Jeremiah 22
World English Bible
22 Yahweh said, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak this word, there: 2 ‘Hear Yahweh’s word, king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you, your servants, and your people who enter in by these gates. 3 Yahweh says: “Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong. Do no violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you do this thing indeed, then kings sitting on David’s throne will enter in by the gates of this house, riding in chariots and on horses, he, his servants, and his people. 5 But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself,” says Yahweh, “that this house will become a desolation.”’”
6 For Yahweh says concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“You are Gilead to me,
the head of Lebanon.
Yet surely I will make you a wilderness,
cities which are not inhabited.
7 I will prepare destroyers against you,
everyone with his weapons,
and they will cut down your choice cedars,
and cast them into the fire.
8 “Many nations will pass by this city, and they will each ask his neighbor, ‘Why has Yahweh done this to this great city?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of Yahweh their God, worshiped other gods, and served them.’”
10 Don’t weep for the dead.
Don’t bemoan him;
but weep bitterly for him who goes away,
for he will return no more,
and not see his native country.
11 For Yahweh says touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went out of this place: “He won’t return there any more. 12 But he will die in the place where they have led him captive. He will see this land no more.”
13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness,
and his rooms by injustice;
who uses his neighbor’s service without wages,
and doesn’t give him his hire;
14 who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house and spacious rooms,’
and cuts out windows for himself;
with a cedar ceiling,
and painted with red.
15 “Should you reign, because you strive to excel in cedar?
Didn’t your 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;
so it was well, then.
Wasn’t this to know me?”
says Yahweh.
17 But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness,
for shedding innocent blood,
for oppression, and for doing violence.”
18 Therefore Yahweh says concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
“They won’t lament for him,
saying, ‘Ah my brother!’ or, ‘Ah sister!’
They won’t 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.
Lift up your voice in Bashan,
and cry from Abarim;
for all your lovers have been destroyed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity;
but you said, ‘I will not listen.’
This has been your way from your youth,
that you didn’t obey my voice.
22 The wind will feed all your shepherds,
and your lovers will go into captivity.
Surely then you will be ashamed
and confounded for all your wickedness.
23 Inhabitant of Lebanon,
who makes your nest in the cedars,
how greatly to be pitied you will be when pangs come on you,
the pain as of a woman in travail!
24 “As I live,” says Yahweh, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on my right hand, I would still pluck you from there. 25 I would give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of them of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 I will cast you out with your mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born; and there you will die. 27 But to the land to which their soul longs to return, there they will not return.”
28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel?
Is he a vessel in which no one delights?
Why are they cast out, he and his offspring,
and cast into a land which they don’t know?
29 O earth, earth, earth,
hear Yahweh’s word!
30 Yahweh says,
“Record this man as childless,
a man who will not prosper in his days;
for no more will a man of his offspring prosper,
sitting on David’s throne,
and ruling in Judah.”
Jeremiah 22
English Standard Version
22 Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word, 2 and say, (A)‘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 these gates. 3 Thus says the Lord: (B)Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And (C)do no wrong or violence (D)to the resident alien, (E)the fatherless, and the widow, nor (F)shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed obey this word, (G)then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. 5 But if you will not obey these words, I (H)swear by myself, declares the Lord, that (I)this house shall become a desolation. 6 For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“‘You are like Gilead to me,
like the summit of (J)Lebanon,
yet surely I will make you a desert,
(K)an uninhabited city.[a]
7 (L)I will prepare destroyers against you,
each with his weapons,
(M)and they shall cut down your choicest cedars
and cast them into the fire.
8 “‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, (N)“Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?” 9 (O)And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.”’”
10 (P)Weep not for him who is dead,
nor grieve for him,
(Q)but weep bitterly for him who goes away,
for he shall return no more
to see his native land.
Message to the Sons of Josiah
11 For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and (R)who went away from this place: “He shall return here no more, 12 but (S)in the place where they have carried him captive, there shall he die, and he shall never see this land again.”
13 (T)“Woe to him who builds his house by (U)unrighteousness,
and his upper rooms by injustice,
(V)who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing
and does not give him his wages,
14 who says, ‘I will build myself a great house
with spacious upper rooms,’
who cuts out windows for it,
paneling it with cedar
and (W)painting it with vermilion.
15 Do you think you are a king
because you compete in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
and (X)do justice and righteousness?
(Y)Then it was well with him.
16 (Z)He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
(AA)then it was well.
Is not this (AB)to know me?
declares the Lord.
17 But you have eyes and heart
only for your dishonest gain,
(AC)for shedding innocent blood,
and for practicing oppression and violence.”
18 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
(AD)“They shall not lament for him, saying,
(AE)‘Ah, my brother!’ or ‘Ah, sister!’
They shall not lament for him, saying,
(AF)‘Ah, lord!’ or ‘Ah, his majesty!’
19 With the burial of a donkey (AG)he shall be buried,
dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”
20 “Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,
and lift up your voice in Bashan;
cry out from (AH)Abarim,
for all (AI)your lovers are destroyed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
but you said, ‘I will not listen.’
(AJ)This has been your way from (AK)your youth,
that you have not obeyed my voice.
22 (AL)The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds,
and (AM)your lovers shall go into captivity;
(AN)then you will be ashamed and confounded
because of all your evil.
23 O inhabitant of (AO)Lebanon,
nested among the cedars,
how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you,
(AP)pain as of a woman in labor!”
24 (AQ)“As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were (AR)the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off 25 and (AS)give you (AT)into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 (AU)I will hurl you and (AV)the 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 will long to return, there they shall not return.”
28 Is this man (AW)Coniah a despised, broken pot,
a (AX)vessel no one cares for?
Why are he and his children hurled and cast
into a (AY)land that they do not know?
29 (AZ)O land, land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 Thus says the Lord:
“Write this man down as (BA)childless,
a man who shall not succeed in his days,
(BB)for none of his offspring shall succeed
(BC)in sitting on the throne of David
and ruling again in Judah.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 22:6 Hebrew cities
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
