1 T hus says the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word:

Thus said Jehovah, `Go down the house of the king of Judah, and thou hast spoken there this word, and hast said,

2 H ear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, you who sit upon the throne of David—you and your servants and your people who enter by these gates.

Hear a word of Jehovah, O king of Judah, who art sitting on the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people, who are coming in at these gates,

3 T hus says the Lord: Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver out of the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong; do no violence to the stranger or temporary resident, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

Thus said Jehovah: Do ye judgment and righteousness, And deliver the plundered from the hand of the oppressor, And sojourner, orphan, and widow, ye do not oppress nor wrong, And innocent blood ye do not shed in this place.

4 F or if you will indeed obey this word, then will there enter in through the gates of this house kings sitting upon David’s throne, riding in chariots and on horses—they and their servants and their people.

For, if ye certainly do this thing, Then come in by the gates of this house Have kings sitting for David on his throne, Riding on chariot, and on horses, He, and his servants, and his people.

5 B ut if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself, says the Lord, that this house will become a desolation.

And if ye do not hear these words, By myself I have sworn -- an affirmation of Jehovah, That this house is for a desolation.

6 F or thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah: you are to Me as Gilead or as the summit of Lebanon, yet surely I will make you a wilderness and uninhabited cities.

For thus said Jehovah, Concerning the house of the king of Judah: Gilead thou to Me -- head of Lebanon, If not -- I make thee a wilderness, Cities not inhabited.

7 A nd I will prepare, solemnly set apart, and appoint destroyers, each with his weapons, and they will cut down your choicest cedars and cast them into the fire.

And I have separated for thee destroyers, Each with his weapons, And they have cut down the choice of thy cedars, And have cast them on the fire.

8 A nd many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, Why has the Lord done this to this great city?

And many nations have passed by this city, And they have said, each to his neighbour, For what hath Jehovah done thus to this great city?

9 T hen they will answer, Because forsook the covenant or solemn pledge with the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.

And they have said, `Because that they have forsaken The covenant of Jehovah their God, And bow themselves to other gods, and serve them.'

10 W eep not for him who is dead nor bemoan him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more nor see his native country.

Ye do not weep for the dead, nor bemoan for him, Weep ye sore for the traveller, For he doth not return again, Nor hath he seen the land of his birth.

11 F or thus says the Lord concerning Shallum son of Josiah king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father and who went forth out of this place: shall not return here any more;

For thus said Jehovah concerning Shallum son of Josiah king of Judah, who is reigning instead of Josiah his father, who hath gone forth from this place: He doth not turn back hither again;

12 B ut he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and he shall see this land no more.

For in the place whither they have removed him he dieth, And this land he doth not see again.

13 W oe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by injustice, who uses his neighbor’s service without wages and does not give him his pay,

Wo to him who is building his house by unrighteousness, And his upper chambers by injustice, On his neighbour he layeth service for nought, And his wage he doth not give to him.

14 W ho says, I will build myself a wide house with large rooms, and he cuts himself out windows, and it is ceiled or paneled with cedar and painted with vermilion.

Who is saying, `I build for myself a large house, And airy upper chambers,' And he hath cut out for himself its windows, Ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermillion.

15 D o you think that being a king means vying and striving to excel in cedar ? Did not your father, as he ate and drank, do justice and righteousness ? Then it was well with him.

Dost thou reign, because thou art fretting thyself in cedar? Thy father -- did he not eat and drink? Yea, he did judgment and righteousness, Then well with him.

16 H e judged and defended the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this to know and recognize Me? says the Lord.

He decided the cause of the poor and needy, Then well -- is it not to know Me? An affirmation of Jehovah.

17 B ut your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness and dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, for oppression and doing violence.

But thine eyes and thy heart are not, Except on thy dishonest gain, And on shedding of innocent blood, And on oppression, and on doing of violence.

18 T herefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: shall not lament for him, saying, Ah, my brother! or, Ah, sister, shall not lament for him saying, Ah, lord! or Ah, his majesty! or Ah, his glory!

Therefore, thus said Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: They do not lament for him, Ah, my brother, and Ah, sister, They do not lament for him, Ah, lord, and Ah, his honour.

19 h e shall be buried with the burial of a donkey—dragged out and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

The burial of an ass -- he is buried, Dragged and cast out thence to the gates of Jerusalem.

20 G o up to Lebanon and cry out, and raise your voice in of Bashan, and cry out from Abarim, for all your lovers (the king’s chosen allies) are destroyed.

Go up to Lebanon, and cry, And in Bashan give forth thy voice, And cry from Abarim, For destroyed have been all loving thee.

21 I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, I will not listen! This has been your attitude from your youth; you have not obeyed My voice.

I have spoken unto thee in thine ease, Thou hast said, `I do not hearken,' This thy way from thy youth, For thou hast not hearkened to My voice.

22 T he wind shall pasture upon and consume all your shepherds (your princes and statesmen), and your lovers (allies) shall go into captivity. Surely then shall you be ashamed and confounded and dismayed because of all your wickedness.

All thy friends consume doth wind, And thy lovers into captivity do go, Surely then thou art ashamed, And hast blushed for all thy wickedness.

23 O inhabitant of Lebanon, you who make your nest among the cedars, how you will groan and how pitiable you will be when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in childbirth!

O dweller in Lebanon, making a nest among cedars, How gracious hast thou been when pangs come to thee, Pain -- as of a travailing woman.

24 A s I live, says the Lord, though Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon My right hand, yet would I tear you off.

I live -- an affirmation of Jehovah, Though Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah Were a seal on My right hand, Surely thence I draw thee away,

25 A nd I will give you into the hands of those who seek your life and into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and into the hands of the Chaldeans.

And I have given thee into the hand of those seeking thy life, And into hands of which thou art afraid, Into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, And into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26 A nd I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you will die.

And I have cast thee, And thy mother who bore thee, unto another country, Where ye were not born, and there do ye die.

27 B ut to the land to which they will yearn to return, there they will not return.

And to the land whither they are lifting up their soul to return, Thither they do not return.

28 I s this man Coniah a despised, broken pot? Is he a vessel in which no one takes pleasure? Why are they hurled out, he and his royal offspring, and cast into a land which they do not know, understand, or recognize?

A grief -- a despised broken thing -- is this man Coniah? A vessel in which there is no pleasure? Wherefore have they been cast up and down, He and his seed, Yea, they were cast on to a land that they knew not?

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

Earth, earth, earth, hear a word of Jehovah,

30 T hus says the Lord: Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days, for no man of his offspring shall succeed in sitting upon the throne of David and ruling any more in Judah.

Thus said Jehovah: Write ye this man childless, A man -- he doth not prosper in his days, For none of his seed doth prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling again in Judah!