Jeremiah 49:1-6
Contemporary English Version
What the Lord Says about Ammon
49 (A) The Lord has this to say about the nation of Ammon:
The people of Israel
have plenty of children
to inherit their lands.
So why have you worshipers
of the god Milcom[a]
taken over towns and land
belonging to the tribe of Gad?
2 Someday I will send an army
to attack you in Rabbah,
your capital city.
It will be left in ruins,
and the surrounding villages
will lie in ashes.
You took some of Israel's land,
but on that day
Israel will take yours!
3 Cry, people of Heshbon;[b]
your town will become
a pile of rubble.[c]
You will turn here and there,
but your path will be blocked.[d]
Put on sackcloth[e] and mourn,
you citizens of Rabbah,
because the idol you worship[f]
will be taken
to a foreign country,
along with its priests
and temple officials.
4 You rebellious Ammonites
trust your wealth and ask,
“Who could attack us?”
But I warn you not to boast
when your strength is fading.[g]
5 I, the Lord All-Powerful,
will send neighboring nations
to strike you with terror.
You will be scattered,
with no one to care
for your refugees.
6 Yet someday, I will bring
your people back home.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
Footnotes
- 49.1 Milcom: The national god of Ammon, probably the same as the god Molech in 32.35.
- 49.3 Heshbon: See also 48.45; since Heshbon was near the border of Moab and Ammon, it was probably ruled by the country that was stronger at the time.
- 49.3 your town will become a pile of rubble: Or “because the town of Ai has been destroyed”; referring to an Ammonite town named Ai, not the town of that name near Bethel in the land of Israel.
- 49.3 You will turn … blocked: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 49.3 sackcloth: See the note at 4.8.
- 49.3 the idol you worship: Hebrew “Milcom” (see verse 1 and the note there).
- 49.4 when … fading: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Ezekiel 25:1-7
Contemporary English Version
Judgment on Ammon
25 (A) The Lord God said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the people of Ammon 3 and tell them:
You celebrated when my temple was destroyed, when Israel was defeated, and when my people were taken away as prisoners. 4 Now I am going to let you be conquered by tribes from the eastern desert. They will set up their camps in your land and eat your fruit and drink your milk. 5 Your capital city of Rabbah will be nothing but pastureland for camels, and the rest of the country will be pastures for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.
6 You hated Israel so much that you clapped and shouted and celebrated. 7 And so I will hand you over to enemies who will rob you. I will completely destroy you. There won't be enough of your people left to be a nation ever again, and you will know that I, the Lord, have done these things.
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Amos 1:3-15
Contemporary English Version
Judgment on Syria
3 (A) The Lord said:
I will punish Syria[a]
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They dragged logs with spikes[b]
over the people of Gilead.
4 Now I will burn down the palaces
and fortresses of King Hazael
and of King Benhadad.[c]
5 I will break through
the gates of Damascus.
I will destroy the people[d]
of Wicked Valley[e]
and the ruler of Beth-Eden.[f]
Then the Syrians will be dragged
as prisoners to Kir.[g]
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Judgment on Philistia
6 (B) The Lord said:
I will punish Philistia[h]
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They dragged off my people[i]
from town after town
to sell them as slaves
to the Edomites.
7 That's why I will burn down
the walls and fortresses
of the city of Gaza.
8 I will destroy the king[j] of Ashdod
and the ruler of Ashkelon.
I will strike down Ekron,[k]
and that will be the end
of the Philistines.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Judgment on Phoenicia
9 (C) The Lord said:
I will punish Phoenicia[l]
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They broke their treaty
and dragged off my people[m]
from town after town
to sell them as slaves
to the Edomites.
10 That's why I will send flames
to burn down the city of Tyre
along with its fortresses.
Judgment on Edom
11 (D) The Lord said:
I will punish Edom
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They killed their own relatives[n]
and were so terribly furious
that they showed no mercy.
12 Now I will send fire to wipe out
the fortresses of Teman
and Bozrah.[o]
Judgment on Ammon
13 (E) The Lord said:
I will punish Ammon
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
In Gilead they ripped open
pregnant women,
just to take the land.
14 Now I will send fire to destroy
the walls and fortresses
of Rabbah.[p]
Enemies will shout and attack
like a whirlwind.
15 Ammon's king and leaders
will be dragged away.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Footnotes
- 1.3 Syria: The Hebrew text has “Damascus,” the leading city of Syria.
- 1.3 logs with spikes: These were dragged over grain to thresh it.
- 1.4 Hazael … Benhadad: Two Syrian kings.
- 1.5 people: Or “king.”
- 1.5 Wicked Valley: The Hebrew text has “Aven Valley,” probably the fertile valley between the Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon mountains.
- 1.5 I will … Beth-Eden: Or “I will destroy the people of Wicked Valley and the king who rules from Beth-Eden.” Beth-Eden was a city-state on the banks of the Euphrates River.
- 1.5 Kir: The exact location of this country is not known; in 9.7 Amos refers to Kir as the original home of the Syrians, and so the verse probably means that the Syrians will lose everything they have gained as a people.
- 1.6 Philistia: The Hebrew text has “Gaza,” one of the main Philistine cities.
- 1.6 my people: The people of Israel.
- 1.8 king: Or “people.”
- 1.8 Ashdod … Ashkelon … Ekron: Philistine cities.
- 1.9 Phoenicia: The Hebrew text has “Tyre,” which was one of the two Phoenician cities; the other was Sidon, which is not mentioned by Amos.
- 1.9 my people: See the note at 1.6.
- 1.11 their own relatives: The Edomites were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob, the ancestor of the Israelites.
- 1.12 Teman and Bozrah: These stand for all of Edom; Teman may have been a city or a district. Bozrah, the chief city of northern Edom, was 48 kilometers southeast of the Dead Sea.
- 1.14 Rabbah: The capital city of Ammon.
Zephaniah 2:8-11
Contemporary English Version
8 (A) The Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel, said:
I've heard Moab and Ammon
insult my people
and threaten their nation.[a]
9 (B) And so, I swear by my very life
that Moab and Ammon will end up
like Sodom and Gomorrah—
covered with thornbushes
and salt pits forever.
Then my people who survive
will take their land.
10 This is how Moab and Ammon
will at last be repaid
for their pride—
and for sneering at the nation
that belongs to me,
the Lord All-Powerful.
11 I will fiercely attack.
Then every god on this earth
will shrink to nothing,
and everyone of every nation
will bow down to me,
right where they are.
Footnotes
- 2.8 threaten their nation: Or “boast about their own nation.”
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