Jeremiah 22

1 The Lord told me,t “Go downs to the palace of the king of Judah. Give him a message from me there.t2 Say: ‘Listen, O king of Judah who follows in David’s succession.t You, your officials, and your subjects who pass through the gates of this palace must listen to what the Lord says.t3 The Lord says, “Do what is just and right. Deliver those who have been robbed from thoset who oppress them. Do not exploit or mistreat foreigners who live in your land, children who have no fathers, or widows.ts Do not kill innocent peoplets in this land.4 If you are careful tot obey these commands, then the kings who follow in David’s succession and ride in chariots or on horses will continue to come through the gates of this palace, as will their officials and their subjects.t

5 But, if you do not obey these commands, I solemnly swears that this palace will become a pile of rubble. I, the Lord, affirm it!”t

6 “‘For the Lord says concerning the palace of the king of Judah,
“This place looks like a veritable forest of Gilead to me.
It is like the wooded heights of Lebanon in my eyes.
But I swear that I will make it like a wilderness
whose towns have all been deserted.ts

7 I will send men against it to destroy its
with their axes and hatchets.
They will hack up its fine cedar panels and columns
and throw them into the fire.
8 “‘People from other nations will pass by this city. They will ask one another, “Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?”

9 The answer will come back, “It is because they broke their covenant with the Lord their God and worshiped and served other gods.”

Judgment on Jehoahaz

10 “‘Do not weep for the king who was killed.
Do not grieve for him.
But weep mournfully for the king who has gone into exile.
For he will never return to see his native land again.ts
11 “‘For the Lord has spoken about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but was carried off into exile. He has said, “He will never return to this land.t

12 For he will die in the country where they took him as a captive. He will never see this land again.”s

Judgment on Jehoiakim

13 “‘Sure to be judgeds is the king who builds his palace using injustice
and treats people unfairly while adding its upper rooms.ts
He makes his countrymen work for him for nothing.
He does not pay them for their labor.

14 He says, “I will build myself a large palace
with spacious upper rooms.”
He cuts windows in its walls,
panels its with cedar, and paints its rooms red.t

15 Does it make you any more of a king
that you outstrip everyone else int building with cedar?
Just think about your father.
He was content that he had food and drink.t
He did what was just and right.s
So things went well with him.

16 He upheld the cause of the poor and needy.
So things went well for Judah.’t
The Lord says,
‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.’ts

17 But you are always thinking and looking
for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means.
Your eyes and your heart are set
on killing some innocent person
and committing fraud and oppression.t

18 Sos the Lord has this to say about Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah:
People will not mourn for him, saying,
“This makes me sad, my brother!
This makes me sad, my sister!”
They will not mourn for him, saying,
“Poor, poor lord! Poor, poor majesty!”t

19 He will be left unburied just like a dead donkey.
His body will be dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.’”ss

Warning to Jerusalem

20 People of Jerusalem,ts go up to Lebanon and cry out in mourning.
Go to the land of Bashan and cry out loudly.
Cry out in mourning from the mountains of Moab.t
For your alliests have all been defeated.

21 While you were feeling secure I gave you warning.t
But you said, “I refuse to listen to you.”
That is the way you have acted from your earliest history onward.t
Indeed, you have never paid attention to me.

22 My judgment will carry off all your leaders like a storm wind!t
Your allies will go into captivity.
Then you will certainlyt be disgraced and put to shame
because of all the wickedness you have done.

23 You may feel as secure as a bird
nesting in the cedars of Lebanon.
But oh how yout will groant when the pains of judgment come on you.
They will be like those of a woman giving birth to a baby.s

Jeconiah Will Be Permanently Exiled

24 The Lord says,t
“As surely as I am the living God, you, Jeconiah,ts king of Judah, son of Jehoiakim, will not be the earthly representative of my authority. Indeed, I will take that right away from you.ts25 I will hand you over to those who want to take your life and of whom you are afraid. I will hand you over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his Babyloniant soldiers.26 I will force you and your mother who gave you birth into exile. You will be exiled tot a country where neither of you were born, and you will both die there.

