1 Yahweh said, "Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak this word there: 2 ‘Hear Yahweh’s word, king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne—you, your servants, and your people who enter in by these gates. 3 Yahweh says: "Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong. Do no violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you do this thing indeed, then kings sitting on David’s throne will enter in by the gates of this house, riding in chariots and on horses—they, their servants, and their people. 5 But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself," says Yahweh, "that this house will become a desolation."’"
6 For 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.
7 I will prepare destroyers against you,
everyone with his weapons,
and they will cut down your choice cedars,
and cast them into the fire.
8 "Many nations will pass by this city, and they will each ask his neighbor, ‘Why has Yahweh done this to this great city?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of Yahweh their God, worshiped other gods, and served them.’"
10 Don’t weep for the dead.
Don’t bemoan him;
but weep bitterly for him who goes away,
for he will return no more,
and not see his native country.
11 For 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 won’t return there any more. 12 But he will die in the place where they have led him captive. He will see this land no more."
13 "Woe 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;
14 who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house and spacious rooms,’
and cuts out windows for himself,
with a cedar ceiling,
and painted with red.
15 "Should 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.
16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
so then it was well.
Wasn’t this to know me?"
says Yahweh.
17 But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness,
for shedding innocent blood,
for oppression, and for doing violence."
18 Therefore Yahweh says concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
"They won’t lament for him,
saying, ‘Ah my brother!’ or, ‘Ah sister!’
They won’t lament for him,
saying ‘Ah lord!’ or, ‘Ah his glory!’
19 He will be buried with the burial of a donkey,
drawn and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem."
20 "Go up to Lebanon, and cry out.
Lift up your voice in Bashan,
and cry from Abarim;
for all your lovers have been destroyed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
but you said, ‘I will not listen.’
This has been your way from your youth,
that you didn’t obey my voice.
22 The wind will feed all your shepherds,
and your lovers will go into captivity.
Surely then you will be ashamed
and confounded for all your wickedness.
23 Inhabitant 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!
24 "As I live," says Yahweh, "though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on my right hand, I would still pluck you from there. 25 I would 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. 26 I will cast you out with your mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born; and there you will die. 27 But to the land to which their soul longs to return, there they will not return."
28 Is 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 cast into a land which they don’t know?
29 O earth, earth, earth,
hear Yahweh’s word!
30 Yahweh says,
"Record this man as childless,
a man who will not prosper in his days;
for no more will a man of his offspring prosper,
sitting on David’s throne
and ruling in Judah."
1 Thus hath the LORD said: Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word,
2 and say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that doth sit upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants and thy people that enter in by these gates:
3 Thus hath the LORD said: Execute judgment and righteousness and deliver the oppressed out of the hand of the oppressor and do not deceive neither steal from the stranger nor from the fatherless nor from the widow neither shed innocent blood in this place.
4 For if ye effectively obey this word, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house the kings seated by David upon his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, he and his servants and his people.
5 But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, said the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.
6 For thus hath the LORD said regarding 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.
7 And I will appoint destroyers against thee, each one with his weapons, and they shall cut down thy choice cedars and cast [them] into the fire.
8 And many Gentiles shall pass by this city, and each man shall say to his neighbour, Why has the LORD done thus unto 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.
10 Do not weep for the dead nor bemoan him, [but] weep sore for him that goes away, for he shall return no more nor see his native country.
11 For thus hath the LORD said of Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, He who went forth out of this place shall not return there any more;
12 but he shall die in the place where they have led him captive and shall see this land no more.
13 Woe unto him that builds his house and not in righteousness and his chambers and not in judgment, using his neighbour's service without wages and not giving him [the wages of] his work!
14 That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cuts out windows [in] it and covers it with cedar and anoints it with vermilion.
15 Shalt thou reign, because thou dost enclose [thyself] in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink and do judgment and righteousness, [and] then [it was] well with him?
16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then [it was] well [with him]. Is this not to know me? said 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].
18 Therefore thus hath the LORD said concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, [saying], Ah my brother! and Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, [saying], Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!
19 He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan and cry unto all parts: for all thy lovers are destroyed.
21 I spoke unto thee in thy prosperity, [but] thou didst say, I will not hear. This [has been] thy way from thy youth, that thou hast never heard my voice.
22 The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confound thyself because of all thy malice.
23 Thou didst inhabit Lebanon, thou didst make thy nest in the cedars. How shalt thou cry out when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!
24 [As] I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet I would pluck thee from there;
25 and I will give thee into the hand of those that seek thy soul and into the hand [of those] whose face thou dost fear, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
26 And I will cast thee out and thy mother that bore thee into another country, where ye were not born, and there ye shall die.
27 But to the land unto which they desire to return, they shall not return there.
28 [Is] this man Coniah a despised broken idol? [Is he] a vessel in which [there is] no pleasure? Why are they cast out, he and his generation, and are cast into a land which they know not?
29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
30 Thus hath the LORD said, Write [what shall be] of this man deprived of [a] generation, a man unto whom nothing shall prosper in all the days of his life, for no man of his seed who sits upon the throne of David and rules over Judah shall prosper.: