Category: Jeremiah

The Murder of Gedaliah

1 But in midautumn of that year,Ishmael son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and had been one of the king’s high officials, went to Mizpah with ten men to meet Gedaliah. While they were eating together,

2 Ishmael and his ten men suddenly jumped up, drew their swords, and killed Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor.

3 Ishmael also killed all the Judeans and the Babyloniansoldiers who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah.

4 The next day, before anyone had heard about Gedaliah’s murder,

5 eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria to worship at the Temple of theLord. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves, and had brought along grain offerings and frankincense.

6 Ishmael left Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he reached them, he said, “Oh, come and see what has happened to Gedaliah!”

7 But as soon as they were all inside the town, Ishmael and his men killed all but ten of them and threw their bodies into a cistern.

8 The other ten had talked Ishmael into letting them go by promising to bring him their stores of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey that they had hidden away.

9 The cistern where Ishmael dumped the bodies of the men he murdered was the large onedug by King Asa when he fortified Mizpah to protect himself against King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with corpses.

10 Then Ishmael made captives of the king’s daughters and the other people who had been left under Gedaliah’s care in Mizpah by Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard. Taking them with him, he started back toward the land of Ammon.

11 But when Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders heard about Ishmael’s crimes,

12 they took all their men and set out to stop him. They caught up with him at the large pool near Gibeon.

13 The people Ishmael had captured shouted for joy when they saw Johanan and the other military leaders.

14 And all the captives from Mizpah escaped and began to help Johanan.

15 Meanwhile, Ishmael and eight of his men escaped from Johanan into the land of Ammon.

16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders took all the people they had rescued in Gibeon—the soldiers, women, children, and court officialswhom Ishmael had captured after he killed Gedaliah.

17 They took them all to the village of Geruth-kimham near Bethlehem, where they prepared to leave for Egypt.

18 They were afraid of what the Babylonianswould do when they heard that Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, the governor appointed by the Babylonian king.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/41-ee42528eccf6414021976b25905796bd.mp3?version_id=116—

Warning to Stay in Judah

1 Then all the military leaders, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniahson of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, approached

2 Jeremiah the prophet. They said, “Please pray to theLordyour God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before.

3 Pray that theLordyour God will show us what to do and where to go.”

4 “All right,” Jeremiah replied. “I will pray to theLordyour God, as you have asked, and I will tell you everything he says. I will hide nothing from you.”

5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May theLordyour God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever he tells us to do!

6 Whether we like it or not, we will obey theLordour God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us.”

7 Ten days later theLordgave his reply to Jeremiah.

8 So he called for Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders, and for all the people, from the least to the greatest.

9 He said to them, “You sent me to theLord, the God of Israel, with your request, and this is his reply:

10 ‘Stay here in this land. If you do, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you. For I am sorry about all the punishment I have had to bring upon you.

11 Do not fear the king of Babylon anymore,’ says theLord. ‘For I am with you and will save you and rescue you from his power.

12 I will be merciful to you by making him kind, so he will let you stay here in your land.’

13 “But if you refuse to obey theLordyour God, and if you say, ‘We will not stay here;

14 instead, we will go to Egypt where we will be free from war, the call to arms, and hunger,’

15 then hear theLord’s message to the remnant of Judah. This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and live there,

16 the very war and famine you fear will catch up to you, and you will die there.

17 That is the fate awaiting every one of you who insists on going to live in Egypt. Yes, you will die from war, famine, and disease. None of you will escape the disaster I will bring upon you there.’

18 “This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as my anger and fury have been poured out on the people of Jerusalem, so they will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will be an object of damnation, horror, cursing, and mockery. And you will never see your homeland again.’

19 “Listen, you remnant of Judah. TheLordhas told you: ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Don’t forget this warning I have given you today.

20 For you were not being honest when you sent me to pray to theLordyour God for you. You said, ‘Just tell us what theLordour God says, and we will do it!’

21 And today I have told you exactly what he said, but you will not obey theLordyour God any better now than you have in the past.

