Study Desk

Concerning the sons of ^(C1)Ammon. This is what the LORD says: "Does Israel have no sons? Or has he no heirs? Why then has ^(F1)Malcam taken possession of Gad, And his people settled in its cities?

-"Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will cause an alarm of ^(C1)war to be heard Against ^(C2)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon; And it will become a desolate heap, And her ^(C3)towns will be set on fire. Then Israel will take ^(C4)possession of his possessors," Says the LORD.

"Wail, ^(C1)Heshbon, for ^(C2)Ai has been destroyed! Cry out, daughters of Rabbah, ^(C3)Put on sackcloth and mourn, And move about inside the walls; For ^(F1)Malcam will ^(C4)go into exile Together with his priests and his leaders.

-"How you ^(C1)boast about the valleys! Your valley is flowing away, You ^(C2)backsliding daughter Who trusts in her ^(C3)treasures, saying, '^(C4)Who can come against me?'

-"Behold, I am going to bring ^(C1)terror upon you," Declares the Lord ^(F1)GOD of armies, "From all directions around you; And you will be ^(C2)driven away ^(F2)one after another, With no one to gather the ^(C3)fugitives together.

-"But afterward I will ^(C1)restore The fortunes of the sons of Ammon," Declares the LORD.

Concerning ^(C1)Edom. This is what the LORD of armies says: "Is there no longer any ^(C2)wisdom in ^(C3)Teman? Has good advice been lost by the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?

-"Flee away, turn back, dwell in the depths, You inhabitants of ^(C1)Dedan, For I ^(F1)will bring the ^(C2)disaster of Esau upon him At the time I ^(F2)punish him.

-"^(C1)If grape pickers came to you, Would they not leave gleanings? If thieves came by night, They would destroy only what was sufficient for them.

-"But I have ^(C1)stripped Esau bare, I have uncovered his hiding places So that he will not be able to conceal himself; His ^(F1)offspring have been destroyed along with his ^(F2)brothers And his neighbors, and ^(C2)he no longer exists.

-"Leave your ^(F1)(C1)orphans behind, I will keep them alive; And let your ^(C2)widows trust in Me."

For this is what the LORD says: "Behold, those ^(F1)who were not sentenced to drink the ^(C1)cup will certainly drink it, so are you the one who will be held ^(C2)completely blameless? You will not be held blameless, but you will certainly drink it.

"For I have ^(C1)sworn by Myself," declares the LORD, "that ^(C2)Bozrah will become an ^(C3)object of horror, a disgrace, a wasteland, and a curse; and all its cities will become permanent ruins."

I have ^(C1)heard a message from the LORD, And a ^(C2)messenger is being sent among the nations, saying, "^(C3)Gather yourselves together and come against her, And rise up for battle!"

"For behold, I have made you small among the nations, Despised among people.

-"As for the terror you cause, The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, You who live in the clefts of ^(F1)the ^(C1)rock, Who occupy the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as ^(C2)high as an eagle's, I will ^(C3)bring you down from there," declares the LORD.

"Edom will become an ^(C1)object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will ^(F1)(C2)hiss at all its wounds.

"Like the ^(C1)overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors," says the LORD, "^(C2)no one will live there, nor will ^(F1)anyone of mankind reside in it.

"^(C1)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the ^(C2)thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase him away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is ^(C3)chosen. For who is ^(C4)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd ^(C5)who can stand against Me?"

Therefore hear the ^(C1)plan of the LORD which He has planned against Edom, and His purposes which He has in mind against the inhabitants of Teman: they will certainly drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; He will certainly make their pasture ^(C2)desolate because of them.

The ^(C1)earth has quaked at the noise of their downfall. There is an outcry! The noise of it has been heard at the ^(F1)Red Sea.

Behold, ^(F1)He will mount up and ^(C1)swoop like an eagle, and spread out His wings ^(F2)against Bozrah; and the ^(C2)hearts of the warriors of Edom on that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

Concerning ^(C1)Damascus: "^(C2)Hamath and ^(C3)Arpad are put to shame, For they have heard bad news; They ^(C4)despair. There is anxiety at the sea, It ^(C5)cannot be calmed.

-"Damascus has become helpless; She has turned away to flee, And panic has gripped her; ^(C1)Distress and labor pains have seized her Like a woman in childbirth.

-"How the ^(C1)city of praise has not been deserted, The town of My joy!

-"Therefore, her ^(C1)young men will fall in her streets, And all the men of war will perish on that day," declares the LORD of armies.

