Study Desk

Concerning the sons of ^(a)Ammon. Thus says the Lord : "Does Israel have no sons? Or has he no heirs? Why then has ^[a]Malcam taken possession of Gad And his people settled in its cities?

"Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord , "That I will cause a ^[b](b)trumpet blast of war to be heard Against ^(c)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon; And it will become a desolate heap, And her ^(d)towns will be set on fire. Then Israel will take ^(e)possession of his possessors," Says the Lord .

"Wail, O ^(f)Heshbon, for ^(g)Ai has been destroyed! Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah, ^(h)Gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament, And rush back and forth inside the walls; For ^[c]Malcam will ⁽ⁱ⁾go into exile Together with his priests and his princes.

"How ^(j)boastful you are about the valleys! Your valley is flowing away, O ^(k)backsliding daughter Who trusts in her ^(l)treasures, saying, ‘^(m)Who will come against me?'

"Behold, I am going to bring ⁽ⁿ⁾terror upon you," Declares the Lord ^[d] God of hosts, "From all directions around you; And each of you will be ^(o)driven out ^[e]headlong, With no one to gather the ^(p)fugitives together.

"But afterward I will ^(q)restore The ^[f]fortunes of the sons of Ammon," Declares the Lord .

Concerning ^(r)Edom. Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Is there no longer any ^(s)wisdom in ^(t)Teman? Has good counsel been lost to the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?

"Flee away, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of ^(u)Dedan, For I ^[g]will bring the ^(v)disaster of Esau upon him At the time I ^[h]punish him.

"^(w)If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave gleanings? If thieves came by night, They would destroy only ^[i]until they had enough.

"But I have ^(x)stripped Esau bare, I have uncovered his hiding places So that he will not be able to conceal himself; His ^[j]offspring has been destroyed along with his ^[k]relatives And his neighbors, and ^(y)he is no more.

"Leave your ^[l](z)orphans behind, I will keep them alive; And let your ^(aa)widows trust in Me."

For thus says the Lord , "Behold, those ^[m]who were not sentenced to drink the ^(ab)cup will certainly drink it, and are you the one who will be ^(ac)completely acquitted? You will not be acquitted, but you will certainly drink it.

For I have ^(ad)sworn by Myself," declares the Lord , "that ^(ae)Bozrah will become an ^(af)object of horror, a reproach, a ruin and a curse; and all its cities will become perpetual ruins."

I have ^(ag)heard a message from the Lord , And an ^(ah)envoy is sent among the nations, saying, "^(ai)Gather yourselves together and come against her, And rise up for battle!"

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

"As for the terror of you, The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, O you who live in the clefts of ^[n]the ^(aj)rock, Who occupy the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as ^(ak)high as an eagle's, I will ^(al)bring you down from there," declares the Lord .

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

Like the ^(ao)overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors," says the Lord , "^(ap)no one will live there, nor will a son of man reside in it.

^(aq)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the ^[o](ar)thickets of the Jordan against ^[p]a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make him run away from it, and whoever is ^(as)chosen I shall appoint over it. For who is ^(at)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd ^(au)who can stand against Me?"

Therefore hear the ^(av)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Edom, and His purposes which He has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their ^[q]pasture ^(aw)desolate because of them.

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

Behold, ^[s]He will mount up and ^(ay)swoop like an eagle and spread out His wings ^[t]against Bozrah; and the ^(az)hearts of the mighty men of Edom in that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

Concerning ^(ba)Damascus. "^(bb)Hamath and ^(bc)Arpad are put to shame, For they have heard bad news; They are ^(bd)disheartened. There is anxiety by the sea, It ^(be)cannot be calmed.

"Damascus has become helpless; She has turned away to flee, And panic has gripped her; ^(bf)Distress and pangs have taken hold of her Like a woman in childbirth.

"How ^[u]the ^(bg)city of praise has not been deserted, The town of My joy!

"Therefore, her ^(bh)young men will fall in her streets, And all the men of war will be ^[v]silenced in that day," declares the Lord of hosts.

"I will ^(bi)set fire to the wall of Damascus, And it will devour the ^[w]fortified towers of ^(bj)Ben-hadad."

Concerning ^(bk)Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. Thus says the Lord , "Arise, go up to Kedar And devastate the ^[x](bl)men of the east.

