22This is what the Lord said to me: “Go over and speak directly to the king of Judah. Say to him,H559H3068H3381H1004H4428H3063H1696H1697 2‘Listen to this message from the Lord, you king of Judah, sitting on David’s throne. Let your attendants and your people listen, too.H559H8085H1697H3068H4428H3063H3427H3678H1732H5650H5971H935H8179 3This is what the Lord says: Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent!H559H3068H6213H4941H6666H5337H1497H3027H6216H3238H2554H1616H3490H490H8210H5355H1818H4725 4If you obey me, there will always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne here in Jerusalem. The king will ride through the palace gates in chariots and on horses, with his parade of attendants and subjects.H6213H1697H6213H935H8179H1004H4428H3427H3678H1732H7392H7393H5483H5650H5971 5But if you refuse to pay attention to this warning, I swear by my own name, says the Lord, that this palace will become a pile of rubble.’”H8085H1697H7650H5002H3068H1004H2723 6Now this is what the Lord says concerning Judah’s royal palace: “I love you as much as fruitful Gilead and the green forests of Lebanon. But I will turn you into a desert, with no one living within your walls.H559H3068H4428H1004H3063H1568H7218H3844H7896H4057H5892H3427H3427 7I will call for wreckers, who will bring out their tools to dismantle you. They will tear out all your fine cedar beams and throw them on the fire.H6942H7843H376H3627H3772H4005H730H5307H784 8“People from many nations will pass by the ruins of this city and say to one another, ‘Why did the Lord destroy such a great city?’H7227H1471H5674H5892H559H376H7453H3068H6213H1419H5892 9And the answer will be, ‘Because they violated their covenant with the Lord their God by worshiping other gods.’”H559H5800H1285H3068H430H7812H312H430H5647 10Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss. Instead, weep for the captive king being led away! For he will never return to see his native land again.H1058H4191H5110H1058H1058H1980H7725H7200H4138H776 11For this is what the Lord says about Jehoahaz, who succeeded his father, King Josiah, and was taken away as a captive: “He will never return.H559H3068H413H7967H1121H2977H4428H3063H4427H2977H1H3318H4725H7725 12He will die in a distant land and will never again see his own country.”H4191H4725H1540H7200H776 13And the Lord says, “What sorrow awaits Jehoiakim, who builds his palace with forced labor. He builds injustice into its walls, for he makes his neighbors work for nothing. He does not pay them for their labor.H1945H1129H1004H3808H6664H5944H4941H7453H5647H2600H5414H6467 14He says, ‘I will build a magnificent palace with huge rooms and many windows. I will panel it throughout with fragrant cedar and paint it a lovely red.’H559H1129H4060H1004H7304H5944H7167H2474H5603H730H4886H8350 15But a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king! Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink. But he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him.H4427H8474H730H1H398H8354H6213H4941H6666H2896 16He gave justice and help to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn’t that what it means to know me?” says the Lord.H1777H1779H6041H34H2896H1847H5002H3068 17“But you! You have eyes only for greed and dishonesty! You murder the innocent, oppress the poor, and reign ruthlessly.”H5869H3820H1215H8210H5355H1818H6233H4835H6213 18Therefore, this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah: “The people will not mourn for him, crying to one another, ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ His subjects will not mourn for him, crying, ‘Alas, our master is dead! Alas, his splendor is gone!’H559H3068H3079H1121H2977H4428H3063H5594H1945H251H1945H269H5594H1945H113H1945H1935 19He will be buried like a dead donkey—dragged out of Jerusalem and dumped outside the gates!H6912H6900H2543H5498H7993H1973H8179H3389 20Weep for your allies in Lebanon. Shout for them in Bashan. Search for them in the regions east of the river. See, they are all destroyed. Not one is left to help you.H5927H3844H6817H5414H6963H1316H6817H5676H157H7665 21I warned you when you were prosperous, but you replied, ‘Don’t bother me.’ You have been that way since childhood—you simply will not obey me!H1696H7962H559H8085H1870H5271H8085H6963 22And now the wind will blow away your allies. All your friends will be taken away as captives. Surely then you will see your wickedness and be ashamed.H7307H7462H7462H157H3212H7628H954H3637H7451 23It may be nice to live in a beautiful palace paneled with wood from the cedars of Lebanon, but soon you will groan with pangs of anguish—anguish like that of a woman in labor.H3427H3844H7077H730H2603H2256H935H2427H3205 24“As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “I will abandon you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. Even if you were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off.H2416H5002H3068H3659H1121H3079H4428H3063H2368H3225H3027H5423 25I will hand you over to those who seek to kill you, those you so desperately fear—to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the mighty Babylonian