1. This is what the lord said to me: “Go over and speak directly to the king of Judah. Say to him,
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.
3. This 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!
4. If 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.
5. But 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.’”
6. Now this is what the lord says concerning Judah’s royal palace:“I love you as much as fruitful Gileadand the green forests of Lebanon.But I will turn you into a desert,with no one living within your walls.
7. I will call for wreckers,who will bring out their tools to dismantle you.They will tear out all your fine cedar beamsand throw them on the fire.
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?’