22 So you can be sure that you will die from war, famine, and disease in Egypt, where you insist on going.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/42-ac086a3a054d44cd0c45ad0534b8eeea.mp3?version_id=116—

Jeremiah Taken to Egypt

1 When Jeremiah had finished giving this message from theLordtheir God to all the people,

2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other proud men said to Jeremiah, “You lie! TheLordour God hasn’t forbidden us to go to Egypt!

3 Baruch son of Neriah has convinced you to say this, because he wants us to stay here and be killed by the Babyloniansor be carried off into exile.”

4 So Johanan and the other military leaders and all the people refused to obey theLord’s command to stay in Judah.

5 Johanan and the other leaders took with them all the people who had returned from the nearby countries to which they had fled.

6 In the crowd were men, women, and children, the king’s daughters, and all those whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah. The prophet Jeremiah and Baruch were also included.

7 The people refused to obey the voice of theLordand went to Egypt, going as far as the city of Tahpanhes.

8 Then at Tahpanhes, theLordgave another message to Jeremiah. He said,

9 “While the people of Judah are watching, take some large rocks and bury them under the pavement stones at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace here in Tahpanhes.

10 Then say to the people of Judah, ‘This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will certainly bring my servant Nebuchadnezzar,king of Babylon, here to Egypt. I will set his throne over these stones that I have hidden. He will spread his royal canopy over them.

11 And when he comes, he will destroy the land of Egypt. He will bring death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and war to those destined for war.

12 He will set fire to the temples of Egypt’s gods; he will burn the temples and carry the idols away as plunder. He will pick clean the land of Egypt as a shepherd picks fleas from his cloak. And he himself will leave unharmed.

13 He will break down the sacred pillars standing in the temple of the sunin Egypt, and he will burn down the temples of Egypt’s gods.’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/43-32cee21c88ef7af07e7f409f58ca3f06.mp3?version_id=116—

Judgment for Idolatry

1 This is the message Jeremiah received concerning the Judeans living in northern Egypt in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis,and in southern Egyptas well:

2 “This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: You saw the calamity I brought on Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah. They now lie deserted and in ruins.

3 They provoked my anger with all their wickedness. They burned incense and worshiped other gods—gods that neither they nor you nor any of your ancestors had ever even known.

4 “Again and again I sent my servants, the prophets, to plead with them, ‘Don’t do these horrible things that I hate so much.’

5 But my people would not listen or turn back from their wicked ways. They kept on burning incense to these gods.

6 And so my fury boiled over and fell like fire on the towns of Judah and into the streets of Jerusalem, and they are still a desolate ruin today.

7 “And now theLordGod of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, asks you: Why are you destroying yourselves? For not one of you will survive—not a man, woman, or child among you who has come here from Judah, not even the babies in your arms.

8 Why provoke my anger by burning incense to the idols you have made here in Egypt? You will only destroy yourselves and make yourselves an object of cursing and mockery for all the nations of the earth.

9 Have you forgotten the sins of your ancestors, the sins of the kings and queens of Judah, and the sins you and your wives committed in Judah and Jerusalem?

10 To this very hour you have shown no remorse or reverence. No one has chosen to follow my word and the decrees I gave to you and your ancestors before you.

11 “Therefore, this is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to destroy every one of you!

12 I will take this remnant of Judah—those who were determined to come here and live in Egypt—and I will consume them. They will fall here in Egypt, killed by war and famine. All will die, from the least to the greatest. They will be an object of damnation, horror, cursing, and mockery.

13 I will punish them in Egypt just as I punished them in Jerusalem, by war, famine, and disease.

14 Of that remnant who fled to Egypt, hoping someday to return to Judah, there will be no survivors. Even though they long to return home, only a handful will do so.”

15 Then all the women present and all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to idols—a great crowd of all the Judeans living in northern Egypt and southern Egypt—answered Jeremiah,

16 “We will not listen to your messages from theLord!

17 We will do whatever we want. We will burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven just as much as we like—just as we, and our ancestors, and our kings and officials have always done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For in those days we had plenty to eat, and we were well off and had no troubles!

18 But ever since we quit burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and stopped worshiping her with liquid offerings, we have been in great trouble and have been dying from war and famine.”

