Jeremiah 21:1-22:30

Other Translations of Jeremiah 21:1-22:30

New International Version

The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold

21¹ The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said: ² "Inquire now of the Lord for us because NebuchadnezzarHebrew "Nebuchadrezzar," of which "Nebuchadnezzar" is a variant; here and often in Jeremiah and Ezekiel king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us." ³ But Jeremiah answered them, "Tell Zedekiah, ⁴ 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the BabyloniansOr "Chaldeans" ; also in verse 9 who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city. ⁵ I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath. ⁶ I will strike down those who live in this city-both man and beast-and they will die of a terrible plague. ⁷ After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.'

⁸ "Furthermore, tell the people, 'This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹ Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. ¹⁰ I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.' ¹¹ "Moreover, say to the royal house of Judah, 'Hear the word of the Lord. ¹² This is what the Lord says to you, house of David: " 'Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done- burn with no one to quench it. ¹³ I am against you, Jerusalem, you who live above this valley on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord- you who say, "Who can come against us? Who can enter our refuge?" ¹⁴ I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the Lord. I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you.' "

Prophecies against the Kings of Judah

22¹ This is what the Lord says: "Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: ² 'Hear the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David's throne-you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. ³ This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. ⁴ For 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, accompanied by their officials and their people. ⁵ But if you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.' " ⁶ 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 like a wasteland, like towns not inhabited. ⁷ I will send destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut up your fine cedar beams and throw them into the fire. ⁸ "People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?' ⁹ And the answer will be: 'Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.' "

¹⁰ Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss; rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled, because he will never return nor see his native land again. ¹¹ For this is what the Lord says about ShallumAlso called "Jehoahaz" son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: "He will never return. ¹² He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again." ¹³ "Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor. ¹⁴ 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 "Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. ¹⁶ He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord. ¹⁷ "But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion." ¹⁸ Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: "They will not mourn for him: 'Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!' They will not mourn for him: 'Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!' ¹⁹ He will have the burial of a donkey- dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem."

²⁰ "Go up to Lebanon and cry out, let your voice be heard in Bashan, cry out from Abarim, for all your allies are crushed. ²¹ I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, 'I will not listen!' This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me. ²² The wind will drive all your shepherds away, and your allies will go into exile. Then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all your wickedness. ²³ You who live in 'Lebanon,That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2) ' who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor! ²⁴ "As surely as I live," declares the Lord, "even if you, JehoiachinHebrew "Koniah," a variant of "Jehoiachin" ; also in verse 28 son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. ²⁵ I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear-Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.Or "Chaldeans" ²⁶ I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. ²⁷ You will never come back to the land you long to return to." ²⁸ Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land they do not know? ²⁹ O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord! ³⁰ This is what the Lord says: "Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah."

English Standard Version

The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold

21¹ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, ² "Inquire of the Lord for us, for NebuchadnezzarHebrew Nebuchadrezzar, another spelling for Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21 - 52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us." ³ Then Jeremiah said to them: ⁴ "Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. ⁵ I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath. ⁶ And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. ⁷ Afterward, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.'

⁸ "And to this people you shall say: 'Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹ He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war. ¹⁰ For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.' ¹¹ "And to the house of the king of Judah say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, ¹² O house of David! Thus says the Lord: "'Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of your evil deeds.'" ¹³ "Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, O rock of the plain, declares the Lord; you who say, 'Who shall come down against us, or who shall enter our habitations?' ¹⁴ I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds, declares the Lord; I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all that is around her."

Prophecies against the Kings of Judah

22¹ Thus says the Lord: "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, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. ³ Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. ⁴ For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. ⁵ But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. ⁶ For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah: "'You are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon, yet surely I will make you a desert, an uninhabited city.Hebrew cities ⁷ I will prepare destroyers against you, each with his weapons, and they shall cut down your choicest cedars and cast them into the fire. ⁸ "'And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, "Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?" ⁹ And they will answer, "Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them."'"

