22The Lord told me to go to the palace of the king of Judah, the descendant of David, and there tell the king, his officials, and the people of Jerusalem to listen to what the Lord had said: ³“I, the Lord, command you to do what is just and right. Protect the person who is being cheated from the one who is cheating him. Do not ill-treat or oppress foreigners, orphans, or widows; and do not kill innocent people in this holy place. ⁴If you really do as I have commanded, then David’s descendants will continue to be kings. And they, together with their officials and their people, will continue to pass through the gates of this palace in chariots and on horses. ⁵^*But if you do not obey my commands, then I swear to you that this palace will fall into ruins. I, the Lord, have spoken.

⁶“To me, Judah’s royal palace is as beautiful as the land of Gilead and as the Lebanon Mountains; but I will make it a desolate place where no one lives. ⁷I am sending men to destroy it. They will all bring their axes, cut down its beautiful cedar pillars, and throw them into the fire.

⁸“Afterwards many foreigners will pass by and ask one another why I, the Lord, have done such a thing to this great city.

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Cross references

*22.5: Mt 23:28; Lk 13:35