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Warnings to the Wicked Kings

22 This is what Yahweh says: Go to the palace of the king of Judah, and speak this message there: “Listen to the word of Yahweh, you officials, you people who come into these gates, and you, king of Judah, the one sitting on David’s throne.

“This is what Yahweh says: Judge fairly, and do what is right. Rescue those who have been robbed from those who oppress them. Don’t mistreat foreigners, orphans, or widows, and don’t oppress them. Don’t kill innocent people in this place. If you do what I say, then the kings who sit on David’s throne will ride through the gates of this palace in chariots and on horses along with their officials and their people. But if you don’t do what I say, I will take an oath on myself,” declares Yahweh, “that this palace will become a pile of rubble.

“This is what Yahweh says about the palace of the king of Judah:

This palace is like Gilead to me,
    like the top of Lebanon.
    I will certainly turn it into a desert,
    into cities that no one lives in.
I will send people to destroy you.
    They will have their own weapons.
    They will cut down your finest cedar trees
        and throw them on a fire.

“People from many nations will pass by this city and ask each other, ‘Why has Yahweh done this to this important city?’ The answer will be: ‘They rejected the promise[a] of Yahweh their Elohim. They worshiped other gods and served them.’”

10 Don’t cry for the dead.
    Don’t shake your heads at them.
    Cry bitterly for those who are taken away,
        because they won’t come back to see their homeland.

11 This is what Yahweh says about King Josiah’s son Shallum, who succeeded his father as king of Judah and left this place: He will never come back here again. 12 He will die in the place where he was taken captive, and he will never see this land again.

13 “How horrible it will be for the person who builds his house dishonestly
    and his upper rooms through injustice.
        He makes his neighbors work for nothing
            and doesn’t pay them for their work.
14 He says, ‘I will build a large house for myself with big upper rooms.’
    He cuts out windows in it,
        panels the rooms with cedar,
            and paints them red.
15 Do you think you’re a better king than others
    because you use more cedar?
    Your father ate and drank and did what is fair and right.
    Everything went well for him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy.
    Everything went well for him.
    Isn’t this what it means to know me?” asks Yahweh.
17 “But your eyes and your mind are set on nothing but dishonest profits.
    You kill innocent people and violently oppress your people.”

18 This is what Yahweh says about Jehoiakim, son of Judah’s King Josiah:

People won’t mourn for him and say,
    “How horrible it is for my brother and sister!”
    They won’t mourn for him and say,
    “How horrible it is for my master and his splendor!”
19 He will receive a donkey’s burial.
    He will be dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.

20 “Go to Lebanon and cry! Raise your voice in Bashan!
    Cry out from Abarim, because all your lovers are defeated.”

21 I spoke to you when you were prosperous,
    but you said that you wouldn’t listen.
    This is how you’ve been ever since you were young.
    You don’t listen to me.
22 The wind will blow away all your shepherds,
    and your lovers will go into captivity.
    Then you will be ashamed and disgraced by all your wickedness.
23 You live in Lebanon and have your nest in the cedars.
    But you will groan when pain strikes you,
    pain like a woman giving birth to a child.

24 “As I live,” declares Yahweh, “even though you, Jehoiakin,[b] son of Judah’s King Jehoiakim, are the signet ring on my right hand, I will pull you off my hand. 25 I will hand you over to those who want to kill you, those you fear—King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonians. 26 I will throw you and your mother into another land. You weren’t born there, but you will die there. 27 You will want to return to this land, but you won’t be allowed to come home.”

28 This Jehoiakin is like a rejected and broken pot that no one wants.
    Is that why he and his descendants will be thrown out
        and cast into another land they’ve never heard of?
29 O land, land, land!
    Listen to the word of Yahweh.

30 This is what Yahweh says:

Write this about Jehoiakin: He will be childless.
    He won’t prosper in his lifetime.
        None of his descendants will succeed him as king.
            They won’t sit on David’s throne and rule Judah again.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:9 Or “covenant.”
  2. Jeremiah 22:24 Masoretic Text “Coniah,” an alternate form of Jehoiakin.

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king(A) of Judah and proclaim this message there: ‘Hear(B) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne(C)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.(D) This is what the Lord says: Do what is just(E) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor(F) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,(G) and do not shed innocent blood(H) in this place. For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings(I) who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. But if you do not obey(J) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear(K) by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’”

For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:

“Though you are like Gilead(L) to me,
    like the summit of Lebanon,(M)
I will surely make you like a wasteland,(N)
    like towns not inhabited.
I will send destroyers(O) against you,
    each man with his weapons,
and they will cut(P) up your fine cedar beams
    and throw them into the fire.(Q)

“People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’(R) And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.(S)’”

10 Do not weep for the dead(T) king or mourn(U) his loss;
    rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return(V)
    nor see his native land again.

11 For this is what the Lord says about Shallum[a](W) son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. 12 He will die(X) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”

13 “Woe(Y) to him who builds(Z) his palace by unrighteousness,
    his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
    not paying(AA) them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace(AB)
    with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
    panels it with cedar(AC)
    and decorates it in red.(AD)

15 “Does it make you a king
    to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
    He did what was right and just,(AE)
    so all went well(AF) with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,(AG)
    and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know(AH) me?”
    declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
    are set only on dishonest gain,(AI)
on shedding innocent blood(AJ)
    and on oppression and extortion.”(AK)

18 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“They will not mourn(AL) for him:
    ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
    ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
19 He will have the burial(AM) of a donkey—
    dragged away and thrown(AN)
    outside the gates of Jerusalem.”

20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,(AO)
    let your voice be heard in Bashan,(AP)
cry out from Abarim,(AQ)
    for all your allies(AR) are crushed.
21 I warned you when you felt secure,(AS)
    but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;(AT)
    you have not obeyed(AU) me.
22 The wind(AV) will drive all your shepherds(AW) away,
    and your allies(AX) will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced(AY)
    because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,[b](AZ)
    who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
    pain(BA) like that of a woman in labor!

24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin[c](BB) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring(BC) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliver(BD) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.[d] 26 I will hurl(BE) you and the mother(BF) who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never come back to the land you long to return(BG) to.”

28 Is this man Jehoiachin(BH) a despised, broken pot,(BI)
    an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled(BJ) out,
    cast into a land(BK) they do not know?
29 O land,(BL) land, land,
    hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,(BM)
    a man who will not prosper(BN) in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring(BO) will prosper,
    none will sit on the throne(BP) of David
    or rule anymore in Judah.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:11 Also called Jehoahaz
  2. Jeremiah 22:23 That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2)
  3. Jeremiah 22:24 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 28
  4. Jeremiah 22:25 Or Chaldeans