¹⁰ Weep not for him who is dead, nor grieve for him, but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more to see his native land. ¹¹ For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went away from this place: "He shall return here no more, ¹² but in the place where they have carried him captive, there shall he die, and he shall never see this land again." ¹³ "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages, ¹⁴ who says, 'I will build myself a great house with spacious upper rooms,' who cuts out windows for it, paneling it with cedar and painting it with vermilion. ¹⁵ Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar? Did not 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; then it was well. Is not this to know me? declares the Lord. ¹⁷ But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence." ¹⁸ Therefore thus says 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 majesty!' ¹⁹ With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried, dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem."

²⁰ "Go up to Lebanon, and cry out, and lift up your voice in Bashan; cry out from Abarim, for all your lovers are 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 have not obeyed my voice. ²² The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds, and your lovers shall go into captivity; then you will be ashamed and confounded because of all your evil. ²³ O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in labor!" ²⁴ "As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off ²⁵ and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. ²⁶ I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. ²⁷ But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return." ²⁸ Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot, a vessel no one cares for? Why are he and his children hurled and cast into a land that they do not know? ²⁹ O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord! ³⁰ Thus says the Lord: "Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah."

The Message

The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold

21¹ God's Message to Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to him with this request: ² "Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has waged war against us. Pray to God for us. Ask him for help. Maybe God will intervene with one of his famous miracles and make him leave." ³ But Jeremiah said, "Tell Zedekiah: ⁴ 'This is the God of Israel's Message to you: You can say good-bye to your army, watch morale and weapons flushed down the drain. I'm going to personally lead the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans, against whom you're fighting so hard, right into the city itself. ⁵ I'm joining their side and fighting against you, fighting all-out, holding nothing back. And in fierce anger. ⁶ I'm prepared to wipe out the population of this city, people and animals alike, in a raging epidemic. ⁷ And then I will personally deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his princes, and any survivors left in the city who haven't died from disease, been killed, or starved. I'll deliver them to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon - yes, hand them over to their enemies, who have come to kill them. He'll kill them ruthlessly, showing no mercy.'

⁸ "And then tell the people at large, 'God's Message to you is this: Listen carefully. I'm giving you a choice: life or death. ⁹ Whoever stays in this city will die - either in battle or by starvation or disease. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who have surrounded the city will live. You'll lose everything - but not your life. ¹⁰ I'm determined to see this city destroyed. I'm that angry with this place! God's Decree. I'm going to give it to the king of Babylon, and he's going to burn it to the ground.' ¹¹ "To the royal house of Judah, listen to God's Message! ¹² House of David, listen - God's Message to you: 'Start each day by dealing with justice. Rescue victims from their exploiters. Prevent fire - the fire of my anger - for once it starts, it can't be put out. Your evil regime is fuel for my anger. ¹³ Don't you realize that I'm against you, yes, against you. You think you've got it made, all snug and secure. You say, "Who can possibly get to us? Who can crash our party?" ¹⁴ Well, I can - and will! I'll punish your evil regime. I'll start a fire that will rage unchecked, burn everything in sight to cinders.'"

Prophecies against the Kings of Judah

22¹ God's orders: "Go to the royal palace and deliver this Message. ² Say, 'Listen to what God says, O King of Judah, you who sit on David's throne - you and your officials and all the people who go in and out of these palace gates. ³ This is God's Message: Attend to matters of justice. Set things right between people. Rescue victims from their exploiters. Don't take advantage of the homeless, the orphans, the widows. Stop the murdering! ⁴ "'If you obey these commands, then kings who follow in the line of David will continue to go in and out of these palace gates mounted on horses and riding in chariots - they and their officials and the citizens of Judah. ⁵ But if you don't obey these commands, then I swear - God's Decree! - this palace will end up a heap of rubble.'" ⁶ This is God's verdict on Judah's royal palace: "I number you among my favorite places - like the lovely hills of Gilead, like the soaring peaks of Lebanon. Yet I swear I'll turn you into a wasteland, as empty as a ghost town. ⁷ I'll hire a demolition crew, well-equipped with sledgehammers and wrecking bars, Pound the country to a pulp and burn it all up. ⁸ "Travelers from all over will come through here and say to one another, 'Why would God do such a thing to this wonderful city?' ⁹ They'll be told, 'Because they walked out on the covenant of their God, took up with other gods and worshiped them.'" Building a Fine House but Destroying Lives

