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22 Thus says Yahweh: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and you must speak this word there. And you must say, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter through these gates. Thus says Yahweh, “Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been seized from the hand of the oppressor. And you must not oppress the immigrant, the orphan, and the widow. And you must not shed innocent blood in this place. And if you indeed obey this word, then kings who sit for David on his throne will enter through the gates of this house, riding in chariots[a] and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. But if you do not obey these words, I swear by myself,” declares[b] Yahweh, “that this house will become a site of ruins.”’”

For thus says Yahweh concerning the house of the king of Judah,

“You are like Gilead to me,
    like the head of the Lebanon.
Surely[c] I will make you a desert,[d]
    like cities that are not inhabited.
And I will consecrate against you destroyers,
    everyone with his weapons,
and they will cut down your choicest cedars,[e]
    and cast them[f] on the fire.

And many nations will pass by this city and they will say each one to his neighbor, ‘Why[g] has Yahweh done in this manner to this great city?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of Yahweh their God, and bowed down in worship to other gods, and served them.’”

10 You must not weep for the dead person,
    and you must not show sympathy for him.
Weep bitterly for the one who goes away,
    for he will not return, or see the land of his birth again.

11 For thus says Yahweh concerning Shallum, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, who reigned as king in place of Josiah his father, who went out from this place: “He will not return here again. 12 But in the place where they have deported him, there he will die, and he will not see this land again.

13 Woe to the one who builds his house without righteousness,
    and his upper rooms without justice.
His fellow countryman, he works for nothing,
    and he does not give to him his wages.[h]
14 Who says ‘I will build for myself
    a spacious house with large upper rooms,’
and he cuts windows for it,
    and it is[i] paneled with cedar,
    and he paints it[j] with vermilion.
15 Do you reign as king because you are competing in cedar?
    Did not your father eat and drink,
and he did justice and righteousness,
    then it was well with him?
16 He judged the legal cause of the needy and the poor,
    and then it was well.
    Is that not what it means to know me?[k]declares[l] Yahweh.
17 “But there is nothing in your eyes and your heart
    except[m] your unlawful gain,
and on shedding the blood of the innocent,
    and on committing oppression and extortion.”

18 Therefore[n] thus says Yahweh concerning Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah:

“They will not lament for him,
    ‘Alas, my brother,’ or ‘Alas, sister.’
They will not lament for him,
    ‘Alas, lord,’ or ‘alas, his majesty.’
19 He will be buried with the burial of a donkey.
    He will be[o] dragged away and thrown outside[p] the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
    and in Bashan lift up your voice,
and cry out from Abarim,
    for all your lovers are shattered.
21 I spoke to you in the times you were secure,[q]
    and you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This was your way from your youth,
    for you have not obeyed my voice.
22 All your shepherds will shepherd the wind,
    and your lovers will go into captivity.
Yes, then you will be ashamed and humiliated
    because of all your wickedness.
23 Inhabitants[r] of Lebanon,
    nestled among the cedars,
how you will groan when labor pains come to you,
    fear and pain as the woman who gives birth.

24 “As I live,” declares[s] Yahweh, “surely if Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, were the seal on my right hand, surely from there I would wrench you off. 25 And I would give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those from whom you are frightened by their presence, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 And I will throw you and your mother who gave birth to you to another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 As for the land to which they are longing[t] to return, they will not return.

28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered vessel?
    Or a vessel in which there is no delight?
Why are he and his offspring thrown far,
    and cast away to the land that they do not know?”

29 O land, land, land, hear the word of Yahweh. 30 Thus says Yahweh:

“Record this man as childless,
    a man who will not succeed in his days,
for no man from his offspring will succeed him,[u]
    sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:4 Hebrew “chariot”
  2. Jeremiah 22:5 Literally “a declaration of”
  3. Jeremiah 22:6 Literally “If not”
  4. Jeremiah 22:6 Or “wilderness”
  5. Jeremiah 22:7 Literally “the choicest thing of your cedars”
  6. Jeremiah 22:7 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  7. Jeremiah 22:8 Literally “Over what”
  8. Jeremiah 22:13 Hebrew “wage”
  9. Jeremiah 22:14 Here the subject is supplied from context in the English translation
  10. Jeremiah 22:14 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  11. Jeremiah 22:16 Literally “Not that the knowledge me”
  12. Jeremiah 22:16 Literally “a declaration of”
  13. Jeremiah 22:17 Literally “but if”
  14. Jeremiah 22:18 Literally “To thus”
  15. Jeremiah 22:19 Here the subject is supplied from context in the English translation
  16. Jeremiah 22:19 Literally “from beyond”
  17. Jeremiah 22:21 Literally “in your security”
  18. Jeremiah 22:23 Hebrew “Inhabitant”
  19. Jeremiah 22:24 Literally “a declaration of”
  20. Jeremiah 22:27 Literally “lifting their inner self”
  21. Jeremiah 22:30 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

22 Thus said Jehovah: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say, Hear the word of Jehovah, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates. Thus saith Jehovah: Execute ye justice and righteousness, and deliver him that is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the sojourner, the fatherless, nor the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting [a]upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith Jehovah, that this house shall become a desolation. For thus saith Jehovah [b]concerning the house of the king of Judah: Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon; yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited. And I will [c]prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons; and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.

10 Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him; but weep sore for him that goeth away; for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. 11 For thus saith Jehovah touching [d]Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went forth out of this place: He shall not return thither any more; 12 but in the place whither they have led him captive, there shall he die, and he shall see this land no more.

13 Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice; that useth his neighbor’s service without wages, and giveth him not his hire; 14 that saith, I will build me a wide house and spacious chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. 15 Shalt thou reign, because thou [e]strivest to excel in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? then it was well with him. 16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this to know me? saith Jehovah. 17 But thine eyes and thy heart are not but for thy [f]covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it. 18 Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! They shall not lament for him, saying Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! 19 He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

20 Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from Abarim; for all thy lovers are destroyed. 21 I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. 22 The wind shall [g]feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. 23 O [h]inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!

24 As I live, saith Jehovah, though [i]Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; 25 and I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them of whom thou art afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die. 27 But to the land whereunto [j]their soul longeth to return, thither shall they not return. 28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken [k]vessel? is he a vessel wherein none delighteth? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into the land which they know not? 29 O [l]earth, earth, earth, hear the word of Jehovah. 30 Thus saith Jehovah, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days; for no more shall a man of his seed prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling in Judah.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:4 Hebrew for David upon his throne.
  2. Jeremiah 22:6 Or, unto
  3. Jeremiah 22:7 Hebrew sanctify.
  4. Jeremiah 22:11 In 2 Kin. 23:30, Jehoahaz. Compare 1 Chr. 3:15.
  5. Jeremiah 22:15 Or, viest with the cedar
  6. Jeremiah 22:17 Or, dishonest gain
  7. Jeremiah 22:22 Or, feed upon
  8. Jeremiah 22:23 Hebrew inhabitress.
  9. Jeremiah 22:24 In 24:1 and 1 Chr. 3:16, Jeconiah. In 2 Kin. 24:6, 8, Jehoiachin.
  10. Jeremiah 22:27 Hebrew they lift up their soul.
  11. Jeremiah 22:28 Or, pot
  12. Jeremiah 22:29 Or, land