1Thussays the LORD, "Godown to the house of the king of Judah, and therespeakthisword2
and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, who 1sits on David'sthrone, you and your servants and your people who enterthesegates.
3'Thussays the LORD, "2Dojustice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his 3oppressor. Also 4do not mistreat or doviolence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow ; and do not 5shedinnocentblood in thisplace.
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"For if you men will indeedperformthisthing, then 6kings will enter the gates of thishouse, sittingain David's place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, even the king himself and his servants and his people.
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"7But if you will not obeythesewords, I 8swear by Myself," declares the LORD, "that thishouse will become a desolation.""'
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For thussays the LORDconcerning the house of the king of Judah : "You are like 9Gilead to Me, Like the summit of Lebanon ; Yet mostassuredly I will make you like a 10wilderness, Like cities which are not inhabited.
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"For I will setapart11destroyersagainst you, Each with his weapons ; And they will 12cutdown your choicestcedars And 13throw them on the fire.
8"Manynations will pass by thiscity ; and they will 14say to oneanother, 'Why has the LORDdonethus to thisgreatcity ?'
9
"Then they will banswer, 'Because they 15forsook the covenant of the LORD their God and boweddown to othergods and served them.' "
1016Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him, But weepcontinually for the one who goes away; For 17he will neverreturn Or see his nativeland.
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For thussays the LORD in regard to c18Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who becameking in the place of Josiah his father, whowentforth from thisplace, "He will neverreturnthere ;
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but in the placewhere they led him captive, there he will 19die and not seethislandagain.
Messages about the Kings
13"Woe to him who builds his house20withoutrighteousness And his dupperroomswithoutjustice, Who uses his neighbor'sserviceswithoutpay And 21does not give him his wages,
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Who says, 'I will 22build myself a roomyhouse With spaciouseupperrooms, And cut out its windows, fPaneling it with 23cedar and painting it gbrightred.'
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"Do you become a kingbecause you are competing in cedar ? Did not your fathereat and drink And 24dojustice and righteousness ? Then it was 25well with him.
16
"He pled the cause of the 26afflicted and needy ; Then it was well. 27Is not that what it means to know Me?" Declares the LORD.
17
"But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own 28dishonestgain, And on 29sheddinginnocentblood And on practicingoppression and extortion."
18Thereforethussays the LORD in regard to 30Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, "They will not 31lament for him: '32Alas, my brother !' or, 'Alas, sister !' They will not lament for him: 'Alas for the master !' or, 'Alas for his splendor !'
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"He will be 33buried with a donkey'sburial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20"Go up to Lebanon and cry out, And lift up your voice in Bashan ; Cry out also from 34Abarim, For all your 35lovers have been crushed.
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"I spoke to you in your prosperity ; But 36you said, 'I will not listen !' 37This has been your practice38from your youth, That you have not obeyed My voice.
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"The wind will sweepawayall your 39shepherds, And your 40lovers will go into captivity ; Then you will surely be 41ashamed and humiliatedBecause of all your wickedness.
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"You who dwell in Lebanon, Nested in the cedars, How you will groan when pangscome upon you, 42Pain like a woman in childbirth !
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"As I live," declares the LORD, "eventhoughh43Coniah the son of Jehoiakimking of Judah were a 44signet ring on My righthand, yet I would pulliyou joff ;
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and I will 45give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
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"I will 46hurl you and your 47motherwhobore you into anothercountrywhere you were not born, and there you will die.
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"But as for the land to which they desire to return, they will not return to it.
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"Is thismanConiah a despised, shatteredjar ? Or is he an 48undesirablevessel ? Why have he and his descendants been 49hurled out And cast into a 50land that they had not known ?
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"51O land, land, land, Hear the word of the LORD !
30"Thussays the LORD, 'Writethismandown52childless, A man who will 53not prosper in his days ; For noman of his 54descendants will prosperSitting on the throne of David Or rulingagain in Judah.' "