¹⁰ Don't weep over dead King Josiah. Don't waste your tears. Weep for his exiled son: He's gone for good. He'll never see home again. ¹¹ For this is God's Word on Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah: "He's gone from here, gone for good. ¹² He'll die in the place they've taken him to. He'll never see home again." ¹³ "Doom to him who builds palaces but bullies people, who makes a fine house but destroys lives, Who cheats his workers and won't pay them for their work, ¹⁴ Who says, 'I'll build me an elaborate mansion with spacious rooms and fancy windows. I'll bring in rare and expensive woods and the latest in interior decor.' ¹⁵ So, that makes you a king - living in a fancy palace? Your father got along just fine, didn't he? He did what was right and treated people fairly, And things went well with him. ¹⁶ He stuck up for the down-and-out, And things went well for Judah. Isn't this what it means to know me?" God's Decree! ¹⁷ "But you're blind and brainless. All you think about is yourself, Taking advantage of the weak, bulldozing your way, bullying victims." ¹⁸ This is God's epitaph on Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: "Doom to this man! Nobody will shed tears over him, 'Poor, poor brother!' Nobody will shed tears over him, 'Poor, poor master!' ¹⁹ They'll give him a donkey's funeral, drag him out of the city and dump him. You've Made a Total Mess of Your Life

²⁰ "People of Jerusalem, climb a Lebanon peak and weep, climb a Bashan mountain and wail, Climb the Abarim ridge and cry - you've made a total mess of your life. ²¹ I spoke to you when everything was going your way. You said, 'I'm not interested.' You've been that way as long as I've known you, never listened to a thing I said. ²² All your leaders will be blown away, all your friends end up in exile, And you'll find yourself in the gutter, disgraced by your evil life. ²³ You big-city people thought you were so important, thought you were 'king of the mountain'! You're soon going to be doubled up in pain, pain worse than the pangs of childbirth. ²⁴ "As sure as I am the living God" - God's Decree - "even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, I'd pull you off ²⁵ and give you to those who are out to kill you, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans, ²⁶ and then throw you, both you and your mother, into a foreign country, far from your place of birth. There you'll both die. ²⁷ "You'll be homesick, desperately homesick, but you'll never get home again." ²⁸ Is Jehoiachin a leaky bucket, a rusted-out pail good for nothing? Why else would he be thrown away, he and his children, thrown away to a foreign place? ²⁹ O land, land, land, listen to God's Message! ³⁰ This is God's verdict: "Write this man off as if he were childless, a man who will never amount to anything. Nothing will ever come of his life. He's the end of the line, the last of the kings.

New King James Version

The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold

21¹ The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying, ² "Please inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all His wonderful works, that the king may go away from us." ³ Then Jeremiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, ⁴ 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel: "Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and I will assemble them in the midst of this city. ⁵ I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath. ⁶ I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence. ⁷ And afterward," says the Lord, "I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence and the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword. He shall not spare them, or have pity or mercy." '

⁸ "Now you shall say to this people, 'Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹ He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him. ¹⁰ For I have set My face against this city for adversity and not for good," says the Lord. "It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire." ' ¹¹ "And concerning the house of the king of Judah, say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, ¹² O house of David! Thus says the Lord: "Execute judgment in the morning; And deliver him who is plundered Out of the hand of the oppressor, Lest My fury go forth like fire And burn so that no one can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings. ¹³ "Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, And rock of the plain," says the Lord, "Who say, 'Who shall come down against us? Or who shall enter our dwellings?' ¹⁴ But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings," says the Lord; "I will kindle a fire in its forest, And it shall devour all things around it." ' "

