Jeremiah 22
Modern English Version
Impending Judgment
22 Thus says the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak this word there, 2 and say: Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah who sits on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter by these gates. 3 Thus says the Lord: Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver the robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. And do no wrong or violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you indeed do these things, then kings sitting on the throne of David will enter by the gates of this house, riding in chariots and on horses, he and his servants and his people. 5 But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself, says the Lord, that this house will become a desolation.
6 For thus says the Lord to the king’s house of Judah:
You are Gilead to Me,
and the peak of Lebanon;
yet surely I will make you a wilderness
and cities which are not inhabited.
7 I will prepare destroyers against you,
everyone with his weapons;
and they shall cut down your choice cedars
and cast them into the fire.
8 Many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, “Why has the Lord done thus to this great city?” 9 Then they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.”
10 Do not weep for the dead nor bemoan him,
but weep constantly for him who goes away;
for he will return no more
nor see his native country.
11 For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, who became king instead of Josiah his father, who went from this place: He will not return any more, 12 but will die in the place where they have led him captive and will see this land no more.
13 Woe to him who builds his house with unrighteousness
and his chambers with injustice,
who uses his neighbor’s services without wages,
and gives him nothing for his work,
14 who says, “I will build myself a roomy house
and large chambers,”
and cuts out its windows,
paneling it with cedar
and painting it with vermilion.
15 Do you reign
because you compete in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
and do justice and righteousness,
and then it was well with him?
16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
then it was well with him.
Is not this what it means to know Me?
says the Lord.
17 But your eyes and your heart
are intent only on your covetousness
and on shedding innocent blood
and on oppression and violence.
18 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
They will not lament for him, saying,
“Ah, my brother!” or, “Ah, sister!”
They will not lament for him, saying,
“Ah, lord!” or, “Ah, his glory!”
19 He will be buried with the burial of a donkey,
drawn and cast out
beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
and lift up your voice in Bashan,
and cry out from Abarim,
for all your lovers are destroyed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
but you said, “I will not listen!”
This has been your manner from your youth,
that you have not obeyed My voice.
22 The wind will sweep away all your shepherds,
and your lovers shall go into captivity;
surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated
for all your wickedness.
23 O inhabitant of Lebanon,
who makes your nest in the cedars,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
the pain as of a woman in labor!
24 As I live, says the Lord, though Koniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on My right hand, yet would I pluck you from there. 25 And I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life and into the hand of those whose face you fear, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 I will cast you and your mother that bore you out into another country where you were not born, and there you shall die. 27 But to the land where they desire to return, they will not return there.
28 Is this man Koniah a despised broken jar?
Is he a vessel in which is no desire?
Why are he and his seed cast out
and thrown into a land which they had not known?
29 O land, land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 Thus says the Lord:
Write down this man childless,
a man who will not prosper in his days;
for no man of his seed shall prosper,
sitting on the throne of David
and ruling any more in Judah.
Jeremiah 22
21st Century King James Version
22 Thus saith the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word
2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sittest upon the throne of David, thou and thy servants and thy people who enter in by these gates.
3 Thus saith the Lord: Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the despoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, and do no wrong. Do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.
4 For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he and his servants and his people.
5 But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by Myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.’”
6 For thus saith the Lord unto the king’s house 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.
7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons; and they shall cut down thy choice cedars and cast them into the fire.
8 “And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, ‘Why hath the Lord done thus unto this great city?’
9 Then they shall answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped 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, or see his native country.
11 For thus saith the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went forth out of this place: “He shall not return thither any more,
12 but he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive and shall see this land no more.
13 “Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by wrong, that useth his neighbor’s service without wages, and giveth him nought for his work,
14 that saith, ‘I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows, and it is ceiled with cedar and painted with vermilion.’
15 Shalt thou reign because thou enclosest thyself in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?
16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him. Was not this to know Me?” saith the Lord.
17 “But thine eyes and thine heart are for nothing but thy covetousness and to shed innocent blood, and for oppression and for violence.”
18 Therefore thus saith the Lord 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 the Abarim; for all thy lovers are destroyed.
21 I spoke 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 eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.
23 O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail?
24 “As I live,” saith the Lord, “though 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 those who seek thy life, and into the hand of those whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
26 And I will cast thee out, and thy mother who bore thee, into another country where ye were not born, and there shall ye die.
27 But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return.”
28 Is this man Coniah a despised, broken idol? Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? Why are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?
29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord!
30 Thus saith the Lord: “Write ye this man as childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days; for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David and ruling any more in Judah.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
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