The Lord Judges Evil Kings
1The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah. Announce my message there. Tell him, 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. 3The 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. 4Be careful to obey these 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. 5But suppose you do not obey these commands,” announces the Lord. “Then I promise you that this palace will be destroyed. You can be as sure of this promise as you are sure that I live.” ’ ”
6The 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.
7I 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“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?’ 9And the answer will be, ‘This happened because of what its people have done. They have turned away from the covenant the Lord their God made with them. They have worshiped other gods. And they have served them.’ ”
10Don’t weep over dead King Josiah.
Don’t be sad because he’s gone.
Instead, weep bitterly over King Jehoahaz.
He was forced to leave his country.
He will never return.
He’ll never see his own land again.
11Jehoahaz 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. 12He will die in Egypt. That is where he was taken as a prisoner. He will not see this land again.”
13The 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 gained by sinning.
He makes his own people work for nothing.
He does not pay them for what they do.
14He 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“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.
16He 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“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.”
18So the Lord speaks about King Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah. He says,
“His people will not mourn for him.
They will not say,
‘My poor brother! My poor sister!’
They will not mourn for him.
They will not say,
‘My poor master! How sad that his glory is gone!’
19In fact, he will be buried like a donkey.
His body will be dragged away and thrown
outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
20The 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.
21When 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.
22The wind will drive away all your shepherds.
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.
23Some 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“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 mark on it. Then I would still pull you off my finger. And that is just as sure as I am alive. 25I will hand you over to those who want to kill you. I will hand you over to people you are afraid of. I will give you to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. I will hand you over to his armies. 26I 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. 27You will never come back to the land you long to return to.”
28This 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 don’t know about?
29Land, land, land,
listen to the Lord’s message!
30The 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.
Суд над злим царевима Јуде
1Господ је овако рекао: „Сиђи до царевог двора у Јуди и тамо им објави ову реч. 2Реци: ’Чуј Господњу реч, царе Јудин, што седиш на Давидовом престолу – ти, твоје слуге и твој народ што улази на ова врата! 3Овако каже Господ: поступајте право и праведно. Од тлачитеља избављајте покраденог. Дошљака, сироче и удовицу не злостављајте и не тлачите. Не проливајте крв невиних на овом месту! 4Јер ако ово будете предано радили, тада ће на врата двора овог улазити цареви који седе на престолу Давидовом, на бојним колима и на коњима – они, њихове слуге и њихов народ. 5А не будете ли послушали ове речи, собом се заклињем – говори Господ – овај ће двор постати пустош!’“
6Јер овако каже Господ за двор Јудиног цара:
„Мени си ти као Галад и врх Ливана,
али ћу те стварно претворити у пустињу,
у градове расељене.
7Затирача спремам на тебе,
све до једног наоружаног!
Најбоље ће твоје кедрове посећи
и у ватру бацити.
8Многи ће народи пролазити поред овог града, па ће се међусобно питати: ’Зашто је Господ поступио овако са великим градом овим?’ 9И одговориће: ’Зато што су напустили савез Господа, Бога свога, па су се клањали другим боговима и служили су им.’“
10Не оплакујте мртвог и не жалите за њим!
Него горко јецајте за оним што одлази,
да се више не врати
и не види свој родни крај.
11Овако каже Господ о Салуму22,11 Друго име цара Јоахаза., сину Јудиног цара Јосије, постављеном на место свог оца Јосије и који је отишао из овог места: „Он се никада више неће вратити. 12Тамо где су га одвели, у изгнанство, тамо ће и да умре. Ову земљу он никада више неће видети.
13Тешко ономе што кућу неправедно кући,
и одаје горње, али не по правди;
коме сународник ради без накнаде
и који не даје трудбенику плату.
14Јер тај каже: ’Сазидаћу себи кућу повелику
и простране горње собе.’
Отвориће за себе прозоре,
па кедром облаже и црвеним боји.
15Зар ти владаш
да би се кедровином разметао?
Зар твој отац није и јео и пио,
зар није праведно и правично радио,
па му је било добро?
16Бранио је сиромаха и убогог.
И онда је било добро.
Не значи ли то познавати мене?
– говори Господ.
17Али твоје очи и твоје срце
не теже ничем сем непоштеном добитку
и проливању крви невинога,
да би тлачио и изнуђивао.“
18Овако каже Господ о Јоакиму, сину Јудиног цара Јосије:
„Неће за њим зажалити:
’Јао, брате мој! Јао, сестро!’
Неће за њим зажалити:
’Јао, господару! Јао његово величанство!’
19Сахраниће га као што магарца сахрањују.
Одвући ће га и бацити
подаље од врата Јерусалима.
20Попни се на Ливан и вичи!
На Васану гласом зајечи
и завичи са Аварима,
јер су сатрвени сви твоји љубавници.
21А ја сам ти говорио у твом благостању,
а ти си рекао: ’Нећу да слушам!’
И то ти је био пут још од младости твоје –
да не слушаш мој глас.
22Свим твојим пастирима ветар пастир ће да буде,
а и твоји љубавници ће отићи у изгнанство.
А онда ћеш се баш застидети и понижен ћеш бити
због свих својих зала.
23Ти што седиш на ’Ливану’,
угнежден у кедровину:
како ћеш стењати кад те спопадну трудови
и бол као породиљу!
24Живота ми мога – говори Господ – све да Хонија22,24 Јехонија., син Јудиног цара Јоакима, буде и печатни прстен на десној руци мојој, и оданде ћу те стргнути. 25Предаћу те у руке онима који ти о глави раде, у руке оних од којих стрепиш, у руке вавилонског цара Навуходоносора и у руке Халдејаца. 26Избацићу и тебе и мајку твоју која те родила у другу земљу, тамо где се нисте родили. И тамо ћете умрети. 27А у земљу у коју им душа жуди да се врати, вратити се неће.“
28Је ли крчаг презрен и полупан овај човек Хонија?
Или је посуда коју нико неће?
Зашто су одбачени и он и његово потомство,
истерани у земљу која им је туђа?
29О, земљо! О, земљо!
О, земљо, чуј реч Господњу!
30Овако каже Господ:
„Запиши: овај човек је као без порода
и неће напредовати за живота свога.
Неће напредовати нико од његових потомака,
нико неће седети на престолу Давидовом
да би поново владао Јудом.