"I will ^(C1)set fire to the wall of Damascus, And it will devour the fortified palace of ^(C2)Ben-hadad."

Concerning ^(C1)Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. This is what the LORD says: "Arise, go up to Kedar And devastate the ^(F1)(C2)people of the east.

-"They will take away their tents and their flocks; They will carry off for themselves Their tent ^(C1)curtains, all their goods and their ^(C2)camels, And they will call out to one another, '^(C3)Horror on every side!'

-"Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths, You inhabitants of Hazor," declares the LORD; "For ^(C1)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against you And devised a scheme against you.

-"Arise, go up against a nation which is ^(C1)at ease, Which lives securely," declares the LORD. "It has ^(C2)no gates or bars; They ^(C3)dwell alone.

-"Their camels will become plunder, And their many livestock for spoils, And I will ^(C1)scatter to all the winds those who ^(C2)cut the corners of their hair; And I will bring their disaster from every side," declares the LORD.

"Hazor will become a ^(C1)haunt of jackals, A desolation forever; No one will live there, Nor will ^(F1)anyone of mankind reside in it."

The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning ^(C1)Elam, ^(C2)at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:

"This is what the LORD of armies says: 'Behold, I am going to ^(C1)break the bow of Elam, The ^(F1)finest of their might.

-'I will bring upon Elam the ^(C1)four winds From the four ends of heaven, And will ^(C2)scatter them to all these winds; And there will be no nation To which the outcasts of Elam will not go.

-'So I will ^(F1)shatter Elam before their enemies And before those who seek their lives; And I will ^(C1)bring disaster upon them, Even My ^(C2)fierce anger,' declares the LORD, 'And I will ^(C3)send the sword after them Until I have consumed them.

-'Then I will set My throne in Elam, And eliminate from there the king and officials,' Declares the LORD.

'But it will come about in the last days That I will ^(C1)restore the fortunes of Elam,'" Declares the LORD.

This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and ^(C1)buy yourself a linen undergarment and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water."

So I bought the undergarment in accordance with the ^(C1)word of the LORD, and put it around my waist.

Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying,

"Take the undergarment that you bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the ^(C1)Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock."

So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, ^(C1)as the LORD had commanded me.

After many days the LORD said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the undergarment which I commanded you to hide there."

Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the undergarment from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the undergarment was ruined, it was completely useless.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"This is what the LORD says: 'To the same extent I will destroy the ^(C1)pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

'This wicked people, who ^(C1)refuse to listen to My words, who ^(C2)walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have followed other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this undergarment which is completely useless.

'For as the undergarment clings to the waist of a man, so I made the entire household of Israel and the entire household of Judah ^(C1)cling to Me,' declares the LORD, 'so that they might be My people, for ^(F1)(C2)renown, for ^(C3)praise, and for glory; but they ^(C4)did not listen.'

"Therefore you are to speak this word to them. 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: "Every jug is to be filled with wine."' And when they say to you, 'Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?'

then say to them, 'This is what the LORD says: "Behold, I am going to fill all the inhabitants of this land—the kings who sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with ^(C1)drunkenness!

"Then I will ^(C1)smash them against each other, both the ^(C2)fathers and the sons together," declares the LORD. "I will ^(C3)not have compassion nor be troubled nor take pity so as to keep from destroying them."'"

Listen and pay attention, do not be ^(C1)haughty; For the LORD has spoken.

^(C1)Give glory to the LORD your God Before He brings ^(C2)darkness And before your ^(C3)feet stumble On the mountains in the dark, And while you are hoping for light He makes it into ^(C4)gloom, And turns it into thick darkness.

But ^(C1)if you do not listen to it, My soul will ^(C2)weep in secret for such pride; And my eyes will shed And stream down tears, Because the ^(C3)flock of the LORD has been taken captive.

Say to the ^(C1)king and the queen mother, "^(C2)Take a lowly seat, For your beautiful ^(C3)crown Has come down from your head."

The ^(C1)cities of the Negev have been locked up, And there is no one to open them; All ^(C2)Judah has been taken into exile, Wholly taken into exile.

"Raise your eyes and see Those coming ^(C1)from the north. Where is the ^(C2)flock that was given you, Your beautiful sheep?

-"What will you say when He appoints over you— And you yourself had taught them— Former ^(C1)companions to be head over you? Will ^(C2)sharp pains not take hold of you Like a woman in childbirth?

-"If you ^(C1)say in your heart, '^(C2)Why have these things happened to me?' Because of the ^(C3)magnitude of your wrongdoing ^(C4)Your skirts have been removed And your ^(F1)heels have suffered violence.

