Jeremiah 22

The LORD sent Jeremiah to the king's house to demand justice and righteousness, warning that if they disobeyed, the palace would become a desolation. He pronounced judgment on Shallum, Jehoiakim, and Coniah, declaring that Coniah would be cast out and none of his descendants would prosper sitting on the throne of David.

v	King James Version	Modern English
1	Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,	This is what the LORD says: "Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there.
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:	Say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, king of Judah, You who sit on David's throne — you, your officials, and your people who come through 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, and the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.	This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor those who have been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not 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.	If you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses — they and their officials and their 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 You do not obey these commands, I swear by Myself,' says the LORD, 'that this palace will become a ruin.'"
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.	For this is what the LORD says about the palace of the king of Judah: "Though you are like Gilead to Me, like the summit of Lebanon, I will surely make You a desert, like towns 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.	I will send destroyers against You, each armed with weapons. They will cut down Your finest cedars and throw 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?	People from 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 they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.	And the answer will be: 'Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.'"
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.	Do not weep for the dead king or mourn for Him. Rather weep bitterly for the one who is exiled, because he will never return or see His native land again.
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:	For this is what the LORD says about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father Josiah as king of Judah but has gone from this place: "He will never return here.
12	But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.	He will die in the place where they have taken Him captive. He will not see this land again."
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;	"Woe to Him who builds His palace by unrighteous means and His upper rooms by injustice — who makes His neighbors work for nothing, paying them no wages.
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.	He says, 'I will build myself a great palace with spacious upper rooms.' So He makes large windows in it, panels it with cedar and decorates it in red.
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?	Does it make You a king to have more and more cedar? Did not Your father eat and drink and do justice and what is right? Then things went well for 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 defended the cause of the poor and needy. Then things went well. Is that not what it means to know Me?' says 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.	But Your eyes and Your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on oppression and extortion."
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 this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah: "They will not mourn for him, saying, 'Alas, my brother!' or 'Alas, my sister!' They will not mourn for Him, saying, 'Alas, my master! Alas, His splendor!'
19	He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.	He will have the burial of a donkey — dragged away and thrown outside 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.	"Go up to Lebanon and cry out. Raise Your voice in Bashan. Cry out from Abarim, for all Your allies are crushed.
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.	I warned You when You felt secure, but You said, 'I will not listen!' This has been Your pattern since Your youth — you have not obeyed Me.
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 will drive away all Your shepherds, and Your allies will go into exile. Then You will be ashamed and disgraced because of all Your 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!	You who live in Lebanon, who are nestled in cedar buildings, how You will groan when pain comes upon You — pain like that of a woman in labor!
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 surely as I live," says the LORD, "even if You, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would still pull You off.
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.	I will hand you over to those who seek your life, those you fear — Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.
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.	I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born. There you will die.
27	But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return.	You will never come back to the land you long to return to."
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?	Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot — an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out and thrown into a land they do not know?
29	O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.	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.	This is what the LORD says: "Record this man as childless — a man who will not prosper in his lifetime. None of His offspring will succeed in sitting on the throne of David or ruling in Judah."