Jeremiah 22

1 Thus said the LORD: "Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,

Thus said YHWH: “Go down [to] the house of the king of Judah, and you have spoken this word there, and have said,

2 Say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter in by these gates.

Hear a word of YHWH, O king of Judah, who are sitting on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people, who are coming in at these gates,”

3 Thus says the LORD: "Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the foreigner, the fatherless, nor the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this place.

Thus said YHWH: “Do judgment and righteousness, And deliver the plundered from the hand of the oppressor, And sojourner, orphan, and widow, you do not oppress nor wrong, And innocent blood you do not shed in this place.

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

For if you certainly do this thing, Then kings sitting for David on his throne Have come in by the gates of this house, Riding on chariot, and on horses, He, and his servants, and his people.

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

And if you do not hear these words, I have sworn by Myself,” A declaration of YHWH, “That this house is for a desolation.”

6 For thus says the LORD 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.

For thus said YHWH concerning the house of the king of Judah: “You [are] Gilead to Me—head of Lebanon, If not—I make you a wilderness, Cities [that] are not inhabited.

7 I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons; and they shall cut down your choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.

And I have separated destroyers for you, Each with his weapons, And they have cut down the choice of your cedars, And have cast them on the fire.”

8 Many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this great city?'

And many nations have passed by this city, And they have each said to his neighbor, “Why has YHWH done thus to this great city?”

9 Then they shall answer, 'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods, and served them.'

And they have said, “Because that they have forsaken The covenant of their God YHWH, And bow themselves to other gods, and serve them.”

10 Do not weep for the dead, neither bemoan him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away; for he shall return no more, nor see his native country."

You do not weep for the dead, nor bemoan for him, Weep severely for the traveler, For he does not return again, Nor has he seen the land of his birth.

11 For thus says the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went forth out of this place: "He shall not return there any more.

For thus said YHWH concerning Shallum son of Josiah king of Judah, who is reigning instead of his father Josiah, who has gone forth from this place: “He does not return here again;

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

For he dies in the place to where they have removed him, And he does not see this land again.

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;

Woe to him who is building his house by unrighteousness, And his upper chambers by injustice, He lays service on his neighbor for nothing, And he does not give his wage to him.

14 who says, "I will build me a wide house and spacious rooms," and cuts him out windows; and it is ceiling with cedar, and painted with vermilion.

Who is saying, I build a large house for myself, And airy upper chambers, And he has cut out its windows for himself, Covered with cedar, and painted with vermillion.

15 Shall you reign, because you strive to excel in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.

Do you reign, because you are fretting yourself in cedar? Your father—did he not eat and drink? Indeed, he did judgment and righteousness, Then [it is] well with him.

16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Wasn't this to know me?' says the LORD.

He decided the cause of the poor and needy, Then [it is] well—is it not to know Me?” A declaration of YHWH.

17 "But your eyes and your heart are not but for your covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it."

“But your eyes and your heart are not, Except on your dishonest gain, And on shedding of innocent blood, And on oppression, and on doing of violence.”

18 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: "they shall not lament for him, saying, 'Alas my brother. or, Alas sister.' They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Alas lord.' or, 'Alas his majesty.'

Therefore, thus said YHWH concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They do not lament for him, Oh, my brother! And, Oh, my sister! They do not lament for him, Oh, lord! And, Oh, his splendor!

19 He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

He is buried [with] the burial of a donkey, Dragged and cast out there to the gates of Jerusalem.

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

Go up to Lebanon, and cry, And give forth your voice in Bashan, And cry from Abarim, For all loving you have been destroyed.

21 I spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said, 'I will not hear.' This has been your way from your youth, that you did not obey my voice.

I have spoken to you in your ease, You have said, I do not listen, This [is] your way from your youth, For you have not listened to My voice.

22 The wind shall feed all your shepherds, and your lovers shall go into captivity: surely then you will be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness.

Wind consumes all your friends, And your lovers go into captivity, Surely then you are ashamed, And have blushed for all your wickedness.

23 Inhabitant of Lebanon, who makes your nest in the cedars, how greatly you will groan when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail.

O dweller in Lebanon, making a nest among cedars, How gracious have you been when pangs come to you, Pain—as of a travailing woman.”

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

“[As] I live,” A declaration of YHWH, “Though Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah was a seal on My right hand, surely there I draw you away,

25 and I will 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.

And I have given you into the hand of those seeking your life, And into hands of which you are afraid, Into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, And into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26 I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country, where you were not born; and there you will die.

And I have cast you, And your mother who bore you, to another country, Where you were not born, and you die there.

27 But to the land whereunto their soul longs to return, there shall they not return."

And to the land to where they are lifting up their soul to return, They do not return there.”

28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? Is he a vessel in which none delights? Why are they cast out, he and his descendants, and cast into a land that they do not know?

A grief—a despised broken thing—is this man Coniah? A vessel in which there is no pleasure? Why have they been cast up and down, He and his seed, Indeed, were they cast on to a land that they did not know?

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

Earth, earth, earth, hear a word of YHWH!

30 Thus says the LORD, "Write this man down childless, a man who will not succeed in his days; for none of his descendants will succeed in sitting on the throne of David, and ruling in Judah.

Thus said YHWH: “Write this man down [as] childless, A man—he does not prosper in his days, For none of his seed prospers, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling in Judah again!”