Prophecies against the Kings of Judah

22¹ Thus says the Lord: "Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word, ² and say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates! ³ Thus says the Lord: "Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. ⁴ For if you indeed do this thing, then shall enter the gates of this house, riding on horses and in chariots, accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of David. ⁵ But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself," says the Lord, "that this house shall become a desolation." ' " ⁶ For thus says the Lord to the house of the king of Judah: "You are Gilead to Me, The head of Lebanon; Yet I surely will make you a wilderness, Cities which are not inhabited. ⁷ I will prepare destroyers against you, Everyone with his weapons; They shall cut down your choice cedars And cast them into the fire. ⁸ And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, 'Why has the Lord done so to this great city?' ⁹ Then they will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.' "

¹⁰ Weep not for the dead, nor bemoan him; Weep bitterly for him who goes away, For he shall return no more, Nor see his native country. ¹¹ For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went from this place: "He shall not return here anymore, ¹² but he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more. ¹³ "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor's service without wages And gives him nothing for his work, ¹⁴ Who says, 'I will build myself a wide house with spacious chambers, And cut out windows for it, Paneling it with cedar And painting it with vermilion.' ¹⁵ "Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar? Did not 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; Then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?" says the Lord. ¹⁷ "Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence." ¹⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: "They shall not lament for him, Saying, 'Alas, my brother!' or 'Alas, my sister!' They shall not lament for him, Saying, 'Alas, master!' or 'Alas, his glory!' ¹⁹ He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, Dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

²⁰ "Go up to Lebanon, and cry out, And lift up your voice in Bashan; Cry from Abarim, For all your lovers are destroyed. ²¹ I spoke to you in your prosperity, But you said, 'I will not hear.' This has been your manner from your youth, That you did not obey My voice. ²² The wind shall eat up all your rulers, And your lovers shall go into captivity; Surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated For all your wickedness. ²³ O inhabitant of Lebanon, Making your nest in the cedars, How gracious will you be when pangs come upon you, Like the pain of a woman in labor? ²⁴ "As I live," says the Lord, "though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; ²⁵ and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear--the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. ²⁶ So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. ²⁷ But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return. ²⁸ "Is this man Coniah a despised, broken idol-- A vessel in which is no pleasure? Why are they cast out, he and his descendants, And cast into a land which they do not know? ²⁹ O earth, earth, earth, Hear the word of the Lord! ³⁰ Thus says the Lord: 'Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah.' "

New Living Translation

The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold

21¹ The Lord spoke through Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to speak with him. They begged Jeremiah, ² "Please speak to the Lord for us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps the Lord will be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies." ³ Jeremiah replied, "Go back to King Zedekiah and tell him, ⁴ 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will make your weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside your walls attacking you. In fact, I will bring your enemies right into the heart of this city. ⁵ I myself will fight against you with a strong hand and a powerful arm, for I am very angry. You have made me furious! ⁶ I will send a terrible plague upon this city, and both people and animals will die. ⁷ And after all that, says the Lord, I will hand over King Zedekiah, his staff, and everyone else in the city who survives the disease, war, and famine. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their other enemies. He will slaughter them and show them no mercy, pity, or compassion.'

⁸ "Tell all the people, 'This is what the Lord says: Take your choice of life or death! ⁹ Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life! ¹⁰ For I have decided to bring disaster and not good upon this city, says the Lord . It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will reduce it to ashes.' ¹¹ "Say to the royal family of Judah, 'Listen to this message from the Lord ! ¹² This is what the Lord says to the dynasty of David: "'Give justice each morning to the people you judge! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Otherwise, my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins. ¹³ I will personally fight against the people in Jerusalem, that mighty fortress- the people who boast, "No one can touch us here. No one can break in here." ¹⁴ And I myself will punish you for your sinfulness, says the Lord . I will light a fire in your forests that will burn up everything around you.'"

