Wycliffe WYC
New International Reader's Version NIRV
1 The Lord saith these things, Go thou down into the house of the king of Judah, and thou shalt speak there this word, (The Lord saith these things, Go thou down to the house of the king of Judah, and thou shalt speak this word there,)
1
The LORD said to me, "Jeremiah, go down to the palace of the king of Judah. Announce my message there. Tell him,
2 and shalt say, Hear thou the word of the Lord, thou king of Judah, that sittest on the seat of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people, that enter [in] by these gates. (and shalt say, Hear thou the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sittest on David's throne, thou, and thy servants, and thy people, who enter in by these gates.)
2
'King of Judah, listen to the LORD's message. You are sitting on David's throne. You and your officials and your people come through these gates.
3 The Lord saith these things, Do ye doom, and rightfulness, and deliver ye him that is oppressed by violence from the hand of the false challenger; and do not ye make sorry, neither oppress ye wickedly a comeling, and a fatherless child, and a widow, and shed ye not out innocent blood in this place. (The Lord saith these things, Do ye justice, and uprightness, and rescue ye him who is oppressed by violence from the hand of the oppressor; and do not ye make sorry, nor wickedly oppress ye, a newcomer, or a stranger, or a fatherless child, or a widow, and pour ye not out innocent blood in this place.)
3
The LORD says, "Do what is fair and right. Save those who have been robbed. Set them free from the people who have treated them badly. Do not do anything wrong to outsiders or widows in this place. Do not harm children whose fathers have died. Do not kill those who are not guilty of doing anything wrong.
4 For if ye doing do this word, (then) kings of the kin of David sitting on his throne shall enter [in] by the gates of this house, and shall ascend on chariots and horses, they, and the servants, and the people of them. (For if ye do this thing, then kings of the kin of David sitting on his throne shall enter in by the gates of this house, or of this palace, and shall come in chariots and on horses, they, and their servants, and their people.)
4
" ' "Be careful to obey those commands. Then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this palace. They will come riding in chariots and on horses. Their officials and their people will come along with them.
5 That if ye hear not these words, I swore in myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall be into wilderness. (But if ye do not listen to these words, I swore to myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall be turned into a wilderness, that is, into an empty ruin.)
5
" ' "But suppose you do not obey those commands," announces the Lord. "Then I promise you that this palace will be destroyed. I make that promise by taking an oath in my own name." ' "
6 For the Lord saith these things on the house of the king of Judah; Gilead, thou art to me the head of the Lebanon; credence be not given to me, if I set not thee (into) a wilderness, (and) cities (which be) unhabitable. (For the Lord saith these things about the house of the king of Judah; thou art to me like Gilead, and like the heights of Lebanon; but credence be not given to me/but no one believe me, if I do not make thee into a wilderness, and a land of uninhabited cities.)
6
The LORD speaks about the palace of the king of Judah. He says, "You are like the land of Gilead to me. You are like the highest mountain in Lebanon. But I will make you like a desert. You will become like towns that no one lives in.
7 And I shall hallow on thee a man slaying, and his arms (And I shall ordain men against thee to kill thee with their weapons); and they shall cut down thy chosen cedars, and shall cast (them) down into (the) fire.
7
I will send destroyers against you. All of them will come with their weapons. They will cut up your fine cedar beams. They will throw them into the fire.
8 And many folks shall pass by this city, and each man shall say to his neighbour, Why did the Lord thus to this great city? (And people from many nations shall pass by this city, and each person shall say to his neighbour, Why did the Lord do thus to this great city?)
8
"People from many nations will pass by this city. They will ask one another, 'Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?'
9 And they shall answer, For they forsook the covenant of their Lord God, and worshipped alien gods, and served them. (And they shall answer, For they deserted the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped strange, or foreign, gods, and served them.)
9
"And the answer will be, 'Because its people have turned away from the covenant the LORD their God made with them. They have worshiped other gods. And they have served them.' "
10 Do not ye beweep him that is dead, neither wail ye on him by weeping; bewail ye him that goeth out, for he shall no more turn again, neither he shall see the land of his birth. (Do not ye weep for him who is dead, nor wail ye for him with weeping; but wail ye for him who goeth out, for he shall no more return, nor shall he see again the land of his birth.)
