Online Bible

Concerning the sons of ^aAmmon. This is what the LORD says:“Does Israel have no sons?Or has he no heirs?Why then has ¹Malcam taken possession of Gad,And his people settled in its cities?

2 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD,“When I will cause an alarm of ^awar to be heardAgainst ^bRabbah of the sons of Ammon;And it will become a desolate heap,And her ^ctowns will be set on fire.Then Israel will take ^dpossession of his possessors,”Says the LORD.3 “Wail, ^aHeshbon, for ^bAi has been destroyed!Cry out, daughters of Rabbah,^cPut on sackcloth and mourn,And move about inside the walls;For ¹Malcam will ^dgo into exileTogether with his priests and his leaders.4 “How you ^aboast about the valleys!Your valley is flowing away,You ^bbacksliding daughterWho trusts in her ^ctreasures, saying,‘^dWho can come against me?’5 “Behold, I am going to bring ^aterror upon you,”Declares the Lord ¹GOD of armies,“From all directions around you;And you will be ^bdriven away ²one after another,With no one to gather the ^cfugitives together.6 “But afterward I will ^arestoreThe fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”Declares the LORD.

7 Concerning ^aEdom.This is what the LORD of armies says:“Is there no longer any ^bwisdom in ^cTeman?Has good advice been lost by the prudent?Has their wisdom decayed?8 “Flee away, turn back, dwell in the depths,You inhabitants of ^aDedan,For I ¹will bring the ^bdisaster of Esau upon himAt the time I ²punish him.9 “^aIf grape pickers came to you,Would they not leave gleanings?If thieves came by night,They would destroy only what was sufficient for them.10 “But I have ^astripped Esau bare,I have uncovered his hiding placesSo that he will not be able to conceal himself;His ¹offspring have been destroyed along with his ²brothersAnd his neighbors, and ^bhe no longer exists.11 “Leave your ¹^aorphans behind, I will keep them alive;And let your ^bwidows trust in Me.”

12 For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, those ¹who were not sentenced to drink the ^acup will certainly drink it, so are you the one who will be held ^bcompletely blameless? You will not be held blameless, but you will certainly drink it. 13 For I have ^asworn by Myself,” declares the LORD, “that ^bBozrah will become an ^cobject of horror, a disgrace, a wasteland, and a curse; and all its cities will become permanent ruins.”

14 I have ^aheard a message from the LORD,And a ^bmessenger is being sent among the nations, saying,“^cGather yourselves together and come against her,And rise up for battle!”15 “For behold, I have made you small among the nations,Despised among people.16 “As for the terror you cause,The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,You who live in the clefts of ¹the ^arock,Who occupy the height of the hill.Though you make your nest as ^bhigh as an eagle’s,I will ^cbring you down from there,” declares the LORD.

17 “Edom will become an ^aobject of horror; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will ¹^bhiss at all its wounds. 18 Like the ^aoverthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says the LORD, “^bno one will live there, nor will ¹anyone of mankind reside in it. 19 ^aBehold, one will come up like a lion from the ^bthicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase him away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is ^cchosen. For who is ^dlike Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd ^ewho can stand against Me?”

20 Therefore hear the ^aplan of the LORD which He has planned against Edom, and His purposes which He has in mind against the inhabitants of Teman: they will certainly drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; He will certainly make their pasture ^bdesolate because of them. 21 The ^aearth has quaked at the noise of their downfall. There is an outcry! The noise of it has been heard at the ¹Red Sea. 22 Behold, ¹He will mount up and ^aswoop like an eagle, and spread out His wings ²against Bozrah; and the ^bhearts of the warriors of Edom on that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

23 Concerning ^aDamascus:“^bHamath and ^cArpad are put to shame,For they have heard bad news;They ^ddespair.There is anxiety at the sea,It ^ecannot be calmed.24 “Damascus has become helpless;She has turned away to flee,And panic has gripped her;^aDistress and labor pains have seized herLike a woman in childbirth.25 “How the ^acity of praise has not been deserted,The town of My joy!26 “Therefore, her ^ayoung men will fall in her streets,And all the men of war will perish on that day,” declares the LORD of armies.27 “I will ^aset fire to the wall of Damascus,And it will devour the fortified palace of ^bBen-hadad.”

28 Concerning ^aKedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. This is what the LORD says:“Arise, go up to KedarAnd devastate the ¹^bpeople of the east.

29 “They will take away their tents and their flocks;They will carry off for themselvesTheir tent ^acurtains, all their goods and their ^bcamels,And they will call out to one another, ‘^cHorror on every side!’30 “Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths,You inhabitants of Hazor,” declares the LORD;“For ^aNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against youAnd devised a scheme against you.31 “Arise, go up against a nation which is ^aat ease,Which lives securely,” declares the LORD.“It has ^bno gates or bars;They ^cdwell alone.32 “Their camels will become plunder,And their many livestock for spoils,And I will ^ascatter to all the winds those who ^bcut the corners of their hair;And I will bring their disaster from every side,” declares the LORD.33 “Hazor will become a ^ahaunt of jackals,A desolation forever;No one will live there,Nor will ¹anyone of mankind reside in it.”

34 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning ^aElam, ^bat the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:

35 “This is what the LORD of armies says:‘Behold, I am going to ^abreak the bow of Elam,The ¹finest of their might.36 ‘I will bring upon Elam the ^afour windsFrom the four ends of heaven,And will ^bscatter them to all these winds;And there will be no nationTo which the outcasts of Elam will not go.37 ‘So I will ¹shatter Elam before their enemiesAnd before those who seek their lives;And I will ^abring disaster upon them,Even My ^bfierce anger,’ declares the LORD,‘And I will ^csend the sword after themUntil I have consumed them.38 ‘Then I will set My throne in Elam,And eliminate from there the king and officials,’Declares the LORD.39 ‘But it will come about in the last daysThat I will ^arestore the fortunes of Elam,’”Declares the LORD.