Jeremiah 49 - Easy To Read Version

¹ This message is about the Ammonite people.The Lord says:

² The Lord says,\par “The time will come in Rabbah of Ammon {\cf2\super [396]} \par when people hear the sounds of battle.\par Rabbah of Ammon will be destroyed.\par It will be an empty hill\par covered with destroyed buildings.\par And the towns around it will be burned.\par Those people forced the people of Israel\par to leave their own land.\par But later, Israel will force them to leave.”\par The Lord said these things.\par

³ “People in Heshbon, cry!\par Why? Because the town of Ai is destroyed.\par Women in Rabbah of Ammon, cry!\par Put on your clothes of sadness and cry.\par Run to the city for safety.\par Why? \{Because the enemy is coming.\}\par They take away the god, Milcom. {\cf2\super [397]} \par And they will take away Milcom’s\par priests and officials.\par

⁴ You brag about your strength.\par But you are losing your strength.\par You trust your money will save you.\par You think no one would even think of\par attacking you.”\par

⁵ But the Lord All-Powerful says this:\par “I will bring troubles to you\par from every side.\par You will all run away.\par And no one will be able\par to bring you together again.”\par

⁶ “The Ammonite people will be taken away as captives. But the time will come that I will bring the Ammonite people back.” This message is from the Lord.

⁷ This message is about Edom.

⁸ You people living in Dedan, run away!\par Hide! Why? Because I will punish Esau {\cf2\super [399]} for the bad things he did.\par

⁹ “Workers pick grapes from grapevines.\par But they leave a few grapes on the plants.\par If thieves come at night,\par they don’t take everything.\par

¹⁰ But I will take everything from Esau. {\cf2\super [400]} \par I will find all of his hiding places.\par He will not be able to hide from me.\par His children, relatives, and neighbors\par will all die.\par

¹¹ No person will be left\par to care for his children.\par His wives will have no one to depend on.”\par

¹² This is what the Lord says, “Some people don’t deserve to be punished—but they suffer. But Edom, you deserve to be punished—so you will really be punished. You will not escape the punishment you deserve. You will be punished.”

¹³ The Lord says, “By my own power, I make this promise: I promise that the city of Bozrah will be destroyed. That city will become a ruined pile of rocks. People will use that city as an example when they ask for bad things to happen to other cities. People will insult that city. And all the towns around Bozrah will become ruins forever.”

¹⁴ I heard a message from the Lord:\par The Lord sent a messenger to the nations. This is the message:\par “Gather your armies together!\par Get ready for battle!\par March against the nation of Edom!\par

¹⁵ Edom, I will make you become not important.\par Every person will hate you.\par

¹⁶ Edom, you scared other nations.\par So you thought you were important.\par But your pride has fooled you.\par You live in those caves, high on the cliff.\par Your home is high in the hills.\par But even if you build your home\par as high as an eagle’s nest,\par I will bring you down from there.”\par The Lord said these things.\par

¹⁷ “Edom will be destroyed.\par People will be shocked\par to see the destroyed cities.\par People will whistle from amazement\par at the destroyed cities.\par

¹⁸ Edom will be destroyed\par like Sodom and Gomorrah {\cf2\super [401]} \par and the towns around them.\par No people will live there.”\par The Lord said these things.\par

¹⁹ “Sometimes a lion will come from the thick bushes near the Jordan River. And that lion will go into the fields where people put their sheep and cattle. I am like that lion. I will go to Edom. And I will scare those people. I will make them run away. None of their young men will stop me. No one is like me. No one will challenge me. None of their shepherds (leaders) will stand up against me.”

²⁰ So listen to what the Lord has planned\par to do to the people of Edom.\par Listen to what the Lord has decided\par to do to the people in Teman. {\cf2\super [402]} \par The enemy will drag away the young kids\par of Edom’s flock (people).\par Edom’s pastures will be empty because of\par what they did.\par

²¹ At the sound of Edom’s fall,\par the earth will shake.\par Their cry will be heard\par all the way to the Red Sea.\par

²² The Lord will be like an eagle\par flying over the animal that it will attack.\par The Lord will be like an eagle\par spreading its wings over Bozrah.\par At that time, Edom’s soldiers\par will become very scared.\par They will be crying from fear\par like a woman having a baby.\par

²³ This message is about the city of Damascus:

²⁴ The city of Damascus has become weak.\par The people want to run away.\par The people are ready to panic.\par The people feel pain and suffering\par like a woman having a baby.\par

²⁵ “Damascus, is a happy city.\par The people have not left that ‘fun city’ yet.\par

²⁶ So the young men will die\par in the public squares of that city.\par All of her soldiers will be killed at that time.”\par The Lord All-Powerful said these things.\par

²⁷ “I will set the walls of Damascus on fire.\par The fire will completely burn up\par the strong forts of Ben-Hadad.” {\cf2\super [403]} \par

²⁸ This message is about the family group of Kedar and the rulers of Hazor. {\cf2\super [404]} Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, defeated them.

²⁹ Their tents and flocks will be taken away.\par Their tent and all their riches\par will be carried off.\par Their enemy will take away the camels.\par Men will shout this to them:\par ‘Terrible things are happening all around us.’\par

³⁰ Run away quickly!\par People in Hazor,\par find a good place to hide.”\par This message is from the Lord.\par “Nebuchadnezzar made plans against you.\par He thought of a smart plan to defeat you.\par

³¹ “There is a nation that feels safe.\par That nation feels secure.\par That nation does not have gates\par or fences to protect it.\par No people live near them.\par

³² The enemy will steal their camels\par and take their large herds of cattle.\par The enemy will steal their large herds.\par Those people cut the corners of their beards. {\cf2\super [405]} \par Well, I will make them run away\par to the far corners of the earth.\par And I will bring terrible troubles to them\par from everywhere.”\par This message is from the Lord.\par

³³ “The land of Hazor will become a place\par where only wild dogs live.\par No person will live there.\par No person will live in that place.\par It will become an empty desert forever.”\par

³⁴ Early in the time when Zedekiah was king of Judah, Jeremiah the prophet received a message from the Lord. This message is about the nation of Elam. {\cf2\super [406]}

³⁵ The Lord All-Powerful says,\par “I will break Elam’s bow very soon.\par The bow is Elam’s strongest weapon.\par

³⁶ I will bring the four winds against Elam.\par I will bring them from\par the four corners of the skies.\par I will send the people of Elam\par to every place on the earth\par where the four winds blow.\par Elam’s captives will be carried away\par to every nation.\par

³⁷ I will break Elam to pieces\par while their enemies are watching.\par I will break Elam in front of those people\par that want to kill them.\par I will bring terrible troubles to them.\par I will show them how angry I am.”\par This message is from the Lord.\par “I will send a sword to chase Elam.\par The sword will chase them\par until I have killed them all.\par

³⁸ I will show Elam that I am in control.\par And I will destroy her king and his officials.”\par This message is from the Lord.\par

³⁹ “But in the future, I will make good things\par happen to Elam.”\par This message is from the Lord.\par