1-3. The Lord sent me to the palace of the king of Judah to speak to the king, his officials, and everyone else who was there. The Lord told me to say:I am the Lord, so pay attention! You have been allowing people to cheat, rob, and take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners who live here. Innocent people have become victims of violence, and some of them have even been killed. But now I command you to do what is right and see that justice is done. Rescue everyone who has suffered from injustice.
4. If you obey me, the kings from David's family will continue to rule Judah from this palace. They and their officials will ride in and out on their horses or in their chariots.
5. But if you ignore me, I promise in my own name that this palace will lie in ruins.
6. Listen to what I think about it:the palace of Judah's kingis as glorious as Gileador Lebanon's highest peaks.But it will be as emptyas a ghost townwhen I'm through with it.
7. I'll send troops to tear it apart,and its beautiful cedar beamswill be used for firewood.
8. People from different nations will pass by and ask, “Why did the Lord do this to such a great city as Jerusalem?”
9. Others will answer, “It's because the people worshipped foreign gods and broke the agreement that the Lord their God had made with them.”
10. King Josiah is dead,so don't cry for him.Instead, cry for his sonKing Jehoahaz,dragged off to another country,never to return.
11-12. Jehoahaz became king of Judah after his father King Josiah died. But Jehoahaz was taken as a prisoner to a foreign country. Now I, the Lord, promise that he will die there without ever seeing his own land again.
13-14. King Jehoiakim, you are doomed!You built a palacewith large rooms upstairs.You put in big windowsand used cedar panellingand red paint.But you were unfairand forced the builders to workwithout pay.
15-16. More cedar in your palacedoesn't make you a better kingthan your father Josiah.He always did right—he gave justice to the poorand was honest.That's what it meansto truly know me.So he lived a comfortable lifeand always had enoughto eat and drink.
17. But all you think aboutis how to cheator abuse or murdersome innocent victim.