Jeremiah 22

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

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

2 And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter by these gates:

And thou shalt say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:

3 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver him that is laid waste 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.

Thus hath said the Lord, Execute ye justice and righteousness, and deliver him that is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor; and the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow shall ye not oppress, and do them no violence, and shed no innocent blood in this place.

4 For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter, 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.

For if ye indeed will do this thing, then shall enter in through the gates of this house kings sitting after David upon his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

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

But if ye will not hear these words, then do I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a ruin.

6 For thus saith the LORD to the king's house of Judah; Thou [art] Gilead to me, [and] the head of Lebanon; [yet] surely I will make thee a wilderness, [and] cities [which] are not inhabited.

For thus hath said the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah, A Gil'ad [though] thou art unto me, a summit of the Lebanon: yet I will surely change thee into a wilderness, cities which are not inhabited.

7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast [them] into the fire.

And I will make ready against thee destroyers, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down the choice of thy cedars, and cast them into the fire.

8 And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Why hath the LORD done thus to this great city?

And [when] many nations [then] pass by this city, they will say every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath the Lord done the like unto this great city?

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

Then shall they say, Because they had forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and bowed down unto other gods, and served them.

10 Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: [but] weep bitterly for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.

Weep not for the dead, and do not bemoan him: weep sorely for him that goeth away; for he shall never return any more, and see the land of his birth.

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

For thus hath said the Lord respecting Shallum the son of Josiah the king of Judah, who reigneth in the place of Josiah his father, who is gone forth out of this place, He shall never return thither any more;

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

But in the place whither they have led him into exile, there shall he die; but this land shall he not see any more.

13 Woe to him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; [that] useth his neighbor's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;

Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice; that maketh his neighbor work without wages, and giveth him not the reward for his labor;

14 That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and [it is] ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.

That saith, I will build me a roomy house, and ample chambers, and cutteth himself out windows, and ceileth it with cedar, and painteth it with colors.

15 Shalt thou reign, because thou closest [thyself] in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, [and] then [it was] well with him?

Shalt thou reign, because thou strivest to excel with cedar buildings? behold, thy father ate and drank, but he executed justice and righteousness: then was it well with him!

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

He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then was it well: is not this the proper knowledge of me? saith the Lord.

17 But thy eyes and thy heart [are] only for thy covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do [it].

But thy eyes and thy heart are directed on nothing but upon thy own gain, and upon innocent blood to shed it, and upon oppression, and upon extortion, to practise them.

18 Therefore thus saith 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!

Therefore thus hath said the Lord concerning Jehoyakim the son of Josiah the king of Judah, They shall not lament for him, with, “Woe, my brother!” and, “Woe, sister!” they shall not lament for him, with “Woe, lord!” and, “Woe, to his glory!”

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

With the burial of an ass shall he be buried, dragged about and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

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

Ascend the Lebanon, and cry aloud; and let thy voice resound in Bashan; and cry aloud from 'Aharim; for crushed are all thy lovers.

21 I spoke to thee in thy prosperity; [but] thou saidest, I will not hear. This [hath been] thy manner from thy youth, that thou hast not obeyed my voice.

I spoke unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy very youth, that thou didst not hearken to my voice.

22 The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.

The wind shall scatter abroad all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded because of all thy wickedness.

23 O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!

O inhabitress of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how full of grace wilt thou be! when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!

24 [As] I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;

As I live, saith the Lord, though Conyahu the son of Jehoyakim the king of Judah were a signet upon my right hand, yet for a surety would I thence pluck thee;

25 And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand [of them] whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

And I will give thee into the hand of those that seek thy life, and into the hand of those of whom thou art afraid, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26 And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bore thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.

And I will hurl thee out, and thy mother that hath born thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.

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

But to the land whitherward they direct their soul to return, thither shall they not return.

28 [Is] this man Coniah a despised broken idol? [is he] a vessel in which [is] no pleasure? why are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?

Is this man Conyahu a despised broken image? or a vessel without value? wherefore are they hurled out, he and his seed, and are cast forth into a land which they know not?

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

O land, land, land! hear the word of the Lord.

30 Thus saith the LORD, Write ye 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.

Thus hath said the Lord, Write ye down this man as childless, as a man that shall not prosper in his days; for no man of his seed shall succeed to sit upon the throne of David, and to rule any more in Judah.