Jeremiah 49:12
New International Version
This is what the LORD says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it.

New Living Translation
And this is what the LORD says: “If the innocent must suffer, how much more must you! You will not go unpunished! You must drink this cup of judgment!

English Standard Version
For thus says the LORD: “If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, will you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink.

Berean Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for you must drink it too.

King James Bible
For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.

New King James Version
For thus says the LORD: “Behold, those whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And are you the one who will altogether go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink of it.

New American Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, those who were not sentenced to drink the cup will certainly drink it, so are you the one who will be held completely blameless? You will not be held blameless, but you will certainly drink it.

NASB 1995
For thus says the LORD, “Behold, those who were not sentenced to drink the cup will certainly drink it, and are you the one who will be completely acquitted? You will not be acquitted, but you will certainly drink it.

NASB 1977
For thus says the LORD, “Behold, those who were not sentenced to drink the cup will certainly drink it, and are you the one who will be completely acquitted? You will not be acquitted, but you will certainly drink it.

Legacy Standard Bible
For thus says Yahweh, “Behold, those who are not under judgment to drink the cup will certainly drink it, but are you the one who will go completely unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but you will certainly drink it.

Amplified Bible
For thus says the LORD, “Behold, those (Israel) who were not sentenced to drink the cup [of wrath] shall certainly drink it, and are you to remain unpunished? You will not be acquitted and go unpunished, but you will certainly drink [from the cup of wrath and judgment].

Christian Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not remain unpunished, for you must drink it too.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“For this is what the LORD says: If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not remain unpunished, for you must drink it too.

American Standard Version
For thus saith Jehovah: Behold, they to whom it pertained not to drink of the cup shall assuredly drink; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink.

Contemporary English Version
Even those nations that don't deserve to be punished will have to drink from the cup of my anger. So how can you possibly hope to escape?

English Revised Version
For thus saith the LORD: Behold, they to whom it pertained not to drink of the cup shall assuredly drink; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is what the LORD says: If those who don't deserve to drink from the cup still drink from it, why should you go unpunished? You won't go unpunished. You must drink from it.

Good News Translation
"If even those who did not deserve to be punished had to drink from the cup of punishment, do you think that you will go unpunished? No, you must drink from the cup!

International Standard Version
For this is what the LORD says: "Look, those who don't deserve to drink the cup will surely drink it, and will you actually go unpunished? You won't go unpunished! You will certainly drink it!

Majority Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for you must drink it too.

NET Bible
For the LORD says, "If even those who did not deserve to drink from the cup of my wrath must drink from it, do you think you will go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must certainly drink from the cup of my wrath.

New Heart English Bible
For thus says the LORD: 'Look, they to whom it did not pertain to drink of the cup shall certainly drink; and are you he who shall altogether go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink.

Webster's Bible Translation
For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drank; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.

World English Bible
For Yahweh says: “Behold, they to whom it didn’t pertain to drink of the cup will certainly drink; and are you he who will altogether go unpunished? You won’t go unpunished, but you will surely drink.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For thus said YHWH: They whose judgment is not to drink of the cup, "" Do certainly drink, "" And you [are] he that is entirely acquitted! You are not acquitted, for you certainly drink.

Young's Literal Translation
For thus said Jehovah: They whose judgment is not to drink of the cup, Do certainly drink, And thou art he that is entirely acquitted! Thou art not acquitted, for thou certainly drinkest.

Smith's Literal Translation
For thus said Jehovah: Behold, whose judgment was not to drink the cup, drinking, they will drink; and art thou he being acquitted, shalt thou be unpunished? thou shalt not be unpunished, for drinking, thou shalt drink.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For thus saith the Lord: Behold they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup, shall certainly drink: and shalt thou come off as innocent? thou shalt not come off as innocent, but drinking thou shalt drink.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For thus says the Lord: “Behold, those who judged that they would not drink the cup, will certainly drink. And so, will you be released as if you were innocent? You will not be released as if innocent. Instead, you shall certainly drink.

New American Bible
For thus says the LORD: Look, even those not sentenced to drink the cup must drink it! Shall you then go unpunished? You shall not! You shall drink every bit of it!

New Revised Standard Version
For thus says the LORD: If those who do not deserve to drink the cup still have to drink it, shall you be the one to go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished; you must drink it.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For thus says the LORD: Behold, those whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and though you consider yourselves blameless, you shall not go unpunished; but you shall surely drink of the cup.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For thus says LORD JEHOVAH: “Behold, it was not right for them to drink the cup they have drunk, and you have thought that you are righteous. You are not righteous, but you shall also drink the cup
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For thus saith the LORD: Behold, they to whom it pertained not to drink of the cup shall assuredly drink; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
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:
Audio Bible



Context
The Judgment on Edom
11Abandon your orphans; I will preserve their lives. Let your widows trust in Me.” 12For this is what the LORD says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for you must drink it too. 13For by Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that Bozrah will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and a curse, and all her cities will be in ruins forever.”…

Cross References
Obadiah 1:16
For as you drank on My holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will drink and gulp it down; they will be as if they had never existed.

Jeremiah 25:29
For behold, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears My Name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of Hosts.’

Isaiah 51:17-23
Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; you who have drained the goblet to the dregs—the cup that makes men stagger. / Among all the sons she bore, there is no one to guide her; among all the sons she brought up, there is no one to take her hand. / These pairs have befallen you: devastation and destruction, famine and sword. Who will grieve for you? Who can comfort you? ...