19 “Besides,” the women added, “do you suppose that we were burning incense and pouring out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven, and making cakes marked with her image, without our husbands knowing it and helping us? Of course not!”

20 Then Jeremiah said to all of them, men and women alike, who had given him that answer,

21 “Do you think theLorddid not know that you and your ancestors, your kings and officials, and all the people were burning incense to idols in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

22 It was because theLordcould no longer bear all the disgusting things you were doing that he made your land an object of cursing—a desolate ruin without inhabitants—as it is today.

23 All these terrible things happened to you because you have burned incense to idols and sinned against theLord. You have refused to obey him and have not followed his instructions, his decrees, and his laws.”

24 Then Jeremiah said to them all, including the women, “Listen to this message from theLord, all you citizens of Judah who live in Egypt.

25 This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘You and your wives have said, “We will keep our promises to burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven,” and you have proved by your actions that you meant it. So go ahead and carry out your promises and vows to her!’

26 “But listen to this message from theLord, all you Judeans now living in Egypt: ‘I have sworn by my great name,’ says theLord, ‘that my name will no longer be spoken by any of the Judeans in the land of Egypt. None of you may invoke my name or use this oath: “As surely as the SovereignLordlives.”

27 For I will watch over you to bring you disaster and not good. Everyone from Judah who is now living in Egypt will suffer war and famine until all of you are dead.

28 Only a small number will escape death and return to Judah from Egypt. Then all those who came to Egypt will find out whose words are true—mine or theirs!

29 “‘And this is the proof I give you,’ says theLord, ‘that all I have threatened will happen to you and that I will punish you here.’

30 This is what theLordsays: ‘I will turn Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, over to his enemies who want to kill him, just as I turned King Zedekiah of Judah over to King Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon.’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/44-434862edae35c47033f66e3dd3adb2b6.mp3?version_id=116—

A Message for Baruch

1 The prophet Jeremiah gave a message to Baruch son of Neriah in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah,after Baruch had written down everything Jeremiah had dictated to him. He said,

2 “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:

3 You have said, ‘I am overwhelmed with trouble! Haven’t I had enough pain already? And now theLordhas added more! I am worn out from sighing and can find no rest.’

4 “Baruch, this is what theLordsays: ‘I will destroy this nation that I built. I will uproot what I planted.

5 Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t do it! I will bring great disaster upon all these people; but I will give you your life as a reward wherever you go. I, theLord, have spoken!’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/45-2b2387ed57a4d56a7788314cf53a08cf.mp3?version_id=116—

Messages for the Nations

1 The following messages were given to Jeremiah the prophet from theLordconcerning foreign nations.

Messages about Egypt

2 This message concerning Egypt was given in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, on the occasion of the battle of Carchemishwhen Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, and his army were defeated beside the Euphrates River by King Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon.

3 “Prepare your shields,

and advance into battle!

4 Harness the horses,

and mount the stallions.

Take your positions.

Put on your helmets.

Sharpen your spears,

and prepare your armor.

5 But what do I see?

The Egyptian army flees in terror.

The bravest of its fighting men run

without a backward glance.

They are terrorized at every turn,”

says theLord.

6 “The swiftest runners cannot flee;

the mightiest warriors cannot escape.

By the Euphrates River to the north,

they stumble and fall.

7 “Who is this, rising like the Nile at floodtime,

overflowing all the land?

8 It is the Egyptian army,

overflowing all the land,

boasting that it will cover the earth like a flood,

destroying cities and their people.

9 Charge, you horses and chariots;

attack, you mighty warriors of Egypt!

Come, all you allies from Ethiopia, Libya, and Lydia

who are skilled with the shield and bow!

10 For this is the day of the Lord, theLordof Heaven’s Armies,

a day of vengeance on his enemies.

The sword will devour until it is satisfied,

yes, until it is drunk with your blood!

The Lord, theLordof Heaven’s Armies, will receive a sacrifice today

in the north country beside the Euphrates River.

11 “Go up to Gilead to get medicine,

O virgin daughter of Egypt!

But your many treatments

will bring you no healing.

12 The nations have heard of your shame.

The earth is filled with your cries of despair.