10
Don't sob over dead King Josiah. Don't be sad because he's gone. Instead, sob bitterly over King Jehoahaz. He was forced to leave his country. He will never return. He'll never see his own land again.
11 For the Lord saith these things to Shallum, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, that reigned for Josiah, his father, He that went out of this place, shall no more turn again hither; (For the Lord saith these things to Shallum, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, who reigned for his father Josiah, He who went out of this place, shall no more return here;)
11
Jehoahaz became king of Judah after his father Josiah. But he has gone away from this place. That's because the LORD says about him, "He will never return.
12 but in the place to which I have translated him, there he shall die, and he shall no more see this land. (but in the place to which I have carried him away captive, there he shall die, and he shall never see this land again.)
12
He will die in Egypt. That is where he was taken as a prisoner. He will not see this land again."
13 Woe to him that buildeth his house in unrightfulness, and his solars not in doom; he shall oppress his friend in vain, and he shall not yield his hire to him. (Woe to him who buildeth his house in unrighteousness, and his rooms with injustice; he shall make his neighbours work for nothing, and he shall not pay them their wages.)
13
The LORD says, "How terrible it will be for King Jehoiakim! He builds his palace by mistreating his people. He builds its upstairs rooms with money that was gained by sinning. He makes his own people work for nothing. He does not pay them for what they do.
14 Which saith, I shall build to me a large house, and wide solars; which openeth windows to himself, and maketh couples of cedar, and painteth with red colour. (Who saith, I shall build for myself a large house with wide rooms; and I shall cut out windows for it, and make couplings out of cedar, and paint it with red colour.)
14
He says, 'I will build myself a great palace. It will have large rooms upstairs.' So he makes big windows in it. He covers its walls with cedar boards. He decorates it with red paint.
15 Whether thou shalt reign, for thou comparisonest thee to a cedar? whether thy father ate not, and drank, and did doom and rightfulness then, when it was well to him? (Shalt thou reign, because thy cedar is finer in comparison to others? did not thy father eat, and drink, and did justly and with righteousness, and was it not well with him?)
15
"Jehoiakim, does having more and more cedar boards make you a king? Your father Josiah had enough to eat and drink. He did what was right and fair. So everything went well with him.
16 He deemed the cause of a poor man, and needy, into his good; whether not therefore for he knew me? saith the Lord. (He judged the cases of the poor and the needy, for their good; did this not show that he knew me? saith the Lord.)
16
He stood up for those who were poor or needy. So everything went well with him. That is what it means to know me," announces the Lord.
17 Forsooth thine eyes and heart be to avarice, and to shed innocent blood, and to false challenge, and to the performing of evil work. (But thine eyes and thy heart be turned to greed, and to pour out innocent blood, and to oppression, and to the performing of evil work.)
17
"Jehoiakim, the only thing on your mind is to get rich by cheating others. You would even kill people who are not guilty of doing anything wrong. You would mistreat them. You would take everything they own."
18 Therefore the Lord saith these things to Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, They shall not bewail him, (and say,) Woe brother! and woe sister! they shall not sound together to him (and say,) Woe lord! and woe noble man! (And so the Lord saith these things about Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, They shall not bewail him, and say, Woe brother! and woe sister! they shall not sound together for him, and say, Woe lord! and woe noble man!)
18
So the LORD speaks about King Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah. He says, "His people will not sob over him. They will not say, 'My poor brother! My poor sister!' They will not sob over him. They will not say, 'My poor master! How sad that his glory is gone!'
19 He shall be buried with the burying of an ass, he shall be rotten, and cast forth without the gates of Jerusalem. (He shall be buried like the burying of a donkey, yea, he shall be rotten, and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.)
19
In fact, he will be buried like a donkey. His body will be dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem."
