The Message Bible MSG
New Living Translation NLT
1 God's Message on the Ammonites: "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?
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This message was given concerning the Ammonites. This is what the LORD says: “Are there no descendants of Israel to inherit the land of Gad? Why are you, who worship Molech, living in its towns?
2 But not for long! The time's coming" - 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.
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In the days to come,” says the LORD, “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 the LORD .
3 Wail Heshbon, Ai is in ruins. 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.
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“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 Why do you brag of your once-famous strength? 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.'
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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 Well, think again. I'll face you with terror from all sides." Word of the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies. "You'll be stampeded headlong, with no one to round up the runaways.
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But look! I will bring terror upon you,” says the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “Your neighbors will chase you from your land, and no one will help your exiles as they flee.
6 Still, the time will come when I will make things right with Ammon." God's Decree. Strutting Across the Stage of History
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But I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites in days to come. I, the LORD, have spoken.”
7 The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies on Edom: "Is there nobody wise left in famous Teman? no one with a sense of reality? Has their wisdom gone wormy and rotten?
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This message was given concerning Edom. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: “Is there no wisdom in Teman? Is no one left to give wise counsel?
8 Run for your lives! Get out while you can! Find a good place to hide, you who live in Dedan! I'm bringing doom to Esau. It's time to settle accounts.
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Turn and flee! Hide in deep caves, you people of Dedan! For when I bring disaster on Edom, I will punish you, too!
9 When harvesters work your fields, don't they leave gleanings? When burglars break into your house, don't they take only what they want?
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Those who harvest grapes always leave a few for the poor. If thieves came at night, they would not take everything.
10 But I'll strip Esau clean. 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,
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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 'I'll take care of your orphans. Your widows can depend on me.'"
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But I will protect the orphans who remain among you. Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.”
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.
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And this is what the LORD says: “If the innocent must suffer, how much more must you! You will not go unpunished! You must drink this cup of judgment!
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."
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For I have sworn by my own name,” says the LORD, “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've just heard the latest from God. He's sent an envoy to the nations: "Muster your troops and attack Edom. Present arms! Go to war!"
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I have heard a message from the LORD that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say, “Form a coalition against Edom, and prepare for battle!”
15 "Ah, Edom, I'm dropping you to last place among nations, the bottom of the heap, kicked around.
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The LORD says to Edom, “I will cut you down to size among the nations. You will be despised by all.
16 You think you're so great - 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.
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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 the LORD .
17 "Edom will end up trash. Stinking, despicable trash. A wonder of the world in reverse.
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“Edom will be an object of horror. All who pass by will be appalled and will gasp at the destruction they see there.
18 She'll join Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors in the sewers of history." God says so. "No one will live there, no mortal soul move in there.
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It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns,” says the LORD . “No one will live there; no one will inhabit it.
19 "Watch this: Like a lion coming up 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."
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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 So, listen to this plan that God has worked out against Edom, the blueprint of what he's prepared for those who live in Teman: "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.
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Listen to the LORD ’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 very earth will shudder because of their cries, cries of anguish heard at the distant Red Sea.
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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! An eagle soars, swoops down, spreads its wings over Bozrah. Brave warriors will double up in pain, helpless to fight, like a woman giving birth to a baby." The Blood Will Drain from the Face of Damascus
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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.
23 The Message on Damascus: "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.
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This message was given concerning Damascus. This is what the LORD says: “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 The blood will drain from the face of Damascus as she turns to flee. Hysterical, she'll fall to pieces, disabled, like a woman in childbirth.
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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 And now how lonely - bereft, abandoned! The once famous city, the once happy city.
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That famous city, a city of joy, will be forsaken!
26 Her bright young men dead in the streets, her brave warriors silent as death. On that day" - Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies -
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Her young men will fall in the streets and die. Her soldiers will all be killed,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
27 "I'll start a fire at the wall of Damascus that will burn down all of Ben-hadad's forts." Find a Safe Place to Hide
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“And I will set fire to the walls of Damascus that will burn up the palaces of Ben-hadad.”
28 The Message on Kedar and the sheikdoms of Hazor who were attacked by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. This is God's Message: "On your feet! Attack Kedar! Plunder the Bedouin nomads from the east.
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This message was given concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which were attacked by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. This is what the LORD says: “Advance against Kedar! Destroy the warriors from the East!
29 Grab their blankets and pots and pans. Steal their camels. Traumatize them, shouting, 'Terror! Death! Doom! Danger everywhere!'
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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 Oh, run for your lives, 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:
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Run for your lives,” says the LORD . “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 'After them,' he says. 'Go after these relaxed nomads who live free and easy in the desert, Who live in the open with no doors to lock, who live off by themselves.'
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“Go up and attack that complacent nation,” says the LORD . “Its people live alone in the desert without walls or gates.
32 Their camels are there for the taking, 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.
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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 the LORD .
33 "Jackals will take over the camps of Hazor, camps abandoned to wind and sand. No one will live there, no mortal soul move in there." The Winds Will Blow Away Elam
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“Hazor will be inhabited by jackals, and it will be desolate forever. No one will live there; no one will inhabit it.”
34 God's Message to the prophet Jeremiah on Elam at the outset of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah.
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This message concerning Elam came to the prophet Jeremiah from the LORD at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah.
35 This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies says: "Watch this! I'll break Elam's bow, her weapon of choice, across my knee.
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This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: “I will destroy the archers of Elam— the best of their forces.
36 Then I'll let four winds loose on Elam, winds from the four corners of earth. I'll blow them away in all directions, landing homeless Elamites in every country on earth.
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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 They'll live in constant fear and terror 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.
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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 the LORD . “Their enemies will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.
38 And then I'll set up my throne in Elam, having thrown out the king and his henchmen.
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I will set my throne in Elam,” says the LORD, “and I will destroy its king and officials.
39 But the time will come when I make everything right for Elam again." God's Decree.
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But I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.