1 Oor die kinders van Ammon. So sê die HERE: Het Israel geen kinders nie? Het hy geen erfgenaam nie? Waarom het Milkom Gad uit sy besitting verdrywe en woon sy mense in die stede daarvan?
2 Daarom, kyk, daar kom dae, spreek die HERE, dat Ek teen Rabba van die kinders van Ammon oorlogsgeskreeu sal laat hoor, en dit sal word 'n woeste puinhoop, en sy onderhorige plekke sal met vuur verbrand word; dan sal Israel die wat hom in besit geneem het, in besit neem, sê die HERE.
3 Huil, o Hesbon, want Ai is verwoes; skreeu, o dogters van Rabba! Omgord julle met rouklere, hef 'n rouklag aan en swerf rond tussen die klipmure; want Milkom sal in ballingskap gaan, sy priesters en sy vorste almal saam.
4 Wat roem jy op die dale, op die oorvloed van jou dal, o afkerige dogter, wat op jou voorrade vertrou en sê: Wie sal aan my kom?
5 Kyk, Ek bring vrees oor jou vir almal wat rondom jou is, spreek die Here HERE van die leërskare; en julle sal weggedryf word, elkeen reg voor hom uit, sonder dat iemand die swerwelinge vergader.
6 Maar daarna sal Ek die lot van die kinders van Ammon verander, spreek die HERE.
7 Oor Edom. So sê die HERE van die leërskare: Is daar geen wysheid meer in Teman nie? Ontbreek raad by die verstandiges? Is hulle wysheid uitgeput?
8 Vlug, draai om, skuil diep weg, o inwoners van Dedan! Want Ek het die ondergang van Esau oor hom gebring, die tyd dat Ek oor hom besoeking doen.
9 As daar druiwesnyers na jou kom, sal hulle geen na-oes laat oorbly nie; of diewe in die nag -- hulle sal verniel totdat hulle genoeg het.
10 Want Ek het Esau ontbloot, Ek het sy skuilplekke oopgemaak, sodat hy hom nie kan wegsteek nie; sy geslag is verwoes, ook sy broers en sy bure, en hy is daar nie.
11 Laat jou wese agterbly, en Âk sal hulle in die lewe hou, en laat jou weduwees op My vertrou.
12 Want so sê die HERE: Kyk, hulle wat eintlik die beker nie moes drink nie, moet sekerlik drink; en jy, sou jy heeltemal ongestraf bly? Jy sal nie ongestraf bly nie, maar sekerlik drink.
13 Want Ek het by Myself gesweer, spreek die HERE, dat Bosra 'n voorwerp van verbasing, van smaad, 'n woestheid en 'n vervloeking sal word; en al sy stede sal ewige puinhope wees.
14 Ek het 'n tyding van die HERE gehoor, en 'n boodskapper is gestuur onder die nasies om te sê: Versamel julle en kom aan teen hom en maak julle gereed vir die oorlog.
15 Want kyk, Ek het jou klein gemaak onder die nasies, verag onder die mense.
16 Jou vreeslikheid het jou bedrieg, die vermetelheid van jou hart, o jy wat woon in die rotsklowe, jy wat die top van die heuwel in besit hou! Al maak jy jou nes so hoog soos die arend -- daarvandaan sal Ek jou neerwerp, spreek die HERE.
17 So sal Edom dan 'n voorwerp van verbasing word; elkeen wat by hom verbytrek, sal hom verbaas en spot oor al sy plae.
18 Soos die omkering van Sodom en Gomorra met hulle bure, sê die HERE, sal daar niemand woon en geen mensekind daar vertoef nie.
19 Kyk, soos 'n leeu uit die pronkbosse van die Jordaan sal daar een optrek teen die vaste woning; want in 'n oomblik sal Ek hulle daaruit wegjaag; en hom wat uitgekies is, sal Ek daaroor aanstel. Want wie is soos Ek? En wie sal My dagvaar? En wie is tog 'n herder wat voor my aangesig kan standhou?
20 Daarom, hoor die raadsbesluit van die HERE wat Hy teen Edom geneem en sy planne wat Hy teen die inwoners van Teman beraam het: Waarlik, die kleinstes van die kudde sal weggesleep word; waarlik, hulle weiveld sal oor hulle verslae wees.
