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
Lexham English Bible
22 Thus says Yahweh: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and you must speak this word there. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 But if you do not obey these words, I swear by myself,” declares[b] Yahweh, “that this house will become a site of ruins.”’”
6 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.
7 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.
8 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?’ 9 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
- Jeremiah 22:4 Hebrew “chariot”
- Jeremiah 22:5 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 22:6 Literally “If not”
- Jeremiah 22:6 Or “wilderness”
- Jeremiah 22:7 Literally “the choicest thing of your cedars”
- Jeremiah 22:7 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Jeremiah 22:8 Literally “Over what”
- Jeremiah 22:13 Hebrew “wage”
- Jeremiah 22:14 Here the subject is supplied from context in the English translation
- Jeremiah 22:14 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Jeremiah 22:16 Literally “Not that the knowledge me”
- Jeremiah 22:16 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 22:17 Literally “but if”
- Jeremiah 22:18 Literally “To thus”
- Jeremiah 22:19 Here the subject is supplied from context in the English translation
- Jeremiah 22:19 Literally “from beyond”
- Jeremiah 22:21 Literally “in your security”
- Jeremiah 22:23 Hebrew “Inhabitant”
- Jeremiah 22:24 Literally “a declaration of”
- Jeremiah 22:27 Literally “lifting their inner self”
- Jeremiah 22:30 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
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