Your mightiest warriors will run into each other

and fall down together.”

13 Then theLordgave the prophet Jeremiah this message about King Nebuchadnezzar’s plans to attack Egypt.

14 “Shout it out in Egypt!

Publish it in the cities of Migdol, Memphis,and Tahpanhes!

Mobilize for battle,

for the sword will devour everyone around you.

15 Why have your warriors fallen?

They cannot stand, for theLordhas knocked them down.

16 They stumble and fall over each other

and say among themselves,

‘Come, let’s go back to our people,

to the land of our birth.

Let’s get away from the sword of the enemy!’

17 There they will say,

‘Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is a loudmouth

who missed his opportunity!’

18 “As surely as I live,” says the King,

whose name is theLordof Heaven’s Armies,

“one is coming against Egypt

who is as tall as Mount Tabor,

or as Mount Carmel by the sea!

19 Pack up! Get ready to leave for exile,

you citizens of Egypt!

The city of Memphis will be destroyed,

without a single inhabitant.

20 Egypt is as sleek as a beautiful heifer,

but a horsefly from the north is on its way!

21 Egypt’s mercenaries have become like fattened calves.

They, too, will turn and run,

for it is a day of great disaster for Egypt,

a time of great punishment.

22 Egypt flees, silent as a serpent gliding away.

The invading army marches in;

they come against her with axes like woodsmen.

23 They will cut down her people like trees,” says theLord,

“for they are more numerous than locusts.

24 Egypt will be humiliated;

she will be handed over to people from the north.”

25 TheLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish Amon, the god of Thebes,and all the other gods of Egypt. I will punish its rulers and Pharaoh, too, and all who trust in him.

26 I will hand them over to those who want them killed—to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his army. But afterward the land will recover from the ravages of war. I, theLord, have spoken!

27 “But do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant;

do not be dismayed, Israel.

For I will bring you home again from distant lands,

and your children will return from their exile.

Israelwill return to a life of peace and quiet,

and no one will terrorize them.

28 Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,

for I am with you,” says theLord.

“I will completely destroy the nations to which I have exiled you,

but I will not completely destroy you.

I will discipline you, but with justice;

I cannot let you go unpunished.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/46-79e33a0869d9979c7b12b506e0ffa4ef.mp3?version_id=116—

A Message about Philistia

1 This is theLord’s message to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the Philistines of Gaza, before it was captured by the Egyptian army.

2 This is what theLordsays:

“A flood is coming from the north

to overflow the land.

It will destroy the land and everything in it—

cities and people alike.

People will scream in terror,

and everyone in the land will wail.

3 Hear the clatter of stallions’ hooves

and the rumble of wheels as the chariots rush by.

Terrified fathers run madly,

without a backward glance at their helpless children.

4 “The time has come for the Philistines to be destroyed,

along with their allies from Tyre and Sidon.

Yes, theLordis destroying the remnant of the Philistines,

those colonists from the island of Crete.

5 Gaza will be humiliated, its head shaved bald;

Ashkelon will lie silent.

You remnant from the Mediterranean coast,

how long will you cut yourselves in mourning?

6 “Now, O sword of theLord,

when will you be at rest again?

Go back into your sheath;

rest and be still.

7 “But how can it be still

when theLordhas sent it on a mission?

For the city of Ashkelon

and the people living along the sea

must be destroyed.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/47-95dc4f1c2203baedcd5a906cd0cfe550.mp3?version_id=116—

A Message about Moab

1 This message was given concerning Moab. This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:

“What sorrow awaits the city of Nebo;

it will soon lie in ruins.

The city of Kiriathaim will be humiliated and captured;

the fortress will be humiliated and broken down.

2 No one will ever brag about Moab again,

for in Heshbon there is a plot to destroy her.

‘Come,’ they say, ‘we will cut her off from being a nation.’

The town of Madmen,too, will be silenced;

the sword will follow you there.

3 Listen to the cries from Horonaim,

cries of devastation and great destruction.

4 All Moab is destroyed.

Her little ones will cry out.

5 Her refugees weep bitterly,

climbing the slope to Luhith.

They cry out in terror,

descending the slope to Horonaim.

