Jeremiah 21–22

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request

21The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah^o sent to him Pashhur^p son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah^q son of Maaseiah. They said: ²“Inquire^r now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar^as king of Babylon^t is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders^u for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”

³But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, ⁴‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn^v against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians^b who are outside the wall besieging^w you. And I will gather them inside this city. ⁵I myself will fight^x against you with an outstretched hand^y and a mighty arm^z in furious anger and in great wrath. ⁶I will strike^a down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.^{b 7}After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah^c king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,^d sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^e and to their enemies^f who want to kill them.^g He will put them to the sword;^h he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’ⁱ

⁸“Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life^j and the way of death. ⁹Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.^k But whoever goes out and surrenders^l to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.^{m 10}I have determined to do this city harmⁿ and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands^o of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’^p

¹¹“Moreover, say to the royal house^q of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. ¹²This is what the Lord says to you, house of David:

“ ‘Administer justice^r every morning;

rescue from the hand of the oppressor^s

the one who has been robbed,

or my wrath will break out and burn like fire^t

because of the evil^u you have done—

burn with no one to quench^v it.

¹³I am against^w you, Jerusalem,

you who live above this valley^x

on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord—

you who say, “Who can come against us?

Who can enter our refuge?”^y

¹⁴I will punish you as your deeds^z deserve,

declares the Lord.

I will kindle a fire^a in your forests^b

that will consume everything around you.’ ”

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

22This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king^c of Judah and proclaim this message there: ²‘Hear^d the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne^e—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.^{f 3}This is what the Lord says: Do what is just^g and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor^h the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,ⁱ and do not shed innocent blood^j in this place. ⁴For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings^k 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. ⁵But if you do not obey^l these commands, declares the Lord, I swear^m by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’ ”

⁶For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:

“Though you are like Gileadⁿ to me,

like the summit of Lebanon,^o

I will surely make you like a wasteland,^p

like towns not inhabited.

⁷I will send destroyers^q against you,

each man with his weapons,

and they will cut^r up your fine cedar beams

and throw them into the fire.^s

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?’^{t 9}And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.^u’ ”

¹⁰Do not weep for the dead^v king or mourn^w his loss;

rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,

because he will never return^x

nor see his native land again.

¹¹For this is what the Lord says about Shallum^ay son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. ¹²He will die^z in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”

¹³“Woe^a to him who builds^b his palace by unrighteousness,

his upper rooms by injustice,

making his own people work for nothing,

not paying^c them for their labor.

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

with spacious upper rooms.’

So he makes large windows in it,

panels it with cedar^e

and decorates it in red.^f

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,^g

so all went well^h with him.

¹⁶He defended the cause of the poor and needy,ⁱ

and so all went well.

Is that not what it means to know^j me?”

declares the Lord.

¹⁷“But your eyes and your heart

are set only on dishonest gain,^k

on shedding innocent blood^l

and on oppression and extortion.”^m

¹⁸Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“They will not mournⁿ for him:

‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’

They will not mourn for him:

‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’

¹⁹He will have the burial^o of a donkey—

dragged away and thrown^p

outside the gates of Jerusalem.”

²⁰“Go up to Lebanon and cry out,^q

let your voice be heard in Bashan,^r

cry out from Abarim,^s

for all your allies^t are crushed.

²¹I warned you when you felt secure,^u

but you said, ‘I will not listen!’

This has been your way from your youth;^v

you have not obeyed^w me.

²²The wind^x will drive all your shepherds^y away,

and your allies^z will go into exile.

Then you will be ashamed and disgraced^a

because of all your wickedness.

²³You who live in ‘Lebanon,^bb’

who are nestled in cedar buildings,

how you will groan when pangs come upon you,

pain^c like that of a woman in labor!

²⁴“As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin^cd son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring^e on my right hand, I would still pull you off. ²⁵I will deliver^f you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.^{d 26}I will hurl^g you and the mother^h who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. ²⁷You will never come back to the land you long to returnⁱ to.”

²⁸Is this man Jehoiachin^j a despised, broken pot,^k

an object no one wants?

Why will he and his children be hurled^l out,

cast into a land^m they do not know?

²⁹O land,ⁿ land, land,

hear the word of the Lord!

³⁰This is what the Lord says:

“Record this man as if childless,^o

a man who will not prosper^p in his lifetime,

for none of his offspring^q will prosper,

none will sit on the throne^r of David

or rule anymore in Judah.”