-"^(C1)Can the Ethiopian change his skin, Or the leopard his spots? Then you as well can ^(C2)do good Who are accustomed to doing evil.

-"Therefore I will ^(C1)scatter them like drifting straw To the desert ^(C2)wind.

-"This is your ^(C1)lot, the portion measured to you From Me," declares the LORD, "Because you have ^(C2)forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood.

-"So I Myself have ^(C1)stripped your skirts off over your face, So that your shame will be seen.

-"As for your ^(C1)adulteries and your lustful neighings, The ^(C2)outrageous sin of your prostitution On the ^(C3)hills in the field, I have seen your abominations. Woe to you, Jerusalem! ^(C4)How long will you remain unclean?"

This is what the LORD says: "Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there speak this word,

and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, who ^(C1)sits on David's throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates.

'This is what the LORD says: "^(C1)Do justice and righteousness, and save one who has been robbed from the power of his ^(C2)oppressor. And ^(C3)do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not ^(C4)shed innocent blood in this place.

"For if you will indeed perform this ^(F1)instruction, then ^(C1)kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting ^(F2)in David's place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, the king himself, his servants, and his people.

"^(C1)But if you will not obey these words, I ^(C2)swear by Myself," declares the LORD, "that this house will become a place of ruins."'"

For this is what the LORD says concerning the house of the king of Judah: "You are like ^(C1)Gilead to Me, Like the summit of Lebanon; Yet most assuredly I will make you a ^(C2)wilderness, Cities that are not inhabited.

-"For I will set apart ^(C1)destroyers against you, Each with his weapons; And they will ^(C2)cut down your choicest cedars And ^(C3)throw them on the fire.

"Many nations will pass by this city; and they will ^(C1)say to one another, 'Why has the LORD done this to this great city?'

"Then they will ^(F1)answer, 'Because they ^(C1)abandoned the covenant of the LORD their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.'"

^(C1)Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him, But weep deeply for the one who goes away; For ^(C2)he will never return Or see his native land.

For this is what the LORD says regarding ^(F1)(C1)Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of his father Josiah, who went out from this place: "He will never return there;

but in the place where they took him into exile, there he will ^(C1)die and he will not see this land again.

"Woe to him who builds his house ^(C1)without righteousness, And his upstairs rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor's services without pay And ^(C2)does not give him his wages,

Who says, 'I will ^(C1)build myself a large house With spacious upstairs rooms, And cut out its windows, ^(F1)Paneling it with ^(C2)cedar and painting it ^(F2)bright red.'

-"Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar? Did your father not eat and drink And ^(C1)do justice and righteousness? Then it was ^(C2)well for him.

-"He pled the cause of the ^(C1)afflicted and the poor, Then it was well. ^(C2)Is that not what it means to know Me?" Declares the LORD.

"But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own ^(C1)dishonest gain, And on ^(C2)shedding innocent blood, And on practicing oppression and extortion."

Therefore this is what the LORD says regarding ^(C1)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: "They will not ^(C2)mourn for him: '^(C3)Oh, my brother!' or, 'Oh, sister!' They will not mourn for him: 'Oh, for the master!' or, 'Oh, for his splendor!'

-"He will be ^(C1)buried with a donkey's burial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

-"Go up to Lebanon and cry out, And raise your voice in Bashan; Cry out also from ^(C1)Abarim, For all your ^(C2)lovers have been crushed.

-"I spoke to you in your prosperity; But ^(C1)you said, 'I will not listen!' ^(C2)This has been your way ^(C3)from your youth, That you have not obeyed My voice.

-"The wind will sweep away all your ^(C1)shepherds, And your ^(C2)lovers will go into captivity; Then you will certainly be ^(C3)ashamed and humiliated Because of all your wickedness.

-"You who live in Lebanon, Nested in the cedars, How you will groan when sharp pains come on you, ^(C1)Pain like a woman in childbirth!

"As I live," declares the LORD, "even if ^(F1)(C1)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a ^(C2)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull ^(F1)you ^(F2)off;

and I will ^(C1)hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans.

"I will ^(C1)hurl you and your ^(C2)mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die.

"But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.

-"Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar? Or is he an ^(C1)undesirable vessel? Why have he and his descendants been ^(C2)hurled out And cast into a ^(C3)land that they had not known?

-"^(C1)O land, land, land, Hear the word of the LORD!

"This is what the LORD says: 'Write this man down as ^(C1)childless, A man who will ^(C2)not prosper in his days; For no man among his ^(C3)descendants will prosper Sitting on the throne of David Or ruling again in Judah.'"