Third Millennium Bible TMB
GOD'S WORD Translation GW
1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD: "Hath Israel no sons? Hath he no heir? Why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?
1
This is what the LORD says about the people of Ammon: Doesn't Israel have any children? Doesn't it have any heirs? Why, then, has the god Milcom taken over the inheritance of Gad's descendants? Why do Milcom's people live in Gad's cities?
2 Therefore behold, the days come," saith the LORD, "that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire; then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs," saith the LORD.
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That is why the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah, where the people of Ammon live. It will become a pile of rubble. Its villages will be burned down. Then Israel will take possession of its inheritance, says the LORD.
3 "Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is despoiled! Cry, ye daughters of Rabbah; gird you with sackcloth! Lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.
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Cry loudly, Heshbon, because Ai is destroyed. Cry, people of Rabbah, put on your sackcloth, and mourn. Run back and forth between the walls. Milcom will be taken away into captivity with its priests and officials.
4 Why gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter, that trusted in her treasures, saying, `Who shall come unto me?'
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Why do you brag about your valleys, your fertile valleys, you unfaithful people? You trust your treasures. You think, "Who would attack me?"
5 Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee," saith the Lord GOD of hosts, "from all those that be about thee; and ye shall be driven out, every man straight forth, and none shall gather up him that wandereth.
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I am going to bring terror on you from all around, declares the Almighty LORD of Armies. Everyone will be scattered. No one will gather the refugees.
6 And afterward I will bring back the captives of the children of Ammon," saith the LORD.
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But afterward, I will return the captives of Ammon, declares the LORD.
7 Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts: "Is wisdom no more in Teman? Is counsel perished from the prudent? Is their wisdom vanished?
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This is what the LORD of Armies says about Edom: Is there no longer any wisdom in Teman? Has wisdom disappeared from your people? Has their wisdom vanished?
8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, at the time that I will visit him.
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Turn and run. Hide in deep caves, inhabitants of Dedan. When I punish them, I will bring disaster on the descendants of Esau.
9 If grape-gatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough.
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If people come to pick your grapes, won't they leave a few grapes behind? If thieves come during the night, won't they steal only until they've had enough?
10 But I have made Esau bare; I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself; his seed is despoiled, and his brethren and his neighbors, and he is no more.
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Yet, I will strip the descendants of Esau. I will find their hiding places. They won't be able to hide. Their children and relatives will be destroyed. None of their neighbors will say,
11 Leave thy fatherless children; I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in Me."
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"Abandon your orphans, and I will keep them alive. Your widows can trust me."
12 For thus saith the LORD: "Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? Thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.
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This is what the LORD says: If those who don't deserve to drink from the cup still drink from it, why should you go unpunished? You won't go unpunished. You must drink from it.
13 For I have sworn by Myself," saith the LORD, "that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes."
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I take an oath on myself, declares the LORD, that Bozrah will become a pile of rubble. It will become something horrifying, ridiculed, ruined, and cursed. All its cities will lie in ruins permanently.
14 I have heard a word from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, "Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle!"
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I heard a message from the LORD. A messenger was sent among the nations to say, "Assemble, and attack Edom. Get ready for battle."
15 "For lo, I will make thee small among the heathen and despised among men.
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"Edom, I will make you the smallest of nations and despised among humanity.
16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill; though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence," saith the LORD.
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You have frightened other people. Your arrogance has deceived you. You live on rocky cliffs and occupy the highest places in the hills. Even though you build your nest as high as an eagle, I will bring you down from there," declares the LORD.
17 "Also Edom shall be a desolation; every one that goeth by it shall be astonished and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.
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"Then Edom will become something horrible. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and hiss at all its wounds.
18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof," saith the LORD, "no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
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Edom will be like Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighboring cities when they were destroyed. No one will live there. No human will stay there," says the LORD.
19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of the 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 like Me? And who will appoint Me a time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before Me?"
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"I will suddenly chase them from their places like a lion coming out of the jungle along the Jordan River into pastureland. I will appoint over Edom whomever I choose. Who is like me? Who can challenge me? Is there any leader who can stand up to me?"
20 Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He hath taken against Edom, and His purposes that He hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman. Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; surely He shall make their habitations desolate with them.
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Listen to the plans that the LORD is making against Edom and the things he intends to do to those who live in Teman. He will surely drag away the little ones of the flock. He will surely destroy the pasture because of the people who live in Teman.
21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall; at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red Sea.
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The earth will quake at the sound of their downfall. The sound of their crying will be heard at the Red Sea.
22 Behold, He shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread His wings over Bozrah; and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
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The enemy will swoop down like eagles and spread their wings over Bozrah. On that day Edom's soldiers will be like women in childbirth.
23 Concerning Damascus: "Hamath is confounded, and Arpad, for they have heard evil tidings; they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.
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This is a message about Damascus. "Hamath and Arpad are worried because they heard the bad news. They melt in fear. They are troubled like a sea that can't be calmed.
24 Damascus is waxed feeble and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her; anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
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The people of Damascus are weak. They turn to flee, but panic grips them. Anguish and pain grip them like a woman in labor.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of My joy!
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Why isn't that famous, happy city abandoned?
26 Therefore 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.
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That is why its young men will die in the streets, and its soldiers will be silenced that day," declares the LORD of Armies.
27 "And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad."
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"I will set fire to the walls of Damascus and burn down Benhadad's palaces."
28 Concerning Kedar and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD: "Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and despoil the men of the East.
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This is about the tribe of Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated. This is what the LORD says: Get ready, attack Kedar, and loot the people from the east.
29 Their tents and their flocks shall they take away; they shall take for themselves their curtains and all their vessels and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, `Fear is on every side!'
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Their tents and their flocks will be taken. Their tent curtains, utensils, and camels will be carried away. People will shout to them, "Terror is all around!"
30 Flee, get you far off! Dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor," saith the LORD. "For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.
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Run far away! Find a place to hide, inhabitants of Hazor, declares the LORD. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has made plans against you and intends to attack you.
31 "Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without cares," saith the LORD, "which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone.
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Get ready! Attack the nation living peacefully and securely, declares the LORD. It is a nation with no gates or bars. Its people live alone.
32 And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil; and I will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof," saith the LORD.
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Their camels will be taken as prizes. Their large herds will be taken as loot. I will scatter to the winds those who shave the hair on their foreheads. I will bring disaster on them from every side, declares the LORD.
33 "And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever; there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it."
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Hazor will be a place where only jackals live. It will become a permanent wasteland. No one will live there. No human will stay there.
34 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,
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Early in the rule of King Zedekiah of Judah, the LORD spoke his word to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam.
35 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts: "`Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
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This is what the LORD of Armies says: I'm going to break the bows of Elam's archers, the most important weapon of their strength.
36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
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I'll bring the four winds from the four corners of heaven against Elam and scatter its people in every direction. There won't be a nation where Elam's refugees won't go.
37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies 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 sword after them till I have consumed them.
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I'll defeat the people of Elam in the presence of their enemies, in the presence of those who want to kill them. I'll bring disaster with my burning anger, declares the LORD. I'll send armies after them until I put an end to them.
38 And I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes,' saith the LORD.
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I'll set my throne in Elam and destroy its king and officials, declares the LORD.
39 "`But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring back the captives of Elam,' saith the LORD."
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But afterward, I'll return the captives of Elam, declares the LORD.
Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.