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O Land, Hear Yahweh

22 Thus says Yahweh, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there you shall speak this word and say, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, O king of Judah, who (A)sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. Thus says Yahweh, “(B)Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his (C)oppressor. Also (D)do not mistreat or do violence to the sojourner, the orphan, or the widow; and do not (E)shed innocent blood in this place. For if you men will indeed do this thing, then (F)kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting for David on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, even the king himself and his servants and his people. (G)But if you will not obey these words, I (H)swear by Myself,” declares Yahweh, “that this house will become a waste place.”’” For thus says Yahweh concerning the house of the king of Judah:

“You are like (I)Gilead to Me,
Like the summit of Lebanon;
Yet most assuredly I will make you like a (J)wilderness,
Like cities which are not inhabited.
For I will set apart (K)destroyers against you,
Each with his weapons;
And they will (L)cut down your choicest cedars
And (M)throw them on the fire.

“Many nations will pass by this city; and they will (N)say to one another, ‘Why has Yahweh done thus to this great city?’ Then they will say, ‘Because they (O)forsook the covenant of Yahweh their God and worshiped other gods and served them.’”

10 (P)Do not weep for the dead or console him,
But weep continually for the one who goes away,
For (Q)he will never return
Or see the land of his birth.

11 For thus says Yahweh in regard to [a](R)Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they took him away into exile, there he will (S)die and not see this land again.

13 “Woe to him who builds his house (T)without righteousness
And his [b]upper rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And (U)does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will (V)build myself a roomy house
With spacious [c]upper rooms
And cut out its windows,
[d]Paneling it with (W)cedar and painting it [e]bright red.’
15 Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
And (X)do justice and righteousness?
Then it was (Y)well with him.
16 He pled the cause of the (Z)afflicted and needy;
Then it was well.
(AA)Is not that what it means to know Me?”
Declares Yahweh.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
Are set on nothing except your own (AB)greedy gain
And on (AC)shedding innocent blood
And on doing oppression and extortion.”

18 Therefore thus says Yahweh in regard to (AD)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah,

“They will not (AE)lament for him:
(AF)Alas, my brother!’ or, ‘Alas, sister!’
They will not lament for him:
‘Alas for the master!’ or, ‘Alas for his splendor!’
19 He will be (AG)buried with a donkey’s burial,
Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
And lift up your voice in Bashan;
Cry out also from (AH)Abarim,
For all your (AI)lovers have been broken.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
But (AJ)you said, ‘I will not listen!’
(AK)This has been your way (AL)from your youth,
That you have not listened to My voice.
22 The wind will sweep away all your (AM)shepherds,
And your (AN)lovers will go into captivity;
Then you will surely be (AO)ashamed and feel dishonor
Because of all your evil.
23 You who inhabit Lebanon,
Nested in the cedars,
How you will groan when pangs come upon you,
(AP)Pain like a woman in childbirth!

24 “As I live,” declares Yahweh, “even though [f](AQ)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a (AR)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull [g]you [h]off; 25 and I will (AS)give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, indeed, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 I will (AT)hurl you and your (AU)mother who bore you into another land—there you were not born, but there you will die. 27 But as for the land to which their soul desires to return, they will not return to it.

28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
Or is he an (AV)undesirable vessel?
Why have he and his seed been (AW)hurled out
And cast into a (AX)land that they had not known?
29 (AY)O land, land, land,
Hear the word of Yahweh!