"They will take away their tents and their flocks; They will carry off for themselves Their tent ^(bm)curtains, all their goods and their ^(bn)camels, And they will call out to one another, ‘^(bo)Terror on every side!'

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

"Arise, go up against a nation which is ^(bq)at ease, Which lives securely," declares the Lord . "It has ^(br)no gates or bars; They ^(bs)dwell alone.

"Their camels will become plunder, And their many cattle for booty, And I will ^(bt)scatter to all the winds those who ^(bu)cut the corners of their hair; And I will bring their disaster from every side," declares the Lord .

"Hazor will become a ^(bv)haunt of jackals, A desolation forever; No one will live there, Nor will a son of man reside in it."

That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet concerning ^(bw)Elam, ^(bx)at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:

"Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to ^(by)break the bow of Elam, The ^[y]finest of their might.

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

‘So I will ^[z]shatter Elam before their enemies And before those who seek their lives; And I will ^(cb)bring calamity upon them, Even My ^(cc)fierce anger,' declares the Lord , ‘And I will ^(cd)send out the sword after them Until I have consumed them.

‘Then I will set My throne in Elam And destroy ^[aa]out of it king and princes,' Declares the Lord .

‘But it will come about in the last days That I will ^(ce)restore the ^[ab]fortunes of Elam,'" Declares the Lord .

The word which the Lord spoke concerning ^(a)Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:

"^(b)Declare and proclaim among the nations. Proclaim it and ^(c)lift up a standard. Do not conceal it but say, ‘^(d)Babylon has been captured, ^(e)Bel has been put to shame, ^[a]Marduk has been ^[b]shattered; Her ^(f)images have been put to shame, her idols have been shattered.'

For a nation has come up against her out of the ^(g)north; it will make her land ^(h)an object of horror, and there will be ⁽ⁱ⁾no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off, they have gone away!

"In those days and at that time," declares the Lord , "the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah ^(j)as well; they will go along ^(k)weeping as they go, and it will be ^(l)the Lord their God they will seek.

They will ^(m)ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces ^[c]in its direction; ^[d]they ^[e]will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an ⁽ⁿ⁾everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

"My people have become ^(o)lost sheep; ^(p)Their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside on the ^(q)mountains; They have gone along from mountain to hill And have forgotten their ^(r)resting place.

"All who came upon them have devoured them; And their adversaries have said, ‘^(s)We are not guilty, Inasmuch as they have sinned against the Lord who is the ^(t)habitation of righteousness, Even the Lord , the ^(u)hope of their fathers.'

"Wander away from the ^(v)midst of Babylon And ^[f]go forth from the land of the Chaldeans; Be also like male goats ^[g]at the head of the flock.

"For behold, I am going to ^(w)arouse and bring up against Babylon A horde of great nations from the land of the north, And they will draw up their battle lines against her; From there she will be taken captive. Their arrows will be like ^[h]an expert warrior Who does not return empty-handed.

"^[i](x)Chaldea will become plunder; All who plunder her will have enough," declares the Lord .

"Because you are glad, because you are jubilant, O you who ^(y)pillage My heritage, Because you skip about ^[j]like a threshing ^(z)heifer And neigh like ^[k]stallions,

Your ^(aa)mother ^[l]will be greatly ashamed, She who gave you birth ^[m]will be humiliated. Behold, she will be the least of the nations, A ^(ab)wilderness, a parched land and a desert.

"Because of the indignation of the Lord she will ^(ac)not be inhabited, But she will be ^(ad)completely desolate; Everyone who passes by Babylon ^(ae)will be horrified And will hiss because of all her wounds.

"Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side, All you who ^[n]bend the bow; Shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows, For she has ^(af)sinned against the Lord .

"Raise your battle cry against her on every side! She has ^(ag)given ^[o]herself up, her pillars have fallen, Her ^(ah)walls have been torn down. For this is the ^(ai)vengeance of the Lord : Take vengeance on her; ^(aj)As she has done to others, so do to her.

"Cut off the ^(ak)sower from Babylon And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest; From before ^[p]the ^(al)sword of the oppressor ^(am)They will each turn back to his own people And they will each flee to his own land.

"Israel is a ^(an)scattered ^[q]flock, the ^(ao)lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the ^(ap)king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is ^(aq)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I ^(ar)punished the king of Assyria.

And I will ^(as)bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his ^[r]desire will be satisfied in the ^(at)hill country of Ephraim and Gilead.

