrogantandmagnified himself against the Lord.

43 Terror and pit and snare are before you,

O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.

44 “The one who flees from the terror

Will fall into the pit,

And the one who gets up out of the pit

Will be takenandcaught in the trap;

For I shall bring upon it, even upon Moab,

The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.

45 “In the shadow of Heshbon

The fugitives stand powerless [helpless and without strength],

For a fire has gone out from Heshbon,

A flame from the midst of Sihon;

It has destroyed the forehead of Moab

And the crowns of the heads of [the arrogant Moabites] the ones in tumult.

46 Woe (judgment is coming) to you, O Moab!

The people of [the pagan god called] Chemosh have perished;

For your sons have been taken away captive

And your daughters into captivity.

47 Yet I will return the captivesandrestore the fortunes of Moab

In the latter days,” says the Lord.

Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

Prophecy against Ammon

1 Concerning thesons (descendants) of Ammon.

Thus says the Lord:

“Does Israel have no sons [to reclaim Gad from the Ammonites]?

Has he no heir?

Why then hasMalcam taken possession of Gad

And [why do] his people live in the cities [of Gad]?

2 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,

“When I will cause an alarm of war to be heard

Against Rabbah of the Ammonites;

And it [along with the high ground on which it stands] will become a desolate heap,

And its villages will be set on fire.

Then will Israel take possession of his possessors,”

Says the Lord.

3 “Wail, OHeshbon, for Ai [in Ammon] has been destroyed!

Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah!

Wrap yourselves with sackcloth and lament (cry out in grief),

And rush back and forth inside the enclosures;

For Malcam [your powerless god] will go into exile

Together with his priests and his princes.

4 Why do you boast of your valleys?

Your valley is flowing away,

[O Ammon] rebelliousandfaithless daughter

Who trusts in her treasures,saying,

‘Who will come against me?’

5 Behold, I am going to bring terror on you,”

Says the Lord Godof hosts,

“From all who are around you;

And each of you will be driven out headlong,

And there will be no one to gather the fugitives together.

6 Butafterward I will reverse

The captivity of the children of Ammonandrestore their fortunes,”

Says the Lord.

Prophecy against Edom

7 Concerning Edom.

Thus says the Lordof hosts,

“Is there no longer any wisdom inTeman?

Has good counsel vanished from the intelligentandprudent?

Has their wisdom decayed?

8 Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths [of the desert to escape the judgment of Edom],

O inhabitants ofDedan,

For I will bring the destruction ofEsau (Edom) upon him

When I inspectandpunish him.

9 If grape gatherers came to you,

Would they not leave some ungleaned grapes [on the vines]?

If thieves came by night,

Would they not destroy [only] what is enough [for them]?

10 But I have stripped Esau (Edom) bare;

I have uncovered his hiding places

And he cannot hide himself.

His descendants have been destroyed along with his brothers (relatives) and his neighbors;

And he is no more.

11 Leave your orphans behind; I will [do what is needed to] keep them alive.

And let [those who are] your widows trustandconfide in Me.”

12 For thus says the Lord, “Behold, those (Israel) who were not sentenced to drink the cup [of wrath] shall certainly drink it, and are you to remain unpunished? You will not be acquittedandgo unpunished, but you will certainly drink [from the cup of wrath and judgment].

13 For I have sworn [an oath] by Myself,” says the Lord, “thatBozrah will become an object of horror, a reproach, a ruin, and a curse; and all its cities will becomeperpetual ruins.”

14 I have heard a report from the Lord,

And a messenger has been sent to the nations, saying,

“Gather together and come against her,

And rise up for the battle.”

15 “For behold, [Edom] I have made you small among the nations

And despised among men.

16 As for Your terror,

The prideandarrogance of your heart have deceived you,

O you who live in the clefts of the rock (Sela also calledPetra),

Who holdandoccupy the height of the hill.

Though you make your nest as high as the eagle’s,

I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.

17 “Edom will become an object of horror; everyone who goes by it will be astonished and shall hiss [scornfully] at all its plaguesanddisasters.

18 As [it was] in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with their neighboring cities,” says the Lord, “no man will live there, nor will a son of man dwell in it.

19 See, one will come like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan against the enduring habitation [of Edom]andits watered pastures; for in an instant I will makehim (Edom) run from his land. I will appoint over him the one whom I choose. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me [into court]andprosecute Me [for this]? Who is the [earthly] shepherd who can stand [defiantly] before Me?”

20 Therefore hear the plan of the Lordwhich He has devised against Edom, and [hear] what He has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: surely they will be dragged away, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their dwelling place desolate because of them.

21 The earth has quaked at the noise of their downfall. There is an outcry! The sound of its noise has been heard at the Red Sea.

22 Behold, He will mount up and fly swiftly like an eagle and spread His wings against [the city of] Bozrah; and in that day the heart of the mighty warriors of Edom will be like the heart of a woman in childbirth.

Prophecy against Damascus

23 Concerning Damascus [in Syria].

“Hamath and Arpad are perplexedandshamed,

For they have heard bad news;

They are disheartened;

Troubledandanxious like a [storm-tossed] sea

Which cannot be calmed.