Lamentations 4:21-22
So rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz. Yet the cup will pass to you as well; you will get drunk and expose yourself. / O Daughter of Zion, your punishment is complete; He will not prolong your exile. But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins.

Ezekiel 25:12-14
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt, / therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. / I will take My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.’

Malachi 1:2-4
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved, / but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.” / Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.

Isaiah 63:1-6
Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments? Who is this robed in splendor, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, proclaiming vindication, mighty to save.” / Why are Your clothes red, and Your garments like one who treads the winepress? / “I have trodden the winepress alone, and no one from the nations was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My fury; their blood spattered My garments, and all My clothes were stained. ...

Amos 1:11-12
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Edom, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled all compassion; his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed incessantly. / So I will send fire upon Teman to consume the citadels of Bozrah.”

Psalm 75:8
For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs.

Habakkuk 2:16
You will be filled with shame instead of glory. You too must drink and expose your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will cover your glory.

Romans 9:13
So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

Hebrews 12:16-17
See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright. / For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He could find no ground for repentance, though he sought the blessing with tears.

Revelation 14:10
he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

Revelation 16:19
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.

Matthew 20:22-23
“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered. / “You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.”


Treasury of Scripture

For thus said the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and are you he that shall altogether go unpunished? you shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink of it.

they whose

Jeremiah 25:28,29
And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink…

Jeremiah 30:11
For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

Jeremiah 46:27
But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

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Jeremiah 49
1. The judgment of the Ammonites
6. Their restoration
7. The judgment of Edom
23. of Damascus
28. of Kedar
30. of Hazor
34. and of Elam
39. The restoration of Elam














For this is what the LORD says
This phrase introduces a divine pronouncement, emphasizing the authority and sovereignty of God. In Hebrew, "LORD" is "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, signifying His eternal presence and faithfulness. This sets the stage for a message that is not merely a human opinion but a divine decree, underscoring the seriousness and inevitability of what follows.

If those who do not deserve to drink the cup
The "cup" is a metaphor for God's judgment and wrath, a common biblical symbol (e.g., Psalm 75:8, Isaiah 51:17). The phrase suggests that even those who might seem less deserving of punishment are subject to God's judgment. Historically, this could refer to nations or peoples who were not as culpable as others but still faced consequences due to the pervasive nature of sin and rebellion against God.

must drink it
The inevitability of drinking the cup highlights the certainty of divine justice. The Hebrew verb here implies compulsion, indicating that God's decrees are inescapable. This serves as a sobering reminder of the comprehensive nature of God's judgment, which spares no one based on human standards of deservingness.

why should you go unpunished?
This rhetorical question challenges the audience, likely the Edomites in this context, to consider their own accountability. It implies that if even the less guilty are judged, those more culpable cannot expect to escape. This reflects a consistent biblical theme that God is just and impartial, holding all nations and individuals accountable for their actions.

You will not go unpunished
The repetition of the certainty of punishment reinforces the message. In Hebrew, the structure emphasizes inevitability, leaving no room for doubt. This serves as a warning and a call to repentance, reminding the audience of the seriousness of their sin and the certainty of divine retribution.

but you must drink it
The finality of this statement underscores the unavoidable nature of God's judgment. The repetition of the "cup" metaphor ties back to the earlier part of the verse, creating a cohesive message about the certainty and universality of divine justice. This serves as a powerful reminder of the holiness of God and the seriousness with which He views sin, urging readers to reflect on their own lives and seek His mercy and grace.

(12) Behold, they whose judgment . . .--The imagery is taken up from Jeremiah 25:15. Even those of whom it might have seemed that they were exempted, by God's decree, from drinking of the cup of His wrath, had drunk. Could Esau hope for immunity? The thought is parallel to that of 1Peter 4:17.

Verse 12. - Whose judgment was not, etc.; rather, to whom it was not due, etc. Jehovah condescends to speak from a human point of view. 'So, in Isaiah 28:21, the punishment of Jerusalem is celled his "strange work." Have assuredly drunken; rather, shall surely drink.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

this is what
כֹ֣ה ׀ (ḵōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

says:
אָמַ֣ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“If
הִ֠נֵּה (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

those who
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

do not
אֵ֨ין (’ên)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

deserve
מִשְׁפָּטָ֜ם (miš·pā·ṭām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

to drink
לִשְׁתּ֤וֹת (liš·tō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 8354: To imbibe

the cup
הַכּוֹס֙ (hak·kō·ws)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3563: A cup, a lot, some unclean bird, an owl

must drink it,
שָׁת֣וֹ (šā·ṯōw)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 8354: To imbibe

can you
וְאַתָּ֣ה (wə·’at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

possibly remain unpunished?
נָקֹ֖ה (nā·qōh)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 5352: To be, clean, to be bare, extirpated

You will not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

go unpunished,
תִנָּקֶ֔ה (ṯin·nā·qeh)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5352: To be, clean, to be bare, extirpated

for
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you must drink
שָׁתֹ֖ה (šā·ṯōh)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 8354: To imbibe

it too.
תִּשְׁתֶּֽה׃ (tiš·teh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 8354: To imbibe


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 49:12 For thus says Yahweh: Behold they (Jer.)
Jeremiah 49:11
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