6 Flee for your lives!

Hidein the wilderness!

7 Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill,

you will be taken captive.

Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials,

will be hauled off to distant lands!

8 “All the towns will be destroyed,

and no one will escape—

either on the plateaus or in the valleys,

for theLordhas spoken.

9 Oh, that Moab had wings

so she could fly away,

for her towns will be left empty,

with no one living in them.

10 Cursed are those who refuse to do theLord’s work,

who hold back their swords from shedding blood!

11 “From his earliest history, Moab has lived in peace,

never going into exile.

He is like wine that has been allowed to settle.

He has not been poured from flask to flask,

and he is now fragrant and smooth.

12 But the time is coming soon,” says theLord,

“when I will send men to pour him from his jar.

They will pour him out,

then shatter the jar!

13 At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh,

as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.

14 “You used to boast, ‘We are heroes,

mighty men of war.’

15 But now Moab and his towns will be destroyed.

His most promising youth are doomed to slaughter,”

says the King, whose name is theLordof Heaven’s Armies.

16 “Destruction is coming fast for Moab;

calamity threatens ominously.

17 You friends of Moab,

weep for him and cry!

See how the strong scepter is broken,

how the beautiful staff is shattered!

18 “Come down from your glory

and sit in the dust, you people of Dibon,

for those who destroy Moab will shatter Dibon, too.

They will tear down all your towers.

19 You people of Aroer,

stand beside the road and watch.

Shout to those who flee from Moab,

‘What has happened there?’

20 “And the reply comes back,

‘Moab lies in ruins, disgraced;

weep and wail!

Tell it by the banks of the Arnon River:

Moab has been destroyed!’

21 Judgment has been poured out on the towns of the plateau—

on Holon and Jahazand Mephaath,

22 on Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,

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

24 on Kerioth and Bozrah—

all the towns of Moab, far and near.

25 “The strength of Moab has ended.

His arm has been broken,” says theLord.

26 “Let him stagger and fall like a drunkard,

for he has rebelled against theLord.

Moab will wallow in his own vomit,

ridiculed by all.

27 Did you not ridicule the people of Israel?

Were they caught in the company of thieves

that you should despise them as you do?

28 “You people of Moab,

flee from your towns and live in the caves.

Hide like doves that nest

in the clefts of the rocks.

29 We have all heard of the pride of Moab,

for his pride is very great.

We know of his lofty pride,

his arrogance, and his haughty heart.

30 I know about his insolence,”

says theLord,

“but his boasts are empty—

as empty as his deeds.

31 So now I wail for Moab;

yes, I will mourn for Moab.

My heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.

32 “You people of Sibmah, rich in vineyards,

I will weep for you even more than I did for Jazer.

Your spreading vines once reached as far as the Dead Sea,

but the destroyer has stripped you bare!

He has harvested your grapes and summer fruits.

33 Joy and gladness are gone from fruitful Moab.

The presses yield no wine.

No one treads the grapes with shouts of joy.

There is shouting, yes, but not of joy.

34 “Instead, their awful cries of terror can be heard from Heshbon clear across to Elealeh and Jahaz; from Zoar all the way to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up now.

35 “I will put an end to Moab,” says theLord, “for the people offer sacrifices at the pagan shrines and burn incense to their false gods.

36 My heart moans like a flute for Moab and Kir-hareseth, for all their wealth has disappeared.

37 The people shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of burlap.

38 There is crying and sorrow in every Moabite home and on every street. For I have smashed Moab like an old, unwanted jar.

39 How it is shattered! Hear the wailing! See the shame of Moab! It has become an object of ridicule, an example of ruin to all its neighbors.”

40 This is what theLordsays:

“Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,

spreading his wings over Moab.

41 Its cities will fall,

and its strongholds will be seized.

Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish

like a woman in labor.

42 Moab will no longer be a nation,

for it has boasted against theLord.

43 “Terror and traps and snares will be your lot,

O Moab,” says theLord.

44 “Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap,

and those who escape the trap will step into a snare.

I will see to it that you do not get away,

for the time of your judgment has come,”

says theLord.

45 “The people flee as far as Heshbon

but are unable to go on.

