Jeremiah 22:13–19

Judgment Against Jehoiakim

¹³“How terrible it will be for one who builds his palace by doing evil,

who cheats people so he can build its upper rooms.

He makes his own people work for nothing

and does not pay them.

¹⁴He says, ‘I will build a great palace for myself

with large upper rooms.’

So he builds it with large windows

and uses cedar wood for the walls,

which he paints red.

¹⁵“Does having a lot of cedar in your house

make you a great king?

Your father was satisfied to have food and drink.

He did what was right and fair,

so everything went well for him.

¹⁶He helped those who were poor and needy,

so everything went well for him.

That is what it means to know God,”

says the Lord.

¹⁷“But you only look for and think about

what you can get dishonestly.

You are even willing to kill innocent people to get it.

You feel free to hurt people and to steal from them.”

¹⁸So this is what the Lord says to Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“The people of Judah will not cry when Jehoiakim dies,

saying: ‘Oh, my brother,’ or ‘Oh, my sister.’

They will not cry for him, saying:

‘Oh, master,’ or ‘Oh, my king.’

¹⁹They will bury him like a donkey,

dragging his body away

and throwing it outside the gates of Jerusalem.