Jeremiah 22

1 This is what the Lord says: Go to the palace of the king of Judah and give this message.

Thus says the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,

2 Tell them: Listen to what the Lord has to say to you, king of Judah, sitting on the throne of David, you and your officials and the people here with you.

And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sit upon the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people that enter in by these gates:

3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is fair and right. Protect those who are being unjustly treated by corrupt people. Don't do anything wrong to foreigners, orphans, or the widows. Don't use violence against them. Don't kill innocent people.

Thus says the LORD; Execute all of you judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

4 If you will honestly do what I tell you, then kings who sit on David's throne will ride on chariots and horses with their officials through the gates of this palace. They'll be accompanied by the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem.

For if all of you do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

5 But if you refuse to obey what I say, then I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that this palace will be turned into rubble.

But if all of you will not hear these words, I swear by myself, says the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.

6 This is what the Lord says about the royal family of the king of Judah: You are as dear to me as the forests on Gilead and on the mountains of Lebanon. But I will turn you into a desert, into towns where no one lives.

For thus says the LORD unto the king's house of Judah; You are Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make you a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.

7 I will choose men to come and destroy you, each with their own ax. They will chop down your fine cedars and throw them in the fire.

And I will prepare destroyers against you, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down your choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.

8 Foreigners from many nations will pass by this city and ask each another, “Why has the Lord done such terrible things to this great city?”

And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore has the LORD done thus unto this great city?

9 People will answer, “Because they broke the agreement of the Lord their God. They went and worshiped other gods.”

Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.

10 Don't weep over the king that died. Don't mourn for him. Instead weep for the king who is exiled, who will never return, who will never see his homeland again.

Weep all of you not for the dead, neither lament for him: but weep sore for him that goes away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.

11 This is what the Lord says about Jehoahaz of Josiah, king of Judah. He succeeded his father Josiah but was taken away. He will never return.

For thus says the LORD concerning Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more:

12 He will die in exile; he will never see this country again.

But he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.

13 Trouble is coming to Jehoiakim because he mistreats others in building his palace, by dealing unfairly with those constructing the upper floors. He makes his own people work for nothing—he doesn't pay them any wages.

Woe unto him that builds his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that uses his neighbour's service without wages, and gives him not for his work;

14 He says to himself, “I'm going to build myself a great palace, with large upper rooms.” He has windows inserted, puts in cedar panels, and paints it bright red with vermilion.

That says, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cuts him out windows; and it is covered over with cedar, and painted with vermilion.

15 Does it make you a king just because you have more cedar than anyone else? Your father had food and drink, didn't he? He ruled fairly and honestly, and he had a good life because of this.

Shall you reign, because you close yourself in cedar? did not your father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?

16 He defended the poor and those in need, and so things went well. Isn't this what knowing me really means? declares the Lord.

He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? says the LORD.

17 But all you're looking for, all you think about, is getting whatever you want, however dishonestly. You kill the innocent, you violently mistreat and exploit your people.

But your eyes and your heart are not but for your covetousness, and in order to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

18 So this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah: They won't mourn for him, saying: “How sad, my brother! How sad my sister!” They won't mourn for him, saying: “How sad, my lord! How sad, his majesty!”

Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!

19 His burial will be that of a donkey. He'll be dragged off and thrown away outside the gates of Jerusalem.

He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

20 Go to Lebanon and cry for help! Shout in Bashan! Scream from Abarim! For all your lovers have been destroyed.

Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up your voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: for all your lovers are destroyed.

21 I warned you when you thought you were safe and sound. But you replied, “I'm not going to listen!” That's been your attitude since you were young—you never did what I told you.

I spoke unto you in your prosperity; but you said, I will not hear. This has been your manner from your youth, that you obeyed not my voice.

22 The wind will blow away all your “shepherds,” and your lovers will go into exile. Then you will be shamed and disgraced because of all the evil things you've done.

The wind shall eat up all your pastors, and your lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shall you be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness.

23 You who live in “Lebanon” in your cedar nest, how much you're going to groan when agonizing pains hit you like a woman in labor.

O inhabitant of Lebanon, that make your nest in the cedars, how gracious shall you be when pangs come upon you, the pain as of a woman in travail!

24 The Lord said to Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah: As I live, declares the Lord, even if you were a signet ring on a finger of my right hand, I would pull you off.

As I live, says the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck you thence;

25 I'm going to hand you over to those who terrify you and who want to kill you, to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and the Babylonians.

And I will give you into the hand of them that seek your life, and into the hand of them whose face you fear, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26 I'm going to throw you out—you and the mother who gave birth to you—sending you to another country. Neither of you were born there, but both of you will die there.

And I will cast you out, and your mother that bare you, into another country, where all of you were not born; and there shall all of you die.

27 You won't ever return to the country you love so much.

But to the land unto which they desire to return, thither shall they not return.

28 Who is this man Jehoiachin? A broken pot that's been thrown away, something nobody wants? Why has he and his children been thrown out, exiled in an unfamiliar country?

Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?

29 My country, my country, my country! Listen to what the Lord has to say!

O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

30 This is what the Lord says: Put this man down as having no children. He's a man who won't ever be successful in his whole life. None of his children will ever be successful either. None of them will sit on David's throne or be king in Judah.

Thus says the LORD, Write all of you this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.