Prophecies against the Kings of Judah

22¹ This is what the Lord said to me: "Go over and speak directly to the king of Judah. Say to him, ² 'Listen to this message from the Lord, you king of Judah, sitting on David's throne. Let your attendants and your people listen, too. ³ This is what the Lord says: Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent! ⁴ If you obey me, there will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem. The king will ride through the palace gates in chariots and on horses, with his parade of attendants and subjects. ⁵ But if you refuse to pay attention to this warning, I swear by my own name, says the Lord, that this palace will become a pile of rubble.'" ⁶ Now this is what the Lord says concerning Judah's royal palace: "I love you as much as fruitful Gilead and the green forests of Lebanon. But I will turn you into a desert, with no one living within your walls. ⁷ I will call for wreckers, who will bring out their tools to dismantle you. They will tear out all your fine cedar beams and throw them on the fire. ⁸ "People from many nations will pass by the ruins of this city and say to one another, 'Why did the Lord destroy such a great city?' ⁹ And the answer will be, 'Because they violated their covenant with the Lord their God by worshiping other gods.'"

¹⁰ Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss. Instead, weep for the captive king being led away! For he will never return to see his native land again. ¹¹ For this is what the Lord says about Jehoahaz, who succeeded his father, King Josiah, and was taken away as a captive: "He will never return. ¹² He will die in a distant land and will never again see his own country." ¹³ And the Lord says, "What sorrow awaits Jehoiakim, who builds his palace with forced labor. He builds injustice into its walls, for he makes his neighbors work for nothing. He does not pay them for their labor. ¹⁴ He says, 'I will build a magnificent palace with huge rooms and many windows. I will panel it throughout with fragrant cedar and paint it a lovely red.' ¹⁵ But a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king! Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink. But he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him. ¹⁶ He gave justice and help to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn't that what it means to know me?" says the Lord . ¹⁷ "But you! You have eyes only for greed and dishonesty! You murder the innocent, oppress the poor, and reign ruthlessly." ¹⁸ Therefore, this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah: "The people will not mourn for him, crying to one another, 'Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!' His subjects will not mourn for him, crying, 'Alas, our master is dead! Alas, his splendor is gone!' ¹⁹ He will be buried like a dead donkey- dragged out of Jerusalem and dumped outside the gates!

²⁰ Weep for your allies in Lebanon. Shout for them in Bashan. Search for them in the regions east of the river. See, they are all destroyed. Not one is left to help you. ²¹ I warned you when you were prosperous, but you replied, 'Don't bother me.' You have been that way since childhood- you simply will not obey me! ²² And now the wind will blow away your allies. All your friends will be taken away as captives. Surely then you will see your wickedness and be ashamed. ²³ It may be nice to live in a beautiful palace paneled with wood from the cedars of Lebanon, but soon you will groan with pangs of anguish- anguish like that of a woman in labor. ²⁴ "As surely as I live," says the Lord, "I will abandon you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. Even if you were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off. ²⁵ I will hand you over to those who seek to kill you, those you so desperately fear-to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the mighty Babylonian army. ²⁶ I will expel you and your mother from this land, and you will die in a foreign country, not in your native land. ²⁷ You will never again return to the land you yearn for. ²⁸ "Why is this man Jehoiachin like a discarded, broken jar? Why are he and his children to be exiled to a foreign land? ²⁹ O earth, earth, earth! Listen to this message from the Lord ! ³⁰ This is what the Lord says: 'Let the record show that this man Jehoiachin was childless. He is a failure, for none of his children will succeed him on the throne of David to rule over Judah.'