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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.”

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An Oracle against Jehoiakim

13 “How terrible for him who builds his house
    without righteousness,
and its upper rooms without justice,
    who makes his neighbor work for nothing,
    and does not pay him his wage.
14 How terrible for[a] him who says, ‘I’ll build a large
    house for myself with spacious upper rooms,
who cuts out windows for it,
    paneling it with cedar and painting it red.’
15 Are you a king because you try to outdo
    everyone with cedar?
Your father ate and drank and upheld
    justice and righteousness, did he not?
        And then it went well for him.
16 He judged the case of the poor and needy.
    And then it went well for him.
        Isn’t this what it means to know me?
17 But your eyes and heart are on nothing but
    your dishonest gain,
shedding the blood of innocent people,
    and practicing oppression and extortion.”

18 Therefore, this is what the Lord says about Josiah’s son Jehoiakim, king of Judah,

“They won’t lament for him with these words:[b]
    ‘How terrible, my brother,
        How terrible, my sister!’
They won’t lament for him with these words:[c]
    ‘How terrible, lord,
        How terrible, your[d] majesty!’
19 He will receive[e] a donkey’s burial,
    dragged out and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 22:14 The Heb. lacks How terrible for
  2. Jeremiah 22:18 The Heb. lacks with these words
  3. Jeremiah 22:18 The Heb. lacks with these words
  4. Jeremiah 22:18 The Heb. lacks your
  5. Jeremiah 22:19 Lit. be buried with