Add parallel Print Page Options

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.’”

Read full chapter

Instructions for the Kings of Judah

22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and tell him this: ‘Listen to this message from the Lord, king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David—you, your officials,[a] and your people who enter these gates. This is what the Lord says: “Uphold justice and righteousness. Deliver from their oppressor those who have been robbed. Don’t mistreat or do violence to the alien, the orphan, or the widow, or shed the blood of innocent people in this place. Rather, carefully obey this message,[b] and then kings sitting for David on his throne and riding in chariots and on horses will enter the gates of this house. The king will enter along with his officials[c] and his people. But if you don’t listen to these words, I swear,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a ruin.”’” For this is what the Lord says about the house of the king of Judah,

“You are like Gilead to me,
    like the summit of Lebanon.
Yet I’ll surely make you a desert,
    towns where no one lives.
I’ll appoint people to destroy you—
    men with their weapons.
They’ll cut down some of your choice cedars[d]
    and incinerate them.

“Many nations will pass by this city and say to one another, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this great city?’ Then people[e] will respond, ‘It is[f] because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have bowed down to other gods and served them.’

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:2 Or your servants
  2. Jeremiah 22:4 Or do this thing
  3. Jeremiah 22:4 Lit. house, he, his officials
  4. Jeremiah 22:7 I.e. a genus of coniferous evergreen in the family Pinaceae; and so throughout the book
  5. Jeremiah 22:9 Lit. they’ll say
  6. Jeremiah 22:9 The Heb. lacks It is