27 You will never come back to this land to which you will long to return!”t

28 This man, Jeconiah, will be like a broken pot someone threw away.
He will be like a clay vesselt that no one wants.ts
Why will he and his children be forced into exile?
Why will they be thrown out into a country they know nothing about?s

29 O land of Judah, land of Judah, land of Judah!t
Listen to what the Lord has to say!

30 The Lord says,
“Enroll this man in the register as though he were childless.ts
Enroll him as a man who will not enjoy success during his lifetime.
For none of his sons will succeed in occupying the throne of David
or ever succeed in ruling over Judah.”

JEREMIAH 22

The [Lord] Will Punish //the King of Judah

1-3 The [Lord] sent me to the palace of the king of Judah to speak to the king, his officials, and everyone else who was there. The [Lord] told me to say:
I am the [Lord], so pay attention! You have been allowing people to cheat, rob, and take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners who live here. Innocent people have become victims of injustice, and some of them have even been killed. But now I command you to do what is right and see that justice is done. Rescue everyone who has suffered from injustice.
4 If you obey me, the kings from David's family will continue to rule Judah from this palace. They and their officials will ride in and out on their horses or in their chariots. 5 t But if you ignore me, I promise in my own name that this palace will lie in ruins.

6 Listen to what I think about it:
The palace of Judah's king
is as glorious as Gilead
or Lebanon's highest peaks.
But it will be as empty
as a ghost-town
when I'm through with it.

7 I'll send troops to tear it apart,
and its beautiful cedar beams
will be used for firewood.
8 People from different nations will pass by and ask, “Why did the [Lord] do this to such a great city as Jerusalem?”

9 Others will answer, “It's because the people worshiped foreign gods and broke the agreement that the [Lord] their God had made with them.”

King Jehoahaz

The [Lord] said:

10 King Josiah is dead,
so don't mourn for him.t
Instead, mourn for his son
King Jehoahaz,
dragged off to another country, t
never to return.

11-12  t Jehoahazt became king of Judah after his father King Josiah died. But Jehoahaz was taken as a prisoner to a foreign country. Now I, the [Lord], promise that he will die there without ever seeing his own land again.

King Jehoiakim

The [Lord] told me to say:

13 King Jehoiakim, t you are doomed!
You built a palace
with large rooms upstairs.

14 You put in big windows
and used cedar paneling
and red paint.
But you were unfair
and forced the builders to work
without pay.
*

15 More cedar in your palace
doesn't make you a better king
than your father Josiah.
He always did right—
he gave justice to the poor
and was honest.

16 That's what it means
to truly know me.
So he lived a comfortable life
and always had enough
to eat and drink.

17 But all you think about
is how to cheat
or abuse or murder
some innocent victim.

18  t Jehoiakim, no one will mourn
at your funeral.
They won't turn to each other
and ask,
“Why did our great king
have to die?”

19 You will be given a burial
fit for a donkey;
your body will be dragged
outside the city gates
and tossed in the dirt.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

King Jehoiachin and the People //of Jerusalem

The [Lord] told me to say:

20 People of Jerusalem,
the nationst you trusted
have been crushed.
Go to Lebanon and weep;
cry in the land of Bashan
and in Moab.

21 When times were good,
I warned you.
But you ignored me,
just as you have done
since Israel was young.

22 Now you will be disgraced
because of your sins.
Your leaders will be swept away
by the wind,
and the nations you trusted
will be captured and dragged
to a foreign country.

23 Those who live in the palace
paneled with cedart
will groan with pain
like women giving birth.
24  t King Jehoiachin, t son of Jehoiakim, t even if you were the ring I wear as the sign of my royal power, I would still pull you from my finger. 25 I would hand you over to the enemy you fear, to King Nebuchadnezzart and his army, who want to kill you. 26 You and your mothert were born in Judah, but I will throw both of you into a foreign country, where you will die,

27 longing to return home.

28 Jehoiachin, you are unwanted
like a broken clay pot.
So you and your children
will be thrown into a country
you know nothing about.

29 Land of Judah, I am the [Lord].
Now listen to what I say!

30 Erase the names
of Jehoiachin's children
from the royal records.
He is a complete failure,
and so none of them
will ever be king.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.