Jeremiah

¹ "Doesn't Israel have any children, no one to step into her inheritance? So why is the god Milcom taking over Gad's land, his followers moving into its towns?

² —God's Decree— "When I'll fill the ears of Rabbah, Ammon's big city, with battle cries. She'll end up a pile of rubble, all her towns burned to the ground. Then Israel will kick out the invaders. I, God, say so, and it will be so.

³ Villages of Rabbah, wring your hands! Dress in mourning, weep buckets of tears. Go into hysterics, run around in circles! Your god Milcom will be hauled off to exile, and all his priests and managers right with him.

⁴ You're a broken-down has-been, a castoff Who fondles his trophies and dreams of glory days and vainly thinks, 'No one can lay a hand on me.'

⁵ Word of the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies. "You'll be stampeded headlong, with no one to round up the runaways.

⁶ when I will make things right with Ammon." God's Decree.

⁷ "Is there nobody wise left in famous Teman? no one with a sense of reality? Has their wisdom gone wormy and rotten?

⁸ Find a good place to hide, you who live in Dedan! I'm bringing doom to Esau. It's time to settle accounts.

⁹ don't they leave gleanings? When burglars break into your house, don't they take only what they want?

¹⁰ I'll search out every nook and cranny. I'll destroy everything connected with him, children and relatives and neighbors. There'll be no one left who will be able to say,

¹¹ Your widows can depend on me.' "

¹² Indeed. God says, "I tell you, if there are people who have to drink the cup of God's wrath even though they don't deserve it, why would you think you'd get off? You won't get off. You'll drink it. Oh yes, you'll drink every drop.

¹³ And as for Bozrah, your capital, I swear by all that I am"—God's Decree—"that that city will end up a pile of charred ruins, a stinking garbage dump, an obscenity—and all her daughter-cities with her."

¹⁴ He's sent an envoy to the nations: "Muster your troops and attack Edom. Present arms! Go to war!"

¹⁵ the bottom of the heap, kicked around.

¹⁶ strutting across the stage of history, Living high in the impregnable rocks, acting like king of the mountain. You think you're above it all, don't you, like an eagle in its aerie? Well, you're headed for a fall. I'll bring you crashing to the ground." God's Decree.

¹⁷ "Edom will end up trash. Stinking, despicable trash. A wonder of the world in reverse.

¹⁸ "No one will live there, no mortal soul move in there.

¹⁹ from the thick jungle of the Jordan Looking for prey in the mountain pastures, I will come upon Edom and pounce. I'll take my pick of the flock—and who's to stop me? The shepherds of Edom are helpless before me."

²⁰ "Believe it or not, the young, the vulnerable— mere lambs and kids—will be dragged off. Believe it or not, the flock in shock, helpless to help, will watch it happen.

²¹ cries of anguish heard at the distant Red Sea.

²² spreads its wings over Bozrah. Brave warriors will double up in pain, helpless to fight, like a woman giving birth to a baby."

²³ "Hamath and Arpad will be in shock when they hear the bad news. Their hearts will melt in fear as they pace back and forth in worry.

²⁴ as she turns to flee. Hysterical, she'll fall to pieces, disabled, like a woman in childbirth.

²⁵ The once famous city, the once happy city.

²⁶ her brave warriors silent as death. On that day"—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—

²⁷ that will burn down all of Ben-hadad's forts."

²⁸ "On your feet! Attack Kedar! Plunder the Bedouin nomads from the east.

²⁹ Steal their camels. Traumatize them, shouting, 'Terror! Death! Doom! Danger everywhere!'

³⁰ You nomads from Hazor." God's Decree. "Find a safe place to hide. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has plans to wipe you out, to go after you with a vengeance:

³¹ who live free and easy in the desert, Who live in the open with no doors to lock, who live off by themselves.'

³² their herds and flocks, easy picking. I'll scatter them to the four winds, these defenseless nomads on the fringes of the desert. I'll bring terror from every direction. They won't know what hit them." God's Decree.

³³ camps abandoned to wind and sand. No one will live there, no mortal soul move in there."

³⁴ God's Message to the prophet Jeremiah on Elam at the outset of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah.

³⁵ "Watch this! I'll break Elam's bow, her weapon of choice, across my knee.

³⁶ winds from the four corners of earth. I'll blow them away in all directions, landing homeless Elamites in every country on earth.

³⁷ among enemies who want to kill them. I'll bring doom on them, my anger-fueled doom. I'll set murderous hounds on their heels until there's nothing left of them.

³⁸ having thrown out the king and his henchmen.

³⁹ everything right for Elam again." God's Decree.