Jeremiah 21-22

New International Version

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request

21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah^(A) sent to him Pashhur^(B) son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah^(C) son of Maaseiah. They said: ²“Inquire^(D) now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar^[a]^(E) king of Babylon^(F) is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders^(G) 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^(H) 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^(I) you. And I will gather them inside this city. ⁵I myself will fight^(J) against you with an outstretched hand^(K) and a mighty arm^(L) in furious anger and in great wrath. ⁶I will strike^(M) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.^(N) ⁷After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah^(O) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,^(P) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(Q) and to their enemies^(R) who want to kill them.^(S) He will put them to the sword;^(T) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’^(U)

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

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

“‘Administer justice^(AD) every morning;
    rescue from the hand of the oppressor^(AE)
    the one who has been robbed,
or my wrath will break out and burn like fire^(AF)
    because of the evil^(AG) you have done—
    burn with no one to quench^(AH) it.
¹³I am against^(AI) you, Jerusalem,
    you who live above this valley^(AJ)
    on the rocky plateau, declares the Lord—
you who say, “Who can come against us?
    Who can enter our refuge?”^(AK)
¹⁴I will punish you as your deeds^(AL) deserve,
    declares the Lord.
I will kindle a fire^(AM) in your forests^(AN)
    that will consume everything around you.’”

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king^(AO) of Judah and proclaim this message there: ²‘Hear^(AP) the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne^(AQ)—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.^(AR) ³This is what the Lord says: Do what is just^(AS) and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor^(AT) the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow,^(AU) and do not shed innocent blood^(AV) in this place. ⁴For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings^(AW) 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^(AX) these commands, declares the Lord, I swear^(AY) 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 Gilead^(AZ) to me,
    like the summit of Lebanon,^(BA)
I will surely make you like a wasteland,^(BB)
    like towns not inhabited.
⁷I will send destroyers^(BC) against you,
    each man with his weapons,
and they will cut^(BD) up your fine cedar beams
    and throw them into the fire.^(BE)

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?’^(BF) ⁹And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.^(BG)’”

¹⁰Do not weep for the dead^(BH) king or mourn^(BI) his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return^(BJ)
nor see his native land again.

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

¹³“Woe^(BM) to him who builds^(BN) his palace by unrighteousness,
    his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
    not paying^(BO) them for their labor.
¹⁴He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace^(BP)
    with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
    panels it with cedar^(BQ)
    and decorates it in red.^(BR)

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,^(BS)
    so all went well^(BT) with him.
¹⁶He defended the cause of the poor and needy,^(BU)
    and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know^(BV) me?”
    declares the Lord.
¹⁷“But your eyes and your heart
    are set only on dishonest gain,^(BW)
on shedding innocent blood^(BX)
    and on oppression and extortion.”^(BY)

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

“They will not mourn^(BZ) 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^(CA) of a donkey—
    dragged away and thrown^(CB)
    outside the gates of Jerusalem.”

²⁰“Go up to Lebanon and cry out,^(CC)
    let your voice be heard in Bashan,^(CD)
cry out from Abarim,^(CE)
    for all your allies^(CF) are crushed.
²¹I warned you when you felt secure,^(CG)
    but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;^(CH)
    you have not obeyed^(CI) me.
²²The wind^(CJ) will drive all your shepherds^(CK) away,
    and your allies^(CL) will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced^(CM)
    because of all your wickedness.
²³You who live in ‘Lebanon,^[d]^(CN)’
    who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
    pain^(CO) like that of a woman in labor!

²⁴“As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin^[e]^(CP) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring^(CQ) on my right hand, I would still pull you off. ²⁵I will deliver^(CR) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.^[f] ²⁶I will hurl^(CS) you and the mother^(CT) 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 return^(CU) to.”

²⁸Is this man Jehoiachin^(CV) a despised, broken pot,^(CW)
    an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled^(CX) out,
    cast into a land^(CY) they do not know?
²⁹O land,^(CZ) land, land,
    hear the word of the Lord!
³⁰This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,^(DA)
    a man who will not prosper^(DB) in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring^(DC) will prosper,
    none will sit on the throne^(DD) of David
    or rule anymore in Judah.”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Jeremiah and Ezekiel
Jeremiah 21:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 9
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