Jeremiah 22

You are as important to me
as the rolling hills and fields of Gilead,
and as the mountains of Lebanon.
But I swear I will turn you into a desert,
A land full of ghost towns.
7I'll get the killers ready to go
and I'll load them up on weapons.
They will cut you down
Like they’re chopping cedar. Then they'll throw you in the fire.

Don't cry for the one who’s gone.
Don’t grieve for dead King Josiah. [1]
Save your tears for the one who’s going.
King Jehoahaz, [2] his captive son, will never return.

There’s bad news for King Jehoiakim [4]
Who built his elegant palace on bedrock evil
And filled the rooms with injustice.
He forced his neighbors to work for nothing.
No wages. No tips. No thanks.
14He bragged, “I’ll build a huge two-story.”
He cut out holes for windows.
He paneled the walls with cedar
And painted it red.
15So what if you have the house with the most cedar?
Does all that cedar make you a king?
Your dad ate and drank like everyone else.
He was a good man who ruled with justice.
His life went well.
16He treated the poor and most vulnerable to justice.
His life was better for it.
People who know me will do the same.
This is the LORD’s message.
17But from your eyeballs to your heart
All you care about is getting richer
By any dishonest means necessary:
Murdering the innocent,
Cheating the poor,
Attacking anyone who gets in your way.

No one will mourn his death
Like they’re crying over someone they love.
“Oh, my brother is gone.” “Oh no, my sister.”
They won’t say, “Our master is dead,”
Or “Oh no, it’s his majesty.”
19They’ll drag his body out of town
And bury it with a donkey. [5]
20Cry for yourselves.
And cry to your allies,
North, East, and South:
Lebanon, Bashan, and the Abarim Mountains of Moab. [6]
Never mind. They’re all dead.
21I talked to you when everything was going well.
But you said, “God who?”
You’ve been a bad boy since childhood.
You wouldn’t listen to me.
22I’ll scatter your officials
Like shepherds in a cyclone.
As for the allies you love,
They’re headed for captivity.
That’s what it will take to get your attention.
Finally, you’ll see your evil
And you’ll be ashamed of yourself.
23You live among the cedars of Lebanon
With your wall-to-wall paneling.
But when the Big Hurt comes,
You’re going to squeal
Like a woman giving birth.

When you look at Jehoiachin
You’re looking at a cracked pot. [8]
Who wants a cracked pot?
So, can you see why I’m sending his family away
To a kingdom they’ve never even seen? [9]
29“Oh no. Not the land, the land, the land.” [10]
Listen to the LORD’s message.
30The LORD says:
Get it on the record.
This man has no children. [11]
None of his sons will succeed him as king.
They’ll never rule Judah from David’s throne.