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Jeremiah 22:1-23:20
Contemporary English Version
Jeremiah 22:1-23:20
Contemporary English Version
The Lord Will Punish the King of Judah
22 1-3 The Lord sent me to the palace of the king of Judah to speak to the king, his officials, and everyone else who was there. The Lord told me to say:
I am the Lord, so pay attention! You have been allowing people to cheat, rob, and take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners who live here. Innocent people have become victims of injustice, and some of them have even been killed. But now I command you to do what is right and see that justice is done. Rescue everyone who has suffered from injustice.
4 If you obey me, the kings from David's family will continue to rule Judah from this palace. They and their officials will ride in and out on their horses or in their chariots. 5 (A) But if you ignore me, I promise in my own name that this palace will lie in ruins. 6 Listen to what I think about it:
The palace of Judah's king
is as glorious as Gilead
or Lebanon's highest peaks.
But it will be as empty
as a ghost-town
when I'm through with it.
7 I'll send troops to tear it apart,
and its beautiful cedar beams
will be used for firewood.
8 People from different nations will pass by and ask, “Why did the Lord do this to such a great city as Jerusalem?” 9 Others will answer, “It's because the people worshiped foreign gods and broke the agreement that the Lord their God had made with them.”
King Jehoahaz
The Lord said:
10 King Josiah is dead,
so don't mourn for him.[a]
Instead, mourn for his son
King Jehoahaz,
dragged off to another country,[b]
never to return.
11-12 (B) Jehoahaz[c] became king of Judah after his father King Josiah died. But Jehoahaz was taken as a prisoner to a foreign country. Now I, the Lord, promise that he will die there without ever seeing his own land again.
King Jehoiakim
The Lord told me to say:
* 13 King Jehoiakim,[d] you are doomed!
You built a palace
with large rooms upstairs.
14 You put in big windows
and used cedar paneling
and red paint.
But you were unfair
and forced the builders to work
without pay.
* 15 More cedar in your palace
doesn't make you a better king
than your father Josiah.
He always did right—
he gave justice to the poor
and was honest.
16 That's what it means
to truly know me.
So he lived a comfortable life
and always had enough
to eat and drink.
17 But all you think about
is how to cheat
or abuse or murder
some innocent victim.
18 (C) Jehoiakim, no one will mourn
at your funeral.
They won't turn to each other
and ask,
“Why did our great king
have to die?”
19 You will be given a burial
fit for a donkey;
your body will be dragged
outside the city gates
and tossed in the dirt.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
King Jehoiachin and the People of Jerusalem
The Lord told me to say:
20 People of Jerusalem,
the nations[e] you trusted
have been crushed.
Go to Lebanon and weep;
cry in the land of Bashan
and in Moab.
21 When times were good,
I warned you.
But you ignored me,
just as you have done
since Israel was young.
22 Now you will be disgraced
because of your sins.
Your leaders will be swept away
by the wind,
and the nations you trusted
will be captured and dragged
to a foreign country.
23 Those who live in the palace
paneled with cedar[f]
will groan with pain
like women giving birth.
24 (D) King Jehoiachin,[g] son of Jehoiakim,[h] even if you were the ring I wear as the sign of my royal power, I would still pull you from my finger. 25 I would hand you over to the enemy you fear, to King Nebuchadnezzar[i] and his army, who want to kill you. 26 You and your mother[j] were born in Judah, but I will throw both of you into a foreign country, where you will die, 27 longing to return home.
28 Jehoiachin, you are unwanted
like a broken clay pot.
So you and your children
will be thrown into a country
you know nothing about.
29 Land of Judah, I am the Lord.
Now listen to what I say!
30 Erase the names
of Jehoiachin's children
from the royal records.
He is a complete failure,
and so none of them
will ever be king.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
A Message of Hope
The Lord said:
23 (E) You leaders of my people are like shepherds that kill and scatter the sheep. 2 You were supposed to take care of my people, but instead you chased them away. So now I'll punish you severely and make you pay for your crimes!