21 Van die geluid van hulle val bewe die aarde; daar is 'n geskreeu -- by die Skelfsee word die geluid daarvan gehoor.
22 Kyk, een sal opstyg en vlieg soos 'n arend en sy vlerke oor Bosra uitsprei; en die hart van die helde van Edom sal in die dag wees soos die hart van 'n vrou wat in nood is.
23 Oor Damaskus. Beskaamd staan Hamat en Arpad, want hulle het slegte tyding gehoor; hulle beweeg, soos die see, in bekommernis, dit kan nie rus nie.
24 Damaskus is ontmoedig, hy het omgedraai om te vlug, en skrik het hom aangegryp; benoudheid en weë soos van een wat baar, het hom aangegryp.
25 Hoe is die roemryke stad nie verlaat nie, die vesting van my vreugde!
26 Daarom sal sy jongmanne val op sy pleine, en al die krygsmanne in die dag omkom, spreek die HERE van die leërskare.
27 En Ek sal 'n vuur aansteek in die muur van Damaskus, en dit sal die paleise van B,nhadad verteer.
28 Oor Kedar en oor die koninkryke van Hasor wat Nebukadr,sar, die koning van Babel, verslaan het. So sê die HERE: Maak julle klaar, trek op teen Kedar, en verdelg die kinders van die Ooste.
29 Hulle sal hulle tente en kleinvee wegvoer, hulle tentdoeke en al hulle huisraad en hulle kamele meeneem, en oor hulle uitroep: Skrik rondom!
30 Vlug, vlug haastig, skuil diep weg, o inwoners van Hasor, spreek die HERE; want Nebukadr,sar, die koning van Babel, het 'n besluit teen julle geneem en 'n plan teen julle beraam.
31 Maak julle klaar, trek op teen 'n sorgelose nasie wat in gerustheid woon, spreek die HERE, wat geen poorte of grendel het nie, wat alleen woon.
32 En hulle kamele sal 'n roof en die menigte van hulle vee 'n buit wees; en Ek sal hulle verstrooi na al die windstreke, die wat aan die rand hulle hare wegskeer; en Ek sal hulle ondergang van alle kante aanbring, spreek die HERE.
33 En Hasor sal word 'n lêplek van jakkalse, 'n wildernis tot in ewigheid; niemand sal daar woon nie, en geen mensekind sal daar vertoef nie.
34 Die woord van die HERE wat tot die profeet Jeremia gekom het oor Elam, in die begin van die regering van Sedek¡a, die koning van Juda, naamlik:
35 So sê die HERE van die leërskare: Kyk, Ek verbreek die boog van Elam, die keur van hulle krag.
36 En Ek sal vier winde uit die vier hoeke van die hemel oor Elam aanbring en sal hulle na al hierdie windstreke verstrooi; en daar sal geen nasie wees waar die verjaagdes van Elam nie sal kom nie.
37 En Ek sal Elam verskrik voor hulle vyande en voor die wat hulle lewe soek, en Ek sal onheil oor hulle bring, die gloed van my toorn, spreek die HERE; en Ek sal die swaard agter hulle aan stuur totdat Ek hulle vernietig het.
38 En Ek sal my troon in Elam vestig, en sal koning en vorste daaruit tot niet maak, spreek die HERE.
39 Maar aan die einde van die dae sal Ek die lot van Elam verander, spreek die HERE.
1 About the children of Ammon. These are the words of the Lord: Has Israel no sons? has he no one to take the heritage? why then has Milcom taken Gad for himself, putting his people in its towns?
2 Because of this, see, the days are coming when I will have a cry of war sounded against Rabbah, the town of the children of Ammon; it will become a waste of broken walls, and her daughter-towns will be burned with fire: then Israel will take the heritage of those who took his heritage, says the Lord.
3 Make sounds of grief, O Heshbon, for Ai is wasted; give loud cries, O daughters of Rabbah, and put haircloth round you: give yourselves to weeping, running here and there and wounding yourselves; for Milcom will be taken prisoner together with his rulers and his priests.
4 Why are you lifted up in pride on account of your valleys, your flowing valley, O daughter ever turning away? who puts her faith in her wealth, saying, Who will come against me?
5 See, I will send fear on you, says the Lord, the Lord of armies, from those who are round you on every side; you will be forced out, every man straight before him, and there will be no one to get together the wanderers.