24 Damascus has become helpless;

She has turned away to flee,

Terror (panic) has seized her;

Anguish and distress have gripped her

Like a woman in childbirth.

25 Why has the renowned city not been deserted,

The city of My joy!

26 Therefore, her young men will fall in her streets,

And all her men of war will be destroyed in that day,” says the Lordof hosts.

27 “I will set fire to the wall of Damascus,

And it will consume the palaces ofBen-hadad.”

Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor

28 ConcerningKedar and concerning the kingdoms ofHazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. Thus says the Lord,

“Arise, go up against Kedar

And destroy the men of the east.

29 They (the Babylonians) will take away their tents and their flocks;

They will carry off for themselves

Their tent curtains, all their goods and their camels,

And they will call out to one another, ‘Terror on every side!’

30 Flee, run far away! Dwell in the depths [of the desert],

O inhabitants of Hazor,” says the Lord,

“For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has planned a course of action against you

And devised a scheme against you.

31 Arise [Nebuchadnezzar], go up against a nation which is at ease,

Which lives securely,” says the Lord,

“A nation which has neither gates nor bars;

They dwell apartandalone.

32 Their camels will become plunder,

And their herds of cattle a spoil;

And I will scatter to all the [four] winds those who cut the corners of their hair [as evidence of their idolatry],

And I will bring their disaster from every side,” says the Lord.

33 “Hazor will become a hauntanddwelling place of jackals,

A desolation forever;

No one will live there,

Nor will a son of man reside in it.”

Prophecy against Elam

34 The word of the Lordthat came to Jeremiah the prophet concerningElam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:

35 “Thus says the Lordof hosts,

‘Behold (listen carefully), I am going to break the bow of Elam,

The finest [weapon] of their strength.

36 And I will bring upon Elam the four winds

From the four corners of heaven;

And I will scatter them toward all those winds,

And there will be no nation

To which the outcasts of Elam will not go.

37 So I will cause Elam to be shattered (dismayed) before their enemies

And before those who seek their lives;

And I will bring disaster on them,

Even My fierce anger,’ says the Lord.

‘And I will send the sword after them

Until I have consumed them.

38 Then I will set My throne [of judgment] inElam

And I will destroy from there the king and princes,’

Says the Lord.

39 ‘But it will be in the last days (the end of days)

That I will reverse the captivityandrestore the fortunes of Elam,’ ”

Says the Lord.

Prophecy against Babylon

1 The word that the Lordspoke concerningBabylon and concerning the land of theChaldeans through Jeremiah the prophet:

2 “Declare among the nations.

Lift up a signal [to spread the news]—publishandproclaim it,

Do not conceal it; say,

‘Babylon has been taken,

Bel [the patron god] has been shamed,Marduk (Bel) has been shattered.

Babylon’s images have been shamed, her [worthless] idols have been thrown down.’

3 For out of the north a nation (Media) has come against her which will make her land desolate, and no one will live there. They have fled, they have gone away—both man and animal.

4 “In those days and at that time,” says the Lord, “the children of Israel will come, they and the children of Judah together; they will come up weeping [in repentance] as they come and seek the Lordtheir God [inquiring for and of Him].

5 They will ask the way to Zion, with their faces in that direction, saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the Lordin an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.’

6 “My people have become lost sheep;

Their shepherds have led them astray.

They have made them turn aside [to the seductive places of idolatry] on the mountains.

They have gone along [from one sin to another] from mountain to hill;

They have forgotten their [own] resting place.

7 All who found them have devoured them;

And their adversaries have said, ‘We are not guilty,

Because they have sinned against the Lord[and are no longer holy to Him], their [true] habitation of righteousnessandjustice,

Even the Lord, the [confident] hope of their fathers.’

8 “Wander away from the midst of Babylon

And go out of the land of the Chaldeans;

Be like the male goats [who serve as leaders] at the head of the flocks.

9 For behold, I will stir up and bring up against Babylon

An assembly of great nations from the north country.

They will equip themselvesandset up the battle lines against her;

From there she will be taken captive.

Their arrows will be like an expert warrior

Who will not return empty-handed.

10 Chaldea will become plunder;

All who plunder her will be satisfied,” says the Lord.

11 “Though you are glad, though you rejoice,

O you who plunder My heritage,

Though you are wantonandskip about like a heifer in the grass

And neigh like stallions,

12 Your mother [Babylon] shall be greatly shamed;

She who gave you birth will be ashamed.

Behold,she will bethe least of the nations,

A wilderness, a parched land and a desert.

13 Because of the wrath of the Lordshe will not be inhabited

But she will be completely desolate;

Everyone who goes by Babylon will be appalled

And will hiss (mock) at all her woundsandplagues.

14 Set yourselves in battle formation against Babylon on every side,

All you archers.

Shoot at her! Do not spare the arrows,

For she has sinned against the Lord.

15 Raise the battle cry against her on every side!

She has given her hand [in agreement]andhas surrendered; her pillars have fallen,

Her walls have been torn down.

