¶ Concerning¹ the Ammonites², thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king³ inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities⁴?

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will⁵ cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah⁶ of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters⁸ shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel⁹ be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD.

Howl¹⁰, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird¹¹ you with sackcloth; lament, and run¹² to and fro by the hedges; for their king¹³ shall go¹⁶ into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.

Wherefore gloriest¹⁷ thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley¹⁸, O backsliding daughter? that trusted¹⁹ in her treasures, saying, Who²⁰ shall come unto me?

Behold, I will²¹ bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts, from all those that be about thee; and ye shall²² be driven out every man right forth; and none²³ shall gather up him that wandereth.

²⁴And afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the LORD.

¶ Concerning Edom²⁵, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Is wisdom²⁶ no more in Teman²⁷? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?

Flee²⁸ ye, turn back²⁹, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan³⁰; for³¹ I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.

If grapegatherers³² come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough³³.

¶ But I have made³⁴ Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret³⁵ places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed³⁶ is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not³⁷.

Leave thy fatherless³⁸ children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy³⁹ widows trust in me.

For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose⁴⁰ judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.

For I have⁴¹ sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah⁴² shall become a desolation⁴³, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.

I have heard⁴⁴ a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador⁴⁵ is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather⁴⁶ ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.

⁴⁷For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men.

Thy terribleness⁴⁸ hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest⁴⁹ in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though⁵⁰ thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.

Also Edom⁵¹ shall be a desolation: every⁵² one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss⁵³ at all the plagues thereof.

As in the⁵⁴ overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man⁵⁵ shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.

Behold, he shall come⁵⁶ up like a lion from the swelling⁵⁷ of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like⁵⁸ me? and who will appoint me the time⁵⁹? and who is that shepherd⁶⁰ that will stand before me?

¶ Therefore hear the counsel⁶¹ of the LORD, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman⁶²: Surely⁶³ the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make⁶⁴ their habitations desolate with them.

The earth⁶⁵ is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea⁶⁶.

Behold, he shall⁶⁷ come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah⁶⁸: and at that day shall the heart of the⁶⁹ mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

¶ Concerning Damascus⁷⁰. Hamath⁷¹ is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted⁷²; there is sorrow⁷³ on the sea⁷⁴; it cannot be quiet.

Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish⁷⁵ and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.

⁷⁶How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!

⁷⁷Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.

And I will⁷⁸ kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad⁷⁹.

¶ Concerning Kedar⁸⁰, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor⁸¹, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise⁸² ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil⁸³ the men of the east.

Their tents⁸⁴ and their flocks shall they take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains⁸⁵, and all their vessels, and their camels⁸⁶; and they shall cry unto them, Fear⁸⁷ is on every side.

¶ Flee, get you far off⁸⁸, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the LORD; for⁸⁹ Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.

Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that⁹¹ dwelleth without care, saith the LORD, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell⁹² alone.

And their camels⁹³ shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter⁹⁴ into all winds them that are in the utmost corners⁹⁵; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, saith the LORD.

And Hazor⁹⁶ shall be a dwelling⁹⁷ for dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.

¶ The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break⁹⁹ the bow¹⁰⁰ of Elam, the chief of their might.

And upon Elam will I bring the four winds¹⁰¹ from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter¹⁰² them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts¹⁰³ of Elam shall not come.

For I will cause Elam to be¹⁰⁴ dismayed before their enemies¹⁰⁵, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword¹⁰⁶ after them, till I have consumed them:

¹⁰⁷And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.

But it shall come to pass in the¹⁰⁸ latter days, that I will¹⁰⁹ bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.