Jeremiah 30
1 Concerning Idumea, thus saith the Lord; There is no
longer wisdom in Thæman, counsel has perished from the wise ones, their wisdom
is gone, 2 their place has been
deceived. Dig deep for a dwelling, ye that inhabit Dædam, for he has wrought
grievously: I brought trouble upon him in the time at which I visited him.
3 For grape-gatherers are come, who
shall not leave thee a remnant; as thieves by night, they shall lay their hand
upon thy possessions.
4 For I have stripped Esau, I have
uncovered their secret places; they shall have no power to hide themselves,
they have perished each by the hand of his brother,
my neighbour, and it is impossible
5 for thy fatherless one to be left to
live, but I shall live, and the widows trust in me.
6 For thus saith the Lord; They who
were not appointed to drink the cup have drunk it;
and thou shalt by no means be cleared:
7 for by myself I have sworn, saith
the Lord, that thou shalt be in the midst of her an impassable
land, and a reproach, and a curse; and all her cities
shall be desert for ever.
8 I have heard a report from the Lord,
and he has sent messengers to the nations, saying,
Assemble yourselves, and come against her; rise ye up to war.
9 I have made thee small among the
nations, utterly contemptible among men.
10 Thine insolence has risen up
against thee, the fierceness of thine heart has burst the holes of the rocks,
it has seized upon the strength of a lofty hill; for as an eagle he set his
nest on high: thence will I bring thee down.
11 And Idumea shall be a desert:
every one that passes by shall hiss at it.
12 As Sodom was overthrown and
Gomorrha and they that sojourned in her, saith the Lord Almighty, no man shall
dwell there, nor shall any son of man inhabit there.
13 Behold, he shall come up as a lion
out of the midst of Jordan to the place of Ætham: for I will speedily drive
them from it, and do ye set the young men against her: for who is like me? and
who will withstand me? and who is this shepherd, who
shall confront me?
14 Therefore hear ye the counsel of
the Lord, which he has framed against Idumea; and his device, which he has
devised against the inhabitants of Thæman: surely the least of the sheep shall
be swept off; surely their dwelling shall be made desolate for them.
15 For at the sound of their fall the
earth was scared, and the cry of the sea was not heard.
16 Behold, he shall look
upon her as an eagle, and spread forth
his wings over her strongholds; and the heart of the
mighty men of Idumea shall be in that day as the heart of a woman in her
pangs.
17 Concerning the sons of Ammon thus saith the Lord, Are
there no sons in Israel? or have they no one to succeed
them? wherefore has Melchol inherited Galaad, and why
shall their people dwell in their cities?
18 Therefore, behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, when I will cause to be heard in Rabbath a tumult of wars; and
they shall become a waste and ruined place, and her altars shall be burned
with fire; then shall Israel succeed to his dominion.
19 Howl, O Esebon, for Gai has
perished; cry, ye daughters of Rabbath, gird yourselves with sackclothes, and
lament; for Melchol shall go into banishment, his priests and his princes
together.
20 Why do ye exult in the plains of
the Enakim, thou haughty daughter, that trustest in
thy treasures, that sayest, Who shall come in to me?
21 Behold, I
will bring terror upon thee, saith the Lord, from all
the country round about thee; and ye shall be scattered every one right before
him, and there is none to gather you.
23 Concerning Kedar the Queen of the Palace, whom Nabuchodonosor King of
Babylon smote,
thus saith the Lord;
Arise ye, and go up to Kedar, and fill the sons of Kedem.
24 They shall take their tents and
their sheep, they shall take for themselves their garments, and all their
baggage and their camels; and summon ye destruction against them from every
side. 25 Flee ye, dig very deep for a
dwelling-place, ye that dwell in the palace; for the king of Babylon has
framed a counsel, and devised a device against you.
26 Rise up, and go up against a
nation settled and dwelling at ease, who have no
doors, nor bolts, nor bars, who dwell alone.
27 And their camels shall be a spoil,
and the multitude of their cattle shall be destroyed: and I will scatter them
as chaff with every wind, having their hair cut about their foreheads, I will
bring on their overthrow from all sides, saith the Lord.
28 And the palace shall be a
resting-place for ostriches, and desolate for ever: no man shall abide there,
and no son of man shall dwell there.
29 Concerning Damascus. Emath is brought to shame, and
Arphath: for they have heard an evil report: they are amazed, they are angry,
they shall be utterly unable to rest.
30 Damascus is utterly weakened, she
is put to flight; trembling has seized upon her.
31 How has she not left my city, they
have loved the village?
32 Therefore shall the young men fall
in thy streets, and all thy warriors shall fall, saith the Lord.
33 And I will kindle a fire in the
wall of Damascus, and it shall devour the streets of the son of Ader.