30 Thus says Yahweh,

‘Write this man down (AZ)childless,
A man who will (BA)not succeed in his days;
For no man of his (BB)seed will succeed
Sitting on the throne of David
Or ruling again in Judah.’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:11 Jehoahaz
  2. Jeremiah 22:13 Or roof chambers
  3. Jeremiah 22:14 Or roof chambers
  4. Jeremiah 22:14 Or Paneled
  5. Jeremiah 22:14 Or vermilion
  6. Jeremiah 22:24 Jehoiachin
  7. Jeremiah 22:24 Jehoiachin
  8. Jeremiah 22:24 Lit off from there

Prophecies Against the Kings of Judah

22 Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word, and say, (A)‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates! Thus says the Lord: (B)“Execute[a] judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the (C)fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you indeed do this thing, (D)then shall enter the gates of this house, riding on horses and in chariots, accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of David. But if you will not [b]hear these words, (E)I swear by Myself,” says the Lord, “that this house shall become a desolation.” ’ ”

For thus says the Lord to the house of the king of Judah:

“You are (F)Gilead to Me,
The head of Lebanon;
Yet I surely will make you a wilderness,
Cities which are not inhabited.
I will prepare destroyers against you,
Everyone with his weapons;
They shall cut down (G)your choice cedars
(H)And cast them into the fire.

And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, (I)‘Why has the Lord done so to this great city?’ Then they will answer, (J)‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.’ ”

10 Weep not for (K)the dead, nor bemoan him;
Weep bitterly for him (L)who goes away,
For he shall return no more,
Nor see his native country.

Message to the Sons of Josiah

11 For thus says the Lord concerning (M)Shallum[c] the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, (N)who went from this place: “He shall not return here anymore, 12 but he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.

13 “Woe(O) to him who builds his house by unrighteousness
And his [d]chambers by injustice,
(P)Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages
And gives him nothing for his work,
14 Who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house with spacious [e]chambers,
And cut out windows for it,
Paneling it with cedar
And painting it with vermilion.’

15 “Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink,
And do justice and righteousness?
Then (Q)it was well with him.
16 He [f]judged the cause of the poor and needy;
Then it was well.
Was not this knowing Me?” says the Lord.
17 “Yet(R) your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness,
For shedding innocent blood,
And practicing oppression and violence.”

18 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

(S)“They shall not lament for him,
Saying, (T)‘Alas, my brother!’ or ‘Alas, my sister!’
They shall not lament for him,
Saying, ‘Alas, master!’ or ‘Alas, his glory!’
19 (U)He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey,
Dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

20 “Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,
And lift up your voice in Bashan;
Cry from Abarim,
For all your lovers are destroyed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
But you said, ‘I will not hear.’
(V)This has been your manner from your youth,
That you did not obey My voice.
22 The wind shall eat up all (W)your [g]rulers,
And your lovers shall go into captivity;
Surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated
For all your wickedness.
23 O inhabitant of Lebanon,
Making your nest in the cedars,
How gracious will you be when pangs come upon you,
Like (X)the pain of a woman in [h]labor?

Message to Coniah

24 As I live,” says the Lord, (Y)“though [i]Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, (Z)were the [j]signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; 25 (AA)and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the [k]Chaldeans. 26 (AB)So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. 27 But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return.

28 “Is this man [l]Coniah a despised, broken idol—
(AC)A vessel in which is no pleasure?
Why are they cast out, he and his descendants,
And cast into a land which they do not know?
29 (AD)O earth, earth, earth,
Hear the word of the Lord!
30 Thus says the Lord:
‘Write this man down as (AE)childless,
A man who shall not prosper in his days;
For (AF)none of his descendants shall prosper,
Sitting on the throne of David,
And ruling anymore in Judah.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:3 Dispense justice
  2. Jeremiah 22:5 Obey
  3. Jeremiah 22:11 Or Jehoahaz
  4. Jeremiah 22:13 Lit. roof chambers, upper chambers
  5. Jeremiah 22:14 Lit. roof chambers, upper chambers
  6. Jeremiah 22:16 Defended
  7. Jeremiah 22:22 Lit. shepherds
  8. Jeremiah 22:23 childbirth
  9. Jeremiah 22:24 Or Jeconiah or Jehoiachin
  10. Jeremiah 22:24 signet ring
  11. Jeremiah 22:25 Or Babylonians
  12. Jeremiah 22:28 See note at v. 24