For a fire comes from Heshbon,

King Sihon’s ancient home,

to devour the entire land

with all its rebellious people.

46 “What sorrow awaits you, O people of Moab!

The people of the god Chemosh are destroyed!

Your sons and your daughters

have been taken away as captives.

47 But I will restore the fortunes of Moab

in days to come.

I, theLord, have spoken!”

This is the end of Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning Moab.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/48-6f5236f40920369aef77f84727ac4d0c.mp3?version_id=116—

A Message about Ammon

1 This message was given concerning the Ammonites. This is what theLordsays:

“Are there no descendants of Israel

to inherit the land of Gad?

Why are you, who worship Molech,

living in its towns?

2 In the days to come,” says theLord,

“I will sound the battle cry against your city of Rabbah.

It will become a desolate heap of ruins,

and the neighboring towns will be burned.

Then Israel will take back the land

you took from her,” says theLord.

3 “Cry out, O Heshbon,

for the town of Ai is destroyed.

Weep, O people of Rabbah!

Put on your clothes of mourning.

Weep and wail, hiding in the hedges,

for your god Molech, with his priests and officials,

will be hauled off to distant lands.

4 You are proud of your fertile valleys,

but they will soon be ruined.

You trusted in your wealth,

you rebellious daughter,

and thought no one could ever harm you.

5 But look! I will bring terror upon you,”

says the Lord, theLordof Heaven’s Armies.

“Your neighbors will chase you from your land,

and no one will help your exiles as they flee.

6 But I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites

in days to come.

I, theLord, have spoken.”

Messages about Edom

7 This message was given concerning Edom. This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies says:

“Is there no wisdom in Teman?

Is no one left to give wise counsel?

8 Turn and flee!

Hide in deep caves, you people of Dedan!

For when I bring disaster on Edom,

I will punish you, too!

9 Those who harvest grapes

always leave a few for the poor.

If thieves came at night,

they would not take everything.

10 But I will strip bare the land of Edom,

and there will be no place left to hide.

Its children, its brothers, and its neighbors

will all be destroyed,

and Edom itself will be no more.

11 But I will protect the orphans who remain among you.

Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.”

12 And this is what theLordsays: “If the innocent must suffer, how much more must you! You will not go unpunished! You must drink this cup of judgment!

13 For I have sworn by my own name,” says theLord, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror and a heap of ruins; it will be mocked and cursed. All its towns and villages will be desolate forever.”

14 I have heard a message from theLord

that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,

“Form a coalition against Edom,

and prepare for battle!”

15 TheLordsays to Edom,

“I will cut you down to size among the nations.

You will be despised by all.

16 You have been deceived

by the fear you inspire in others

and by your own pride.

You live in a rock fortress

and control the mountain heights.

But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles,

I will bring you crashing down,”

says theLord.

17 “Edom will be an object of horror.

All who pass by will be appalled

and will gasp at the destruction they see there.

18 It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

and their neighboring towns,” says theLord.

“No one will live there;

no one will inhabit it.

19 I will come like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan,

leaping on the sheep in the pasture.

I will chase Edom from its land,

and I will appoint the leader of my choice.

For who is like me, and who can challenge me?

What ruler can oppose my will?”

20 Listen to theLord’s plans against Edom

and the people of Teman.

Even the little children will be dragged off like sheep,

and their homes will be destroyed.

21 The earth will shake with the noise of Edom’s fall,

and its cry of despair will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.

22 Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,

spreading his wings over Bozrah.

Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish

like a woman in labor.

A Message about Damascus

23 This message was given concerning Damascus. This is what theLordsays:

“The towns of Hamath and Arpad are struck with fear,

for they have heard the news of their destruction.

Their hearts are troubled

like a wild sea in a raging storm.

24 Damascus has become feeble,

and all her people turn to flee.

Fear, anguish, and pain have gripped her

as they grip a woman in labor.

25 That famous city, a city of joy,

will be forsaken!

26 Her young men will fall in the streets and die.

Her soldiers will all be killed,”

says theLordof Heaven’s Armies.

27 “And I will set fire to the walls of Damascus

that will burn up the palaces of Ben-hadad.”