In those days and at that time,' declares the Lord , ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but ^(au)there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those ^(av)whom I leave as a remnant.'

"Against the land of ^[s]Merathaim, go up against it, And against the inhabitants of ^[t](aw)Pekod. Slay and ^[u]utterly destroy them," declares the Lord , "And do according to all that I have commanded you.

"The ^(ax)noise of battle is in the land, And great destruction.

"How the ^(ay)hammer of the whole earth Has been cut off and broken! How Babylon has become An object of horror among the nations!

"I ^(az)set a snare for you and you were also ^(ba)caught, O Babylon, While you yourself were not aware; You have been found and also seized Because you have engaged in ^(bb)conflict with the Lord ."

The Lord has opened His armory And has brought forth the ^(bc)weapons of His indignation, For it is a ^(bd)work of the Lord ^[v] God of hosts In the land of the Chaldeans.

Come to her from the ^[w]farthest border; ^(be)Open up her barns, Pile her up like heaps And ^[x](bf)utterly destroy her, Let nothing be left to her.

^(bg)Put all her young bulls to the sword; Let them ^(bh)go down to the slaughter! Woe be upon them, for their ^(bi)day has come, The time of their punishment.

There is a ^(bj)sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon, To declare in Zion the ^(bk)vengeance of the Lord our God, Vengeance for His ^(bl)temple.

"Summon ^[y]many against Babylon, All those who ^[z]bend the bow: Encamp against her on every side, Let there be no escape^[aa]. Repay her according to her work; ^(bm)According to all that she has done, so do to her; For she has become ^(bn)arrogant against the Lord , Against the Holy One of Israel.

"Therefore her ^(bo)young men will fall in her streets, And all her men of war will be ^[ab](bp)silenced in that day," declares the Lord .

"Behold, ^(bq)I am against you, O ^[ac]arrogant one," Declares the Lord ^[ad] God of hosts, "For your day has come, The time ^[ae]when I will punish you.

"The ^[af](br)arrogant one will stumble and fall With no one to raise him up; And I will ^(bs)set fire to his cities And it will devour all his environs."

Thus says the Lord of hosts, "The sons of Israel are oppressed, And the sons of Judah as well; And ^(bt)all who took them captive have held them fast, They have refused to let them go.

"Their ^(bu)Redeemer is strong, ^(bv)the Lord of hosts is His name; He will vigorously ^(bw)plead their case So that He may ^(bx)bring rest to ^[ag]the earth, But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.

"A ^(by)sword against the Chaldeans," declares the Lord , "And against the inhabitants of Babylon And against her ^(bz)officials and her ^(ca)wise men!

"A sword against the ^(cb)oracle priests, and they will become fools! A sword against her ^(cc)mighty men, and they will be ^[ah](cd)shattered!

"A sword against ^[ai]their ^(ce)horses and against ^[aj]their chariots And against all the ^[ak](cf)foreigners who are in the midst of her, And they will become ^(cg)women! A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!

"A ^[al](ch)drought on her waters, and they will be dried up! For it is a land of ^(ci)idols, And they are mad over fearsome idols.

"Therefore the ^(cj)desert creatures will live there along with the jackals; The ostriches also will live in it, And it will ^(ck)never again be inhabited Or dwelt in from generation to generation.

"As when God overthrew ^(cl)Sodom And Gomorrah with its neighbors," declares the Lord , "No man will live there, Nor will any son of man reside in it.

"Behold, a people is coming ^(cm)from the north, And a great nation and many kings Will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.

"They ^(cn)seize their bow and javelin; They are ^(co)cruel and have no mercy. Their ^(cp)voice roars like the sea; And they ride on ^(cq)horses, ^(cr)Marshalled like a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Babylon.

"The ^(cs)king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands hang limp; ^(ct)Distress has gripped him, Agony like a woman in childbirth.

"^(cu)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the ^[am]thicket of the Jordan to ^[an]a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make them run away from it, and whoever is ^(cv)chosen I will appoint over it. For who is ^(cw)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can ^(cx)stand before Me?"

Therefore hear the ^(cy)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: ^(cz)surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their ^[ao]pasture desolate because of them.

At the ^[ap]shout, "Babylon has been seized!" the ^(da)earth is shaken, and an ^(db)outcry is heard among the nations.