3 I will bring the rest of my people home from the lands where I have scattered them, and they will grow into a mighty nation. 4 I promise to choose leaders who will care for them like real shepherds. All of my people will be there, and they will never again be frightened.
5 (F) Someday I will appoint
an honest king
from the family of David,
a king who will be wise
and rule with justice.
6 As long as he is king,
Israel will have peace,
and Judah will be safe.
The name of this king will be
“The Lord Gives Justice.”
7 A time will come when you will again worship me. But you will no longer call me the Living God who rescued Israel from Egypt. 8 Instead, you will call me the Living God who rescued you from the land in the north and from all the other countries where I had forced you to go. And you will once again live in your own land.
Jeremiah Thinks about Unfaithful Prophets
9 When I think of the prophets,
I am shocked, and I tremble[k]
like someone drunk,
because of the Lord
and his sacred words.
10 Those unfaithful prophets
misuse their power
all over the country.
So God turned the pasturelands
into scorching deserts.[l]
The Lord Will Punish Unfaithful Prophets
11 The Lord told me to say:
You prophets and priests
think so little of me, the Lord,
that you even sin
in my own temple!
12 Now I will punish you
with disaster,
and you will slip and fall
in the darkness.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 The prophets in Samaria
were repulsive to me,
because they preached
in the name of Baal
and led my people astray.
14 (G) And you prophets in Jerusalem
are even worse.
You're unfaithful in marriage[m]
and never tell the truth.[n]
You even lead others to sin
instead of helping them
turn back to me.
You and the people of Jerusalem
are evil like Sodom
and Gomorrah.[o]
15 You prophets in Jerusalem
have spread evil everywhere.
That's why I, the Lord, promise
to give you bitter poison
to eat and drink.
The Lord Gives a Warning
The Lord said:
16 Don't listen to the lies
of these false prophets,
you people of Judah!
The message they preach
is something they imagined;
it did not come from me,
the Lord All-Powerful.
17 These prophets go to people
who refuse to respect me
and who are stubborn
and do whatever they please.
The prophets tell them,
“The Lord has promised
everything will be fine.”
18 But I, the Lord, tell you
that these prophets
have never attended a meeting
of my council in heaven[p]
or heard me speak.
19 They are evil! So in my anger
I will strike them
like a violent storm.
20 I won't calm down,
until I have finished
what I have decided to do.
Someday you will understand
exactly what I mean.
Footnotes
- 22.10 King Josiah … him: The Hebrew text has “don't mourn for the dead one,” meaning King Josiah, who ruled 640–609 b.c.
- 22.10 his son King Jehoahaz … country: The Hebrew text has “the one who was dragged off to another country,” meaning King Jehoahaz, who ruled for three months in 609 b.c.
- 22.11,12 Jehoahaz: The Hebrew text has “Shallum,” another name for Jehoahaz.
- 22.13 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
- 22.20 nations: Or “gods.”
- 22.23 who live in the palace paneled with cedar: The Hebrew text has “who live in Lebanon and who nest among the cedars,” which probably means Forest Hall in the royal palace at Jerusalem, which was paneled with cedar and had cedar columns and a cedar ceiling, all from Lebanon (see 1 Kings 7.2,3).
- 22.24 Jehoiachin: The Hebrew text has “Coniah,” another form of Jehoiachin's name; he ruled for three months in 598 b.c.
- 22.24 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
- 22.25 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
- 22.26 mother: See the note at 13.18.
- 23.9 tremble: Or “become weak.”
- 23.10 deserts: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
- 23.14 in marriage: Or “to me.”
- 23.14 never tell the truth: Or “worship other gods.”
- 23.14 Sodom and Gomorrah: Two cities that the Lord destroyed because their people were so evil (see Genesis 18.16—19.29).
- 23.18 a meeting of my council in heaven: Sometimes, prophets had visions of the Lord meeting with his angels (see 1 Kings 22.19-23).
