Old Testament · Prophets

Jeremiah chapter 22

This is what Yahweh said: “Go down to the of the and deliver this message there:Listen to the word of Yahweh, king of Judah — you who sit on — you, your officials, and your people who pass through these .This is what Yahweh says: Practice and do . Rescue the person being robbed from the hand of the oppressor. Don’t mistreat or do violence to the , the , or the widow. And don’t shed in this place.Because if you really do this — then kings who sit on David’s throne will keep entering the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses — they, their officials, and their people.But if you refuse to listen to these words, — this is — that this palace will become a ruin.Because this is what Yahweh says about the palace of the king of Judah: You are like to me, like the — but I swear I will turn you into a , towns where no one lives.I will send against you, each with his weapons. They will cut down your finest and throw them into the fire.Many nations will pass by this city, and they will ask each other, “Why did Yahweh do this to such a great city?”And the answer will come: “Because they abandoned the of Yahweh their God, and to other gods and served them.”Don’t weep for . Don’t grieve for him. Weep bitterly instead for , because he will never come back or see his homeland again.Because this is what Yahweh says about son of Josiah, king of Judah, who succeeded his father as king: “He left this place, and he will never return.He will die in the place where they him and will never see this land again.” the one who builds his palace by and his upper rooms by , who makes his neighbor work for nothing and refuses to pay their wages —who says, “I’ll build myself a sprawling palace with spacious upper rooms,” who cuts out windows for it, panels it with , and paints it .Does competing in cedar make you a king? — didn’t he eat and drink and still practice justice and do what is right? Then things went well for him.He defended the cause of , and so things went well. Isn’t that what it means ? — this is Yahweh’s declaration.But your eyes and your heart are set on nothing but your own , on shedding innocent blood, on oppression, and on .So this is what Yahweh says about son of Josiah, king of Judah: They won’t for him, saying, “Oh, my brother!” or “Oh, my sister!” They won’t mourn for him, saying, “Oh, my master!” or “Oh, his majesty!”He will be — dragged away and dumped outside the gates of Jerusalem.Go up to and cry out! Let your voice ring out in ! Scream from , because all your have been crushed.I spoke to you , but you said, “I won’t listen.” This has been your pattern since you were young — you have never listened to my voice.The will sweep away all your , and your lovers will go into exile. Then you will be shamed and humiliated because of all your corruption.You who live in , nestled among the cedars — how you will groan when the hit you, pain like a woman in labor!“As surely as I live” — this is Yahweh’s declaration — “even if son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were a on my right hand, I would still pull you off.I will hand you over to those who want you dead, to those you are terrified of — to king of Babylon and to the .I will you and into another country — a place where neither of you were born — and there you will both die.They will never return to the land they .Is this man Coniah a ? A piece of pottery no one wants? Why have he and his children been hurled away and thrown into a land they do not know?O — hear the word of Yahweh!This is what Yahweh says: Record this man as — a man who will not succeed in his lifetime. None of his descendants will succeed in sitting on or ruling over Judah again.