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 21:28-32
Contemporary English Version
Judgment against Ammon
28 (A) The Lord God said:
Ezekiel, son of man, the Ammonites have insulted Israel, so condemn them and tell them I am saying:
A sword is drawn,
ready to slaughter;
it is polished and prepared
to kill as fast as lightning.
29 You wicked Ammonites see false visions and believe untrue messages. But your day of punishment is coming soon, and my sword will slaughter you!
30 Your days to punish others are over, so put your swords away.[a] You will be punished in the land of your birth. 31 My furious anger will scorch you like fire, and I will hand you over to cruel men who are experts in killing. 32 You will be burned and will die in your own land. Then you will be forgotten forever. I, the Lord, have spoken.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 21.30 Your days … put your swords away: 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.
Read full chapter
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.”
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.