A Message about Kedar and Hazor

28 This message was given concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which were attacked by King Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon. This is what theLordsays:

“Advance against Kedar!

Destroy the warriors from the East!

29 Their flocks and tents will be captured,

and their household goods and camels will be taken away.

Everywhere shouts of panic will be heard:

‘We are terrorized at every turn!’

30 Run for your lives,” says theLord.

“Hide yourselves in deep caves, you people of Hazor,

for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has plotted against you

and is preparing to destroy you.

31 “Go up and attack that complacent nation,”

says theLord.

“Its people live alone in the desert

without walls or gates.

32 Their camels and other livestock will all be yours.

I will scatter to the winds these people

who live in remote places.

I will bring calamity upon them

from every direction,” says theLord.

33 “Hazor will be inhabited by jackals,

and it will be desolate forever.

No one will live there;

no one will inhabit it.”

A Message about Elam

34 This message concerning Elam came to the prophet Jeremiah from theLordat the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah.

35 This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies says:

“I will destroy the archers of Elam—

the best of their forces.

36 I will bring enemies from all directions,

and I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds.

They will be exiled to countries around the world.

37 I myself will go with Elam’s enemies to shatter it.

In my fierce anger, I will bring great disaster

upon the people of Elam,” says theLord.

“Their enemies will chase them with the sword

until I have destroyed them completely.

38 I will set my throne in Elam,” says theLord,

“and I will destroy its king and officials.

39 But I will restore the fortunes of Elam

in days to come.

I, theLord, have spoken!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/49-39181868022c86cf983253973186ef32.mp3?version_id=116—

A Message about Babylon

1 TheLordgave Jeremiah the prophet this message concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians.

2 This is what theLordsays:

“Tell the whole world,

and keep nothing back.

Raise a signal flag

to tell everyone that Babylon will fall!

Her images and idolswill be shattered.

Her gods Bel and Marduk will be utterly disgraced.

3 For a nation will attack her from the north

and bring such destruction that no one will live there again.

Everything will be gone;

both people and animals will flee.

Hope for Israel and Judah

4 “In those coming days,”

says theLord,

“the people of Israel will return home

together with the people of Judah.

They will come weeping

and seeking theLordtheir God.

5 They will ask the way to Jerusalem

and will start back home again.

They will bind themselves to theLord

with an eternal covenant that will never be forgotten.

6 “My people have been lost sheep.

Their shepherds have led them astray

and turned them loose in the mountains.

They have lost their way

and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.

7 All who found them devoured them.

Their enemies said,

‘We did nothing wrong in attacking them,

for they sinned against theLord,

their true place of rest,

and the hope of their ancestors.’

8 “But now, flee from Babylon!

Leave the land of the Babylonians.

Like male goats at the head of the flock,

lead my people home again.

9 For I am raising up an army

of great nations from the north.

They will join forces to attack Babylon,

and she will be captured.

The enemies’ arrows will go straight to the mark;

they will not miss!

10 Babyloniawill be looted

until the attackers are glutted with loot.

I, theLord, have spoken!

Babylon’s Sure Fall

11 “You rejoice and are glad,

you who plundered my chosen people.

You frisk about like a calf in a meadow

and neigh like a stallion.

12 But your homelandwill be overwhelmed

with shame and disgrace.

You will become the least of nations—

a wilderness, a dry and desolate land.

13 Because of theLord’s anger,

Babylon will become a deserted wasteland.

All who pass by will be horrified

and will gasp at the destruction they see there.

14 “Yes, prepare to attack Babylon,

all you surrounding nations.

Let your archers shoot at her; spare no arrows.

For she has sinned against theLord.

15 Shout war cries against her from every side.

Look! She surrenders!

Her walls have fallen.

It is theLord’s vengeance,

so take vengeance on her.

Do to her as she has done to others!

16 Take from Babylon all those who plant crops;

send all the harvesters away.

Because of the sword of the enemy,

everyone will run away and rush back to their own lands.

Hope for God’s People

17 “The Israelites are like sheep

that have been scattered by lions.

First the king of Assyria ate them up.

Then King Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon cracked their bones.”