Jeremiah 22:1-23:20
New International Version
Jeremiah 22:1-23:20
New International Version
Judgment Against Wicked Kings
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king(A) of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2 ‘Hear(B) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne(C)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.(D) 3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is just(E) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor(F) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,(G) and do not shed innocent blood(H) in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings(I) 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(J) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear(K) 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(L) to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,(M)
I will surely make you like a wasteland,(N)
like towns not inhabited.
7 I will send destroyers(O) against you,
each man with his weapons,
and they will cut(P) up your fine cedar beams
and throw them into the fire.(Q)
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?’(R) 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.(S)’”
10 Do not weep for the dead(T) king or mourn(U) his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return(V)
nor see his native land again.
11 For this is what the Lord says about Shallum[a](W) 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(X) in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
13 “Woe(Y) to him who builds(Z) his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying(AA) them for their labor.
14 He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace(AB)
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar(AC)
and decorates it in red.(AD)
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,(AE)
so all went well(AF) with him.
16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,(AG)
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know(AH) me?”
declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,(AI)
on shedding innocent blood(AJ)
and on oppression and extortion.”(AK)
18 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“They will not mourn(AL) 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(AM) of a donkey—
dragged away and thrown(AN)
outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,(AO)
let your voice be heard in Bashan,(AP)
cry out from Abarim,(AQ)
for all your allies(AR) are crushed.
21 I warned you when you felt secure,(AS)
but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;(AT)
you have not obeyed(AU) me.
22 The wind(AV) will drive all your shepherds(AW) away,
and your allies(AX) will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced(AY)
because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in ‘Lebanon,[b](AZ)’
who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
pain(BA) like that of a woman in labor!
24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin[c](BB) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring(BC) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliver(BD) 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(BE) you and the mother(BF) 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(BG) to.”
28 Is this man Jehoiachin(BH) a despised, broken pot,(BI)
an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled(BJ) out,
cast into a land(BK) they do not know?
29 O land,(BL) land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,(BM)
a man who will not prosper(BN) in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring(BO) will prosper,
none will sit on the throne(BP) of David
or rule anymore in Judah.”
The Righteous Branch
23 “Woe to the shepherds(BQ) who are destroying and scattering(BR) the sheep of my pasture!”(BS) declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds(BT) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock(BU) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil(BV) you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant(BW) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,(BX) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds(BY) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid(BZ) or terrified, nor will any be missing,(CA)” declares the Lord.
5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up for David[e] a righteous Branch,(CB)
a King(CC) who will reign(CD) wisely
and do what is just and right(CE) in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.(CF)
This is the name(CG) by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.(CH)
7 “So then, the days are coming,”(CI) declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(CJ) 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”(CK)
Lying Prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart(CL) is broken within me;
all my bones tremble.(CM)
I am like a drunken man,
like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and his holy words.(CN)
10 The land is full of adulterers;(CO)
because of the curse[f](CP) the land lies parched
and the pastures(CQ) in the wilderness are withered.(CR)
The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.
11 “Both prophet and priest are godless;(CS)
even in my temple(CT) I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their path will become slippery;(CU)
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished,(CV)”
declares the Lord.
13 “Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal(CW)
and led my people Israel astray.(CX)
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible:(CY)
They commit adultery and live a lie.(CZ)
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,(DA)
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.(DB)
They are all like Sodom(DC) to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”(DD)
15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:
“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,(DE)
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness(DF) has spread throughout the land.”
16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen(DG) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions(DH) from their own minds,
not from the mouth(DI) of the Lord.
17 They keep saying(DJ) to those who despise me,
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’(DK)
And to all who follow the stubbornness(DL) of their hearts
they say, ‘No harm(DM) will come to you.’
18 But which of them has stood in the council(DN) of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm(DO) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind(DP) swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger(DQ) of the Lord will not turn back(DR)
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 22:11 Also called Jehoahaz
- Jeremiah 22:23 That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2)
- Jeremiah 22:24 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 28
- Jeremiah 22:25 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or up from David’s line
- Jeremiah 23:10 Or because of these things
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