Jeremiah 22

1 This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there,

2 saying, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David—you and your officials and your people who enter these gates.

3 This is what the LORD says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place.

4 For if you will indeed carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will enter through the gates of this palace riding on chariots and horses—they and their officials and their people.

5 But if you do not obey these words, then I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that this house will become a pile of rubble.’”

6 For this is what the LORD says concerning the house of the king of Judah: “You are like Gilead to Me, like the summit of Lebanon; but I will surely turn you into a desert, like cities that are uninhabited.

7 I will appoint destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut down the choicest of your cedars and throw them into the fire.

8 And many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’

9 Then people will reply, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’”

10 Do not weep for him who is dead; do not mourn his loss. Weep bitterly for him who is exiled, for he will never return to see his native land.

11 For this is what the LORD says concerning Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who succeeded his father Josiah but has gone forth from this place: “He will never return,

12 but he will die in the place to which he was exiled; he will never see this land again.”

13 “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages,

14 who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion.

15 Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him.

16 He took up the cause of the poor and needy, and so it went well with him. Is this not what it means to know Me?” declares the LORD.

17 “But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.”

18 Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’

19 He will be buried like a donkey, dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.

20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out; raise your voice in Bashan; cry out from Abarim, for all your lovers have been crushed.

21 I warned you when you were secure. You said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your way from youth, that you have not obeyed My voice.

22 The wind will drive away all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity. Then you will be ashamed and humiliated because of all your wickedness.

23 O inhabitant of Lebanon, nestled in the cedars, how you will groan when pangs of anguish come upon you, agony like a woman in labor.”

24 “As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off.

25 In fact, I will hand you over to those you dread, who want to take your life—to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Chaldeans.

26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another land, where neither of you were born—and there you both will die.

27 You will never return to the land for which you long.”

28 Is this man Coniah a despised and shattered pot, a jar that no one wants? Why are he and his descendants hurled out and cast into a land they do not know?

29 O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!

30 This is what the LORD says: “Enroll this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime. None of his descendants will prosper to sit on the throne of David or to rule again in Judah.”

1 ¶ Thus saith 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 in by these gates:

3 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye 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 For if ye 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 ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.

6 For thus saith the LORD unto the king's house of Judah; Thou [art] Gilead unto me, [and] the head of Lebanon: [yet] surely I will make thee a wilderness, [and] 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.

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

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

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

11 For thus saith the LORD touching 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 But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.

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

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

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?

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.

17 But thine eyes and thine heart [are] not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do [it].

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!

19 He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn 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.

21 I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; [but] thou saidst, I will not hear. This [hath been] thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not 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.

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!

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;

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 Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

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

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

28 [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 O earth, earth, earth, 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.

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

2 And say, Hear the word of the LORD, thou king of Judah, which sittest upon the throne of David, both thou, and thy servants, and thy people, which go in unto these gates.

3 Thus saith the LORD; Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the wicked; and afflict not the stranger, nor the fatherless, nor the widow; neither do violence to any man, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

4 And if ye do so, then shall enter in at the gates of this house kings that sit on David's throne, both of them in chariots, and on horses, with their servants, and their people.

5 But if ye will not obey these things, I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall be destroyed.

6 For thus saith the LORD concerning the house of the king of Judah, Gilead, thou art the head of Lebanon unto me: what matter, I will make thee a desolation, and the cities without inhabitant?

7 For I have appointed spoilers against thee, every man with his weapons; and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.

8 Then shall many nations pass by before this city, and say one to another, Why hath the LORD dealt so with this great city?

9 And they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and have worshipped other gods, and served them;

10 Weep not for the dead, neither grieve for them: but weep for him that goeth away: for he shall never come again to see his country.

11 For thus saith the LORD concerning Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which is king instead of Josiah his father, which went out from this place; He shall not come again,

12 But shall die in the place whither he is carried captive, and shall see this land no more.

13 Woe unto him that buildeth his house with sins, and his chambers with iniquity, that maketh his neighbour to work for nought, and giveth him not his hire.

14 And he said, Well, I will build me a great house, and large palaces: and he made windows in them, and wainscotted them with cedar, and painted them red.

15 Thinkest thou that thou wilt be king, because thou art clothed with cedars? Did not thy father also eat and drink, and yet keep judgment and righteousness, and prosper?

16 He helped the poor and needy to judgment, and he was well. Is it not so, that this is my right knowledge? saith the LORD.

17 But thine eyes and thine heart are not so, but upon thy covetousness, upon shedding innocent blood, upon sacrilege, and upon oppression.

18 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament him, Brother, sister. He shall not be accosted, O lord, O noble one!

19 He shall be buried like an ass, bruised and cast out at the gates of Jerusalem.

20 Yea, go up to Lebanon, and cry, and be heard in Bashan, and cry from Abarim: for all thy lovers are miserably slain.

21 I foretold thee, while it was yet well with thee; but thou saidst: I will not hearken. So hast thou done all thy days, that thou hast not hearkened unto my voice.

22 The wind feedeth all thy shepherds, and thy lovers go in captivity: thou shalt be mocked and confounded for all thy wickedness.

23 Thou that dwellest now in Lebanon, and nestestestest in cedars, how fair shalt thou see when sorrows and woes shall come unto thee, as one in childbearing!

24 As I live, saith the LORD, if Chaniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring upon my right hand, I would break thee off.

25 And deliver them into the hand of them that seek thy life, of whom thou art afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26 And I will drive thee, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, which is not thy fatherland; and there thou shalt die.

27 And into the land, where they would gladly return with their hearts, they shall not return.

28 What a wretched, despised, rejected man is Chania, an unworthy vessel! Oh, how he is driven away with his seed, and cast into an unknown land!

29 O land, land, land; hear the word of the LORD!

30 Thus saith the LORD; Write unto this man for a corrupt man, a man that shall not prosper all his days. For he shall not prosper, that one of his seed shall sit upon the throne of David, and reign in Judah any more.