18 Therefore, this is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies,

the God of Israel, says:

“Now I will punish the king of Babylon and his land,

just as I punished the king of Assyria.

19 And I will bring Israel home again to its own land,

to feed in the fields of Carmel and Bashan,

and to be satisfied once more

in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead.

20 In those days,” says theLord,

“no sin will be found in Israel or in Judah,

for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.

The Lord’s Judgment on Babylon

21 “Go up, my warriors, against the land of Merathaim

and against the people of Pekod.

Pursue, kill, and completely destroythem,

as I have commanded you,” says theLord.

22 “Let the battle cry be heard in the land,

a shout of great destruction.

23 Babylon, the mightiest hammer in all the earth,

lies broken and shattered.

Babylon is desolate among the nations!

24 Listen, Babylon, for I have set a trap for you.

You are caught, for you have fought against theLord.

25 TheLordhas opened his armory

and brought out weapons to vent his fury.

The terror that falls upon the Babylonians

will be the work of the SovereignLordof Heaven’s Armies.

26 Yes, come against her from distant lands.

Break open her granaries.

Crush her walls and houses into heaps of rubble.

Destroy her completely, and leave nothing!

27 Destroy even her young bulls—

it will be terrible for them, too!

Slaughter them all!

For Babylon’s day of reckoning has come.

28 Listen to the people who have escaped from Babylon,

as they tell in Jerusalem

how theLordour God has taken vengeance

against those who destroyed his Temple.

29 “Send out a call for archers to come to Babylon.

Surround the city so none can escape.

Do to her as she has done to others,

for she has defied theLord, the Holy One of Israel.

30 Her young men will fall in the streets and die.

Her soldiers will all be killed,”

says theLord.

31 “See, I am your enemy, you arrogant people,”

says the Lord, theLordof Heaven’s Armies.

“Your day of reckoning has arrived—

the day when I will punish you.

32 O land of arrogance, you will stumble and fall,

and no one will raise you up.

For I will light a fire in the cities of Babylon

that will burn up everything around them.”

33 This is what theLordof Heaven’s Armies says:

“The people of Israel and Judah have been wronged.

Their captors hold them and refuse to let them go.

34 But the one who redeems them is strong.

His name is theLordof Heaven’s Armies.

He will defend them

and give them rest again in Israel.

But for the people of Babylon

there will be no rest!

35 “The sword of destruction will strike the Babylonians,”

says theLord.

“It will strike the people of Babylon—

her officials and wise men, too.

36 The sword will strike her wise counselors,

and they will become fools.

The sword will strike her mightiest warriors,

and panic will seize them.

37 The sword will strike her horses and chariots

and her allies from other lands,

and they will all become like women.

The sword will strike her treasures,

and they all will be plundered.

38 A droughtwill strike her water supply,

causing it to dry up.

And why? Because the whole land is filled with idols,

and the people are madly in love with them.

39 “Soon Babylon will be inhabited by desert animals and hyenas.

It will be a home for owls.

Never again will people live there;

it will lie desolate forever.

40 I will destroy it as Idestroyed Sodom and Gomorrah

and their neighboring towns,” says theLord.

“No one will live there;

no one will inhabit it.

41 “Look! A great army is coming from the north.

A great nation and many kings

are rising against you from far-off lands.

42 They are armed with bows and spears.

They are cruel and show no mercy.

As they ride forward on horses,

they sound like a roaring sea.

They are coming in battle formation,

planning to destroy you, Babylon.

43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about the enemy,

and he is weak with fright.

Pangs of anguish have gripped him,

like those of a woman in labor.

44 “I will come like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan,

leaping on the sheep in the pasture.

I will chase Babylon from its land,

and I will appoint the leader of my choice.

For who is like me, and who can challenge me?

What ruler can oppose my will?”

45 Listen to theLord’s plans against Babylon

and the land of the Babylonians.

Even the little children will be dragged off like sheep,

and their homes will be destroyed.

46 The earth will shake with the shout, “Babylon has been taken!”

and its cry of despair will be heard around the world.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JER/50-779537b36de55dc8214771e789980234.mp3?version_id=116—