army.H5414H3027H1245H5315H3027H6440H3016H3027H5019H4428H894H3027H3778 26I will expel you and your mother from this land, and you will die in a foreign country, not in your native land.H2904H517H3205H312H776H3205H4191 27You will never again return to the land you yearn for.H776H5375H5315H7725H7725 28“Why is this man Jehoiachin like a discarded, broken jar? Why are he and his children to be exiled to a foreign land?H376H3659H959H5310H6089H3627H2656H7993H2233H2904H776H3045 29O earth, earth, earth! Listen to this message from the Lord!H776H776H776H8085H1697H3068 30This is what the Lord says: ‘Let the record show that this man Jehoiachin was childless. He is a failure, for none of his children will succeed him on the throne of David to rule over Judah.’H559H3068H3789H376H6185H1397H6743H3117H376H2233H6743H3427H3678H1732H4910H3063
23“What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord.H1945H7462H6H6327H6629H4830H5002H3068 2Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them.H559H3068H430H3478H7462H7462H5971H6327H6629H5080H6485H6485H7455H4611H5002H3068 3But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number.H6908H7611H6629H776H5080H7725H5116H6509H7235 4Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the Lord have spoken!H6965H7462H7462H3372H2865H6485H5002H3068 5“For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.H3117H935H5002H3068H6965H1732H6662H6780H4428H4427H7919H6213H4941H6666H776 6And this will be his name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.H3117H3063H3467H3478H7931H983H8034H7121H3072 7“In that day,” says the Lord, “when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’H3117H935H5002H3068H559H3068H2416H5927H1121H3478H776H4714 8Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”H3068H2416H5927H935H2233H1004H3478H6828H776H776H5080H3427H127 9My heart is broken because of the false prophets, and my bones tremble. I stagger like a drunkard, like someone overcome by wine, because of the holy words the Lord has spoken against them.H3820H7130H7665H5030H6106H7363H7910H376H1397H3196H5674H6440H3068H1697H6944 10For the land is full of adultery, and it lies under a curse. The land itself is in mourning—its wilderness pastures are dried up. For they all do evil and abuse what power they have.H776H4390H5003H6440H423H776H56H4999H4057H3001H4794H7451H1369 11“Even the priests and prophets are ungodly, wicked men. I have seen their despicable acts right here in my own Temple,” says the Lord.H5030H3548H2610H1004H4672H7451H5002H3068 12“Therefore, the paths they take will become slippery. They will be chased through the dark, and there they will fall. For I will bring disaster upon them at the time fixed for their punishment. I, the Lord, have spoken!H1870H2519H653H1760H5307H935H7451H8141H6486H5002H3068 13“I saw that the prophets of Samaria were terribly evil, for they prophesied in the name of Baal and led my people of Israel into sin.H7200H8604H5030H8111H5012H1168H5971H3478H8582 14But now I see that the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse! They commit adultery and love dishonesty. They encourage those who are doing evil so that no one turns away from their sins. These prophets are as wicked as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah once were.”H7200H5030H3389H8186H5003H1980H8267H2388H3027H7489H376H7725H7451H5467H3427H6017 15Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says concerning the prophets: “I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink. For it is because of Jerusalem’s prophets that wickedness has filled this land.”H559H3068H6635H5030H398H3939H8248H4325H7219H5030H3389H2613H3318H776 16This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to his people: “Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the Lord!H559H3068H6635H8085H1697H5030H5012H1891H1696H2377H3820H6310H3068 17They keep saying to those who despise my word, ‘Don’t worry! The Lord says you will have peace!’ And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say, ‘No harm will come your way!’H559H559H5006H3068H1696H7965H559H1980H8307H3820H7451H935 18“Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?H5975H5475H3068H7200H8085H1697H7181H1697H8085 19Look! The Lord’s anger bursts out like a storm, a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked.H5591H3068H3318H2534H2342H5591H2342H7218H7563 20The anger of the Lord will not diminish until it has finished all he has planned. In the days to come you will understand all this very clearly.H639H3068H7725H6213H6965H4209H3820H319H3117H995H998 21“I have not sent these prophets, yet they run around claiming to speak for me. I have given them no message, yet they go on prophesying.H7971H5030H7323H1696H5012 22If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words, and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds.H5975H5475H5971H8085H1697H7725H7451H1870H7455H4611 23Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time.H430H7138H5002H3068H430H7350 24Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord.H376H5641H4565H7200H5002H3068H4392H8064H776H5002H3068 25“I have heard these prophets say, ‘Listen to the dream I had from God last night.’ And then they proceed to tell lies in my name.H8085H5030H559H5012H8267H8034H559H2492H2492 26How long will this go on? If they are prophets, they are prophets of deceit, inventing everything they say.H3426H3820H5030H5012H8267H5030H8649H3820 27By telling these false dreams, they are trying to get my people to forget me, just as their ancestors did by worshiping the idols of Baal.H2803H5971H7911H8034H2472H5608H376H7453H1H7911H8034H1168 28“Let these false prophets tell their dreams, but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word. There is a difference between straw and grain!H5030H2472H5608H2472H1697H1696H1697H571H8401H1250H5002H3068 29Does not my word burn like fire?” says the Lord. “Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?H1697H3541H784H5002H3068H6360H6327H5553H6327 30“Therefore,” says the Lord, “I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me.H5030H5002H3068H1589H1697H376H7453 31I am against these smooth-tongued prophets who say, ‘This prophecy is from the Lord!’H5030H5002H3068H3947H3956H5001H5002 32I am against these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams are flagrant lies that lead my people into sin. I did not send or appoint them, and they have no message at all for my people. I, the Lord have spoken!H5012H8267H2472H5002H3068H5608H5971H8582H8267H6350H7971H6680H3276H5971H3276H5002H3068 33“Suppose one of the people or one of the prophets or priests asks you, ‘What prophecy has the Lord burdened you with now?’ You must reply, ‘You are the burden! The Lord says he will abandon you!’H5971H5030H3548H7592H559H4853H3068H559H4853H5203H5002H3068 34“If any prophet, priest, or anyone else says, ‘I have a prophecy from the Lord,’ I will punish that person along with his entire family.H5030H3548H5971H559H4853H3068H6485H376H1004 35You should keep asking each other, ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’ or ‘What is the Lord saying?’H559H376H7453H376H251H3068H6030H3068H1696 36But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the Lord.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.H4853H3068H2142H376H1697H4853H2015H1697H2416H430H3068H6635H430 37“This is what you should say to the prophets: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’ or ‘What is the Lord saying?’H559H5030H3068H6030H3068H1696 38But suppose they respond, ‘This is a prophecy from the Lord!’ Then you should say, ‘This is what the Lord says: Because you have used this phrase, “prophecy from the Lord,” even though I warned you not to use it,H518H559H4853H3068H559H3068H559H1697H4853H3068H7971H559H559H4853H3068 39I will forget you completely. I will expel you from my presence, along with this city that I gave to you and your ancestors.H5377H5382H5203H5892H5414H1H6440 40And I will make you an object of ridicule, and your name will be infamous throughout the ages.’”H5414H5769H2781H5769H3640H7911
24After King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon exiled Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, to Babylon along with the officials of Judah and all the craftsmen and artisans, the Lord gave me this vision. I saw two baskets of figs placed in front of the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem.H3068H7200H8147H1736H8384H3259H6440H1964H3068H310H5019H4428H894H1540H3204H1121H3079H4428H3063H8269H3063H2796H4525H3389H935H894 2One basket was filled with fresh, ripe figs, while the other was filled with bad figs that were too rotten to eat.H259H1731H3966H2896H8384H8384H1073H259H1731H3966H7451H8384H398H7455 3Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I replied, “Figs, some very good and some very bad, too rotten to eat.”H559H3068H7200H3414H559H8384H2896H8384H3966H2896H7451H3966H7451H398H7455 4Then the Lord gave me this message:H1697H3068H559 5“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The good figs represent the exiles I sent from Judah to the land of the Babylonians.H559H3068H430H3478H2896H8384H5234H1546H3063H7971H4725H776H3778H2896 6I will watch over and care for them, and I will bring them back here again. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them.H7760H5869H2896H7725H776H1129H2040H5193H5428 7I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.H5414H3820H3045H3068H5971H430H7725H3820 8“But the bad figs,” the Lord said, “represent King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, all the people left in Jerusalem, and those who live in Egypt. I will treat them like bad figs, too rotten to eat.H7451H8384H398H7455H559H3068H5414H6667H4428H3063H8269H7611H3389H7604H776H3427H776H4714 9I will make them an object of horror and a symbol of evil to every nation on earth. They will be disgraced and mocked, taunted and cursed, wherever I scatter them.H5414H2189H2113H4467H776H7451H2781H4912H8148H7045H4725H5080 10And I will send war, famine, and disease until they have vanished from the land of Israel, which I gave to them and their ancestors.”H7971H2719H7458H1698H8552H127H5414H1
Dublin, OH
, who succeeded his father, King Josiah, and was taken away as a captive: “He will never return.H559
