1 T hus said Yahweh: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,

The Lord says, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak this word there.

2 S ay, Hear Yahweh’s word, king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you, and your servants, and your people who enter in by these gates.

Say, ‘Hear the Word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who come through these gates.

3 Y ahweh says: Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the foreigner, the fatherless, nor the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this place.

The Lord says, “Do what is right and fair and good, and take the one who has been robbed away from the power of the one who has made it hard for him. Do not hurt or do wrong to the stranger, the one whose parents have died, or the woman whose husband has died. And do not kill those who are not guilty in this place.

4 F or if you do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting on David’s throne, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

For if you will obey this word, then kings will come through the gates of this house and sit on the throne of David. They will be in war-wagons and on horses, together with their servants and their people.

5 B ut if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself, says Yahweh, that this house shall become a desolation.

But if you will not obey these words, I promise by Myself,” says the Lord, “that this house will be destroyed.”’”

6 F or Yahweh says concerning the house of the king of Judah: You are Gilead to me, the head of Lebanon. Yet surely I will make you a wilderness, cities which are not inhabited.

For the Lord says about the house of the king of Judah: “You are like Gilead to Me, or like the top of Lebanon. Yet I will be sure to make you like a desert, like cities without people.

7 I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons; and they shall cut down your choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.

I will send destroyers against you, each with his things for fighting. And they will cut down your best cedar trees and throw them on the fire.

8 M any nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Why has Yahweh done thus to this great city?

Many nations will pass by this city, and they will say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’

9 T hen they shall answer, Because they abandoned the covenant of Yahweh their God, and worshiped other gods, and served them.

And they will answer, ‘Because they did not keep the agreement of the Lord their God. They worshiped other gods and served them.’” Words about Shallum

10 D on’t weep for the dead, neither bemoan him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away; for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.

Do not cry for the one who is dead or have sorrow for him. But cry all the time for the one who goes away, for he will never return or see the land of his birth again.

11 F or Yahweh says touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went out of this place: He shall not return there any more.

For the Lord says about Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who ruled in the place of Josiah his father, and who left this place: “He will never return.

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

He will die in the place where they took him, and he will not see this land again.” Words about Jehoiakim

13 W oe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and doesn’t give him his hire;

“It is bad for him who builds his house by wrong-doing, and his upper rooms by not being fair, who has his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not pay him,

14 w ho says, I will build me a wide house and spacious rooms, and cuts him out windows; and it is ceiling with cedar, and painted with vermilion.

who says, ‘I will build myself a big house with large upper rooms. I will cut out its windows, cover it with cedar and color it bright red.’

15 S hall you reign, because you strive to excel in cedar? Didn’t your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? then it was well with him.

Do you become a king by trying to build better houses of cedar? Did not your father eat and drink? He did what was right and fair and good, so all went well with him.

16 H e judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Wasn’t this to know me? says Yahweh.

He spoke strong words in the cause of the poor and those in need, and so all went well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” says the Lord.

17 B ut your eyes and your heart are not but for your covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

“But your eyes and heart are set only on what you can get by wrong-doing, and on killing those who are not guilty, and on making it hard for people and on hurting others.”

18 T herefore Yahweh says 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!

So the Lord says about Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, “They will not cry in sorrow for him, saying, ‘It is bad, my brother!’ or, ‘It is bad, my sister!’ They will not cry in sorrow for him, saying, ‘O lord!’ or, ‘O, how great he was!’

19 H e shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

He will be buried like they bury a donkey, pulled away and thrown out on the other side of the gates of Jerusalem. The Future of Jerusalem

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

“Go up to Lebanon and cry out. And let your voice be heard in Bashan. Cry out from Abarim also. For all your lovers have been destroyed.

21 I spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said, I will not hear. This has been your way from your youth, that you didn’t obey my voice.

I spoke to you when things were going well for you, but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your way since you were young. You have not obeyed My voice.

22 T he wind shall feed all your shepherds, and your lovers shall go into captivity: surely then you will be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness.

The wind will take away all your shepherds, and your lovers will be taken away in chains. Then you will be ashamed and troubled because of all your sin.

23 I nhabitant of Lebanon, who makes your nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied you will be when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail!

O you people of Lebanon, who make your nest among the cedars, how you will cry inside yourselves when pain comes upon you! It will be pain like a woman giving birth.” Words against Coniah

24 A s I live, says Yahweh, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on my right hand, yet would I pluck you there;

“As I live,” says the Lord, “even if Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were a marking ring on My right hand, I would still pull you off.

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

I will give you over to those who want to kill you, to those whom you fear. I will give you to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and to the Babylonians.

26 I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country, where you were not born; and there you will die.

I will throw you and your mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die.

27 B ut to the land t which their soul longs to return, there shall they not return.

You will want to return to this land again but you will not return.”

28 I s this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? is he a vessel in which no one delights? why are they cast out, he and his offspring, and are cast into the land which they don’t know?

Is this man Coniah a hated, broken jar? Is he a pot that no one cares for? Why have he and his children been thrown out into a land that they had not known?

29 O earth, earth, earth, hear Yahweh’s word.

O land, land, land, hear the Word of the Lord!

30 Y ahweh says, Write you this man childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days; for no more shall a man of his offspring prosper, sitting on David’s throne, and ruling in Judah.

The Lord says, “Write this man down as one who has no children, a man who will not do well in his days. For none of his children or children’s children will do well sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah.”