6 But after these things, I will let the fate of the children of Ammon be changed, says the Lord.
7 About Edom. This is what the Lord of armies has said. Is there no more wisdom in Teman? have wise suggestions come to an end among men of good sense? has their wisdom completely gone?
8 Go in flight, go back, take cover in deep places, you who are living in Dedan; for I will send the fate of Edom on him, even the time of his punishment.
9 If men came to get your grapes, would they not let some be uncut on the vines? if thieves came by night, would they not make waste till they had enough?
10 I have had Esau searched out, uncovering his secret places, so that he may not keep himself covered: his seed is wasted and has come to an end, and there is no help from his neighbours.
11 Put in my care your children who have no father, and I will keep them safe; and let your widows put their faith in me.
12 For the Lord has said, Those for whom the cup was not made ready will certainly be forced to take of it; and are you to go without punishment? you will not be without punishment, but will certainly be forced to take from the cup.
13 For I have taken an oath by myself, says the Lord, that Bozrah will become a cause of wonder, a name of shame, a waste and a curse; and all its towns will be waste places for ever.
14 Word has come to me from the Lord, and a representative has been sent to the nations, to say, Come together and go up against her, and take your places for the fight.
15 For see, I have made you small among the nations, looked down on by men.
16 ... the pride of your heart has been a false hope, O you who are living in the cracks of the rock, keeping your place on the top of the hill: even if you made your living-place as high as the eagle, I would make you come down, says the Lord.
17 And Edom will become a cause of wonder: everyone who goes by will be overcome with wonder, and make sounds of fear at all her punishments.
18 As at the downfall of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbouring towns, says the Lord, no man will be living in it, no son of man will have a resting-place there.
19 See, he will come up like a lion from the thick growth of Jordan against the resting-place of Teman: but I will suddenly make him go in flight from her; and I will put over her the man of my selection: for who is like me? and who will put forward his cause against me? and what keeper of sheep will be able to keep his place before me?
20 For this cause give ear to the decision of the Lord which he has made against Edom, and to his purposes designed against the people of Teman: Truly, they will be pulled away by the smallest of the flock; truly, he will make waste their fields with them.
21 The earth is shaking with the noise of their fall; their cry is sounding in the Red Sea.
22 See, he will come up like an eagle in flight, stretching out his wings against Bozrah: and the hearts of Edom's men of war on that day will be like the heart of a woman in birth-pains.
23 About Damascus. Hamath is put to shame, and Arpad; for the word of evil has come to their ears, their heart in its fear is turned to water, it will not be quiet.
24 Damascus has become feeble, she is turned to flight, fear has taken her in its grip: pain and sorrows have come on her, as on a woman in birth-pains.
25 How has the town of praise been wasted, the place of joy!
26 So her young men will be falling in her streets, and all the men of war will be cut off in that day, says the Lord of armies.
27 And I will have a fire lighted on the wall of Damascus, burning up the great houses of Ben-hadad.
28 About Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, overcame. This is what the Lord has said: Up! go against Kedar, and make an attack on the children of the east.
29 Their tents and their flocks they will take; they will take away for themselves their curtains and all their vessels and their camels: they will give a cry to them, Fear on every side.
30 Go in flight, go wandering far off, take cover in deep places, O people of Hazor, says the Lord; for Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, has made a design against you, he has a purpose against you in mind.
31 Up! go against a nation which is living in comfort and without fear of danger, says the Lord, without doors or locks, living by themselves.
32 And their camels will be taken from them by force, and their great herds will come into the hands of their attackers: those who have the ends of their hair cut I will send in flight to all the winds; and I will send their fate on them from every side, says the Lord.
33 And Hazor will be a hole for jackals, a waste for ever: no one will be living in it, and no son of man will have a resting-place there.
34 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet about Elam, when Zedekiah first became king of Judah, saying,
35 This is what the Lord of armies has said: See, I will have the bow of Elam, their chief strength, broken.
36 And I will send on Elam four winds from the four quarters of heaven, driving them out to all those winds; there will be no nation into which the wanderers from Elam do not come.
37 And I will let Elam be broken before their haters, and before those who are making designs against their lives: I will send evil on them, even my burning wrath, says the Lord; and I will send the sword after them till I have put an end to them:
38 I will put the seat of my power in Elam, and in Elam I will put an end to kings and rulers, says the Lord.
39 But it will come about that, in the last days, I will let the fate of Elam be changed, says the Lord.