A Message concerning Jehoiakim

13 Woe for the one who builds his palace
through unrighteousness,(A)
his upper rooms through injustice,
who makes his fellow man serve without pay
and will not give him his wages,(B)
14 who says, “I will build myself a massive palace,
with spacious upper rooms.”
He will cut windows[a] in it,
and it will be paneled with cedar
and painted with vermilion.
15 Are you a king because you excel in cedar?
Didn’t your father eat and drink
and administer justice and righteousness?(C)
Then it went well with him.
16 He took up the case of the poor and needy,
then it went well.
Is this not what it means to know Me?
This is the Lord’s declaration.
17 But you have eyes and a heart for nothing
except your own dishonest profit,
shedding innocent blood
and committing extortion and oppression.

18 Therefore, this is what the Lord says concerning Jehoiakim(D) son of Josiah, king of Judah:

They will not mourn for him, saying,
“Woe, my brother!” or “Woe, my sister!”
They will not mourn for him, saying,
“Woe, lord! Woe, his majesty!”
19 He will be buried like a donkey,(E)
dragged off and thrown
outside the gates of Jerusalem.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:14 Lit My windows

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.[a]
14 Who says ‘I will build for myself
    a spacious house with large upper rooms,’
and he cuts windows for it,
    and it is[b] paneled with cedar,
    and he paints it[c] 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?[d]declares[e] Yahweh.
17 “But there is nothing in your eyes and your heart
    except[f] your unlawful gain,
and on shedding the blood of the innocent,
    and on committing oppression and extortion.”

18 Therefore[g] 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[h] dragged away and thrown outside[i] the gates of Jerusalem.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:13 Hebrew “wage”
  2. Jeremiah 22:14 Here the subject is supplied from context in the English translation
  3. Jeremiah 22:14 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  4. Jeremiah 22:16 Literally “Not that the knowledge me”
  5. Jeremiah 22:16 Literally “a declaration of”
  6. Jeremiah 22:17 Literally “but if”
  7. Jeremiah 22:18 Literally “To thus”
  8. Jeremiah 22:19 Here the subject is supplied from context in the English translation
  9. Jeremiah 22:19 Literally “from beyond”