Jeremiah 22:13-23

A message about King Jehoiakim

22:13King Jehoiakim was another son of King Josiah. See Jeremiah 22:18.

13 The Lord says,

Terrible trouble will happen to this man!

He cheats people

so that he can build a beautiful palace for himself.

He does not do what is right and fair.

He does not pay the people who work for him.

His own men have to work for nothing.

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

It will have large rooms upstairs.”

He puts windows in its walls.

He covers the walls with cedar wood.

He uses red paint to make it beautiful.

15 Are you better than other kings

because you use more cedar wood to build your palace?

Think about how your father lived.

He did what was right and fair.

He had enough to eat and to drink.

So he was happy with a good life.

16 He did what was right

for people who were poor and helpless.

So people were happy.

That is how people who know me should live.’

That is what the Lord says.

17 ‘But you always want to cheat people,

so that you can get more riches for yourself.

You make plans to kill people who have not done anything wrong.

You hurt people in cruel ways.’

18 So the Lord says this about Josiah's son, King Jehoiakim of Judah:

‘People will not weep when he dies.

They will not say, “I am very sad, my brother.

I am very sad, my sister.”

They will not weep and say,

“What a terrible thing has happened!

Our great king has died!”

19 Instead, they will bury him like a dead donkey.

They will pull his dead body to the city's gate.

They will throw it on the ground outside Jerusalem.’

20 ‘Go up to Lebanon and cry aloud.

22:20This is a message to the people of Jerusalem.

Shout loudly in Bashan.

Cry aloud from the mountains of Moab.

The nations that were your lovers

have lost their power.

21 When you were feeling strong and safe,

I warned you that this would happen.

But you said, “I refuse to listen to you.”

You have been like that since you were young.

You have never obeyed me.

22 Your leaders will all disappear,

as if a strong wind had blown them away.

Enemies will take your friends away as prisoners.

Then you will feel very ashamed,

because of all the wicked things that you have done.

23 You live safely in beautiful houses

that are made from Lebanon's cedar wood.

But when I punish you, you will cry out with pain.

You will feel pain like a woman who is having a baby.’