Jeremiah 22

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

1This is what the LORD said: Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and deliver this message there.

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

2Say: ‘Listen to the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you, your officials, and your people who come through these gates.

3Thus saith Jehovah: Execute ye justice and righteousness, and deliver him that is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the sojourner, the fatherless, nor the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this place.

3This is what the LORD says: Do what is fair and right. Rescue those who have been robbed from the hand of their oppressor. Do not mistreat or do violence to the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow, and do not kill innocent people in this place.

4For 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.

4If you are careful to obey these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will continue to come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people.

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

5But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that this palace will become a pile of ruins.’

6For thus saith Jehovah concerning the house of the king 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.

6For this is what the LORD says about the palace of the king of Judah: ‘To me you are like the fertile land of Gilead or the peaks of Lebanon, but I will surely turn you into a desert, like cities where no one lives.

7And 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.

7I will appoint destroyers against you, each with his weapons; they will cut down your finest cedar beams and throw them into the fire.

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

8People from many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, “Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?”

9Then they shall answer, Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.

9And the answer will be, “Because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD their God and worshiped and served other gods.”’

10Weep 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.

10Do not weep for the dead king or mourn for him. Instead, weep bitterly for the one who is sent away into exile, because he will never return or see his native land again.

11For thus saith Jehovah 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 thither any more;

11For this is what the LORD says about Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who succeeded his father Josiah as king and has gone into exile from this place: ‘He will never return.

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

12He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will never see this land again.’

13Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice; that useth his neighbor’s service without wages, and giveth him not his hire;

13How terrible it will be for the man who builds his palace by unfairness and its upper rooms by injustice, making his neighbors work for nothing and not paying them their wages.

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

14He says, ‘I will build myself a huge palace with wide upper rooms.’ He cuts out windows for it, panels it with cedar, and paints it bright red.

15Shalt thou reign, because thou strivest to excel in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? then it was well with him.

15Does having a lot of cedar make you a great king? Your father had plenty to eat and drink, but he also did what was right and just, so everything went well for him.

16He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this to know me? saith Jehovah.

16He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so things went well. Isn't that what it means to know me?’ declares the LORD.

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

17‘But your eyes and your heart are set on nothing but dishonest gain, on spilling innocent blood, and on practicing oppression and violence.’

18Therefore thus saith Jehovah 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!

18Therefore, this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah: ‘No one will mourn for him, crying, “Oh, my brother!” or “Oh, my sister!” No one will mourn for him, crying, “Oh, master!” or “Oh, his glory!”

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

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

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

20Go up to Lebanon and cry out; let your voice be heard in Bashan; cry out from Abarim, for all your allies have been crushed.

21I 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.

21I spoke to you when you felt secure, but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your way since you were young; you have never obeyed me.

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

22The wind will drive away all your leaders as if they were sheep, and your allies will go into captivity. Then you will surely be ashamed and disgraced because of all your wickedness.

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

23You who live in ‘Lebanon,’ tucked away in your cedar buildings, how you will groan when the pain hits you, like the labor pains of a woman giving birth!

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

24‘As surely as I live,’ declares the LORD, ‘even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.

25and I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them of whom thou art afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

25I will hand you over to those who want to kill you and to those you fear—to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Babylonians.

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

26I will hurl you and the mother who gave birth to you into another country where neither of you was born, and there you both will die.

27But to the land whereunto their soul longeth to return, thither shall they not return.

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

28Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? is he a vessel wherein none delighteth? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into the land which they know not?

28Is this man Coniah like a rejected, broken pot that no one wants? Why are he and his children thrown out and cast into a land they do not know?

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

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

30Thus saith Jehovah, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days; for no more shall a man of his seed prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling in Judah.

30This is what the LORD says: ‘Record this man as if he were childless, a man who will not succeed in his lifetime. None of his descendants will succeed in sitting on David’s throne or ruling in Judah again.’