20 Ascend thou on the Lebanon, and cry thou, and give thy voice in Bashan, and cry to them that pass forth, for all thy lovers be all-broken. (Go thou up to Lebanon, and cry thou, and give thy voice in Bashan, and cry to those who pass forth, for all thy allies be all-broken.)
20
The LORD says, "People of Jerusalem, go up to Lebanon. Cry out for help. Let your voice be heard in the land of Bashan. Cry out from the mountains of Abarim. All those who were going to help you are crushed.
21 I spake to thee in thy plenty, and thou saidest, I shall not hear (I will not listen to thee); this is thy way from thy youth, for thou heardest not my voice.
21
When you felt secure, I warned you. But you said, 'I won't listen!' You have acted like that ever since you were young. You have not obeyed me.
22 Wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; (The wind shall carry away all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; and then thou shalt be shamed, and ashamed for all thy malice,)
22
The wind will drive all of your shepherds away. All those who were going to help you will be carried off as prisoners. Then you will be dishonored and put to shame. That will happen because you have been so sinful.
23 and then thou that sittest in the Lebanon, and makest (thy) nest in cedars, shalt be shamed, and ashamed of all thy malice. How wailedest thou, when sorrows were come to thee, as the sorrow of a woman travailing of child? (thou who sittest in Lebanon, and makest thy nest in cedars. How thou shalt wail, when sorrows shall come to thee, like the sorrow of a woman in labour!)
23
Some of you live in Jerusalem in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. You are comfortable in your cedar buildings. But you will groan when pain comes on you. It will be like the pain of a woman having a baby.
24 I live, saith the Lord, for thou Jeconiah , the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were (as) a ring in my right hand, from thence I shall draw away him. (As I live, saith the Lord, for thou Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, were the ring on my right hand, but now I shall draw thee away from there.)
24
"King Jehoiachin, you are the son of Jehoiakim," announces the Lord. "Suppose you were a ring on my right hand. And suppose the ring even had my royal seal on it. Then I would still pull you off my finger. And that is just as sure as I am alive.
25 And I shall give thee in the hand of them that seek thy life, and in the hand of them whose face thou dreadest, and in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and in the hand of Chaldees. (And I shall give thee into the hands of those who seek thy life, and into the hands of those whose faces thou fearest, and into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and into the hands of the Chaldeans.)
25
"I will hand you over to those who are trying to kill you. I will turn you over to people you are afraid of. I will give you to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia. I will hand you over to his armies.
26 And I shall send thee, and thy mother that engendered thee, into an alien land, in which ye were not born, and there ye shall die; (And I shall send thee, and thy mother who begat thee, into a foreign, or a strange, land, where ye were not born, and ye shall die there;)
26
"I will throw you out into another country. I will throw your mother out. Neither of you was born in that country. But both of you will die there.
27 and they shall not turn again into the land, to which they raise their soul(s), that they turn again thither. (and they shall never return to the land, to which they raise up their souls, that they could return there.)
27
You will never come back to the land you long to return to."
28 Whether this man Jeconiah is (but) an earthen vessel, and all-broken? whether a vessel without all-liking? (but a vessel all despised?) Why (else) be he and his seed cast away, and cast forth into a land which they knew not?
28
This man Jehoiachin is like a broken pot. Everyone hates him. No one wants him. Why will he and his children be thrown out of this land? Why will they be sent to a land they didn't have anything to do with before?
29 Earth, earth, earth, hear thou the word of the Lord. (O land, land, land, hear thou the words of the Lord.)
29
Land, land, land, listen to the LORD's message!
30 The Lord saith these things, Write thou this man barren, a man that shall not have prosperity in his days; for of his seed shall be no man, that shall sit on the seat of David, and have power further in Judah. (The Lord saith these things, Write thou that this man shall be barren, and he shall not prosper in all his days; for none of his descendants shall sit on David's throne, or have any power again in Judah.)
30
The LORD says, "Let the record say that this man did not have any children. Let it report that he did not have any success in life. None of his children will have success either. None of them will sit on David's throne. None of them will ever rule over Judah.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.