For this is the vengeance of the Lord:

Take vengeance on her;

As she has done [to others], do to her.

16 Cut off the sower from Babylon

And the one who handles the sickle at the time of harvest.

For fear of the sword of the oppressor

Everyone will return to his own people

And everyone will flee to his own land.

17 Israel is a huntedandscattered flock [driven here and there as prey]; the lions have chasedthem away. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken (gnawed) his bones.

18 Therefore thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will visit (inspect, examine)andpunish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I visitedandpunished the king of Assyria.

19 And I will bring Israel [home] again to his pasture and he will graze on [the most fertile lands of] Carmel [in the west] and Bashan [in the east], and his soul will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.

20 In those days and at that time,’ says the Lord, ‘a search will be made for the wickedness of Israel, but there will be none and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.’

21 “Go against [Babylon] the land of Merathaim (Double Rebellion),

Go up against it and against the people of Pekod (Punishment).

Kill and utterly destroy them,” says the Lord,

“And do everything that I have commanded you.”

22 “The noise of battle is in the land,

And [the noise of] great destruction.

23 How the hammer of the whole earth

Is crushed and broken!

How Babylon has become

A horror [of desolation] among the nations!

24 I set a trap for you and you also were caught, O Babylon,

And you did not know it;

You have been found and also seized

Because you have struggled against the Lord.”

25 The Lordhas opened His armory

And has brought out [the nations who unknowingly are] the weapons of His indignation (wrath),

For it is a work of the Lord Godof hosts

In the land of the Chaldeans.

26 Come against her from the farthest border.

Open her storehouses;

Pile it up like heaps of rubbish.

Burnanddestroy her completely;

Let nothing be left of her.

27 Kill all her young bulls [her strength—her young men];

Let them go down to the slaughter!

Woe (judgment is coming) to the Chaldeans, for their day has come,

The time of their punishment.

28 Listen to the voice of the refugees who flee and escape from the land of Babylon,

Proclaiming in Zion the vengeance of the Lordour God,

The vengeance [of the Lordagainst the Chaldeans] for [plundering and destroying] His temple.

29 “Call together many [archers] against Babylon,

All those who bend the bow.

Encamp against her on every side;

Let no one from there escape.

Repay her according to her actions;

Just as she has done, do to her.

For she has been proudly defiantandpresumptuous against the Lord,

Against the Holy One of Israel.

30 Therefore her young men will fall in her streets,

And all her soldiers will be destroyed on that day,” says the Lord.

31 “Behold, I am against you, [O Babylon, you] arrogant one, [you who are pride and presumption personified],”

Says the Lord Godof hosts,

“For your day has come,

The time when I will punish you.

32 The arrogant (proud) one will stumble and fall

With no one to raise him up;

And I will set fire to his cities

And it will devour all who are around him.”

33 Thus says the Lordof hosts,

“The children of Israel are oppressed,

And the children of Judah as well;

And all who took them captive have held them tightly,

They have refused to let them go.

34 Their Redeemer is strong; the Lordof hosts is His name.

He will most certainly plead their caseanddefend their cause

So that He may bring rest to their land,

But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.

35 A sword against the Chaldeans,” says the Lord,

“And against the inhabitants of Babylon

And against her princes (officials, civic rulers) and against her wise men (astrologers, religious rulers)!

36 A sword against the oracle priests (the babbling liars), and they will become fools!

A sword against her mighty warriors, and they will be shatteredanddestroyed!

37 A sword against their horses and against their chariots

And against all the foreign troops that are in her midst,

And they will become [as weak and defenseless as] women!

A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!

38 A drought on her waters, and they will dry up!

For it is a land of [worthless] idols,

And they are mad over fearsome idols [those objects of terror in which they foolishly trust].

39 “Thereforewild beasts of the desert will live there [in Babylon] with the jackals;

The ostriches also will live there,

And it will never again be inhabited [with people]

Or lived in from generation to generation.

40 As when God overthrew Sodom

And Gomorrah and their neighboring cities,” says the Lord,

“So no man will live there;

Nor shall any son of man live there.”

41 “Behold, a people is coming from the north,

And a great nation and many kings

Will be stirring from the remote parts of the earth.

42 They seize their bow and spear;

They are cruel and have no compassion.

They sound like the roaring of the sea;

They ride on horses,

Every man equipped like a man [ready] for the battle

Against you, O Daughter of Babylon.

43 The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,

And his hands fall limpandhelpless;

Anguish has seized him,

And agony like that of a woman in childbirth.

44 “See, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan against the enduring habitation [of Babylon]andits watered pastures; for in an instant I will make Babylon run from his land. I will appoint over Babylon the one whom I choose. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me [into court]andprosecute Me [for this]? Who is the [earthly] shepherd who can stand [defiantly] before Me?”

45 Therefore hear the plan of the Lordwhich He has devised against Babylon, and hear what He has purposed against [the inhabitants of the land of] the Chaldeans: surely they will be dragged away, [even] the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their habitation desolate because of them.

46 At the shout, “Babylon has been seized!” the earth quakes, and an outcry is heard among the nations.