Judgment against wicked kings
1This is what the Lord says: ‘Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2“Hear the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne – you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. 3This is what the Lord says: do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5But if you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.” ’
6For this is what the Lord says about the palace of the king of Judah:
‘Though you are like Gilead to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,
I will surely make you like a wasteland,
like towns not inhabited.
7I will send destroyers against you,
each man with his weapons,
and they will cut up your fine cedar beams
and throw them into the fire.
8‘People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, “Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?” 9And the answer will be: “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshipped and served other gods.” ’
10Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss;
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return
nor see his native land again.
11For this is what the Lord says about Shallum22:11 Also called Jehoahaz son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but has gone from this place: ‘He will never return. 12He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.’
13‘Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying them for their labour.
14He says, “I will build myself a great palace
with spacious upper rooms.”
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar
and decorates it in red.
15‘Does it make you a king
to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
He did what was right and just,
so all went well with him.
16He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?’
declares the Lord.
17‘But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,
on shedding innocent blood
and on oppression and extortion.’
18Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
‘They will not mourn for him:
“Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!”
They will not mourn for him:
“Alas, my master! Alas, his splendour!”
19He will have the burial of a donkey –
dragged away and thrown
outside the gates of Jerusalem.’
20‘Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
let your voice be heard in Bashan,
cry out from Abarim,
for all your allies are crushed.
21I warned you when you felt secure,
but you said, “I will not listen!”
This has been your way from your youth;
you have not obeyed me.
22The wind will drive all your shepherds away,
and your allies will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced
because of all your wickedness.
23You who live in “Lebanon,22:23 That is, the palace in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 7:2)”
who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
pain like that of a woman in labour!
24‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord, ‘even if you, Jehoiachin22:24 Hebrew Koniah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 28 son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear – Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.22:25 Or Chaldeans 26I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27You will never come back to the land you long to return to.’
28Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot,
an object no-one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled out,
cast into a land they do not know?
29O land, land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30This is what the Lord says:
‘Record this man as if childless,
a man who will not prosper in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring will prosper,
none will sit on the throne of David
or rule anymore in Judah.’
警告犹大的王
1耶和华对我说：“你下到犹大王的宫殿，这样宣告， 2‘坐在大卫宝座上的犹大王啊，你和你的臣仆以及进出这城门的百姓都要听耶和华的话。 3耶和华说，你们为人要公义正直，要从欺压者手中解救受剥削的人。不要欺凌、虐待异乡人和孤儿寡妇，不可在这地方滥杀无辜。 4如果你们遵守我的命令，大卫的子孙必继续做王，并乘车、骑马率领臣民进出王宫。 5但如果你们不遵守我的命令，我凭自己起誓，这王宫必沦为废墟。这是耶和华说的。’”
6论到犹大王的宫殿，耶和华说：
“虽然它在我眼中美如基列，
又像黎巴嫩的山峰，
但我必使它变成不毛之地，
变成杳无人烟的城邑。
7我要派人拿着兵器来摧毁它，
他们要砍下它最好的香柏木，
扔进火里。
8“各国的人经过这城时都会彼此议论说，‘为什么耶和华这样对待这座大城？’ 9有人会回答，‘因为城里的人背弃了他们的上帝耶和华的约，供奉、祭拜其他神明。’”
10你们不要为死去的王哀哭，
要为被掳走的王哀哭，
因为他必一去不返，
再也看不到自己的家园。
11论到接替父亲约西亚做犹大王、后来被掳走的沙龙22:11 “沙龙”也叫“约哈斯”。，耶和华说：“他必一去不返， 12客死异乡，永别故土。”
对约雅敬的审判
13耶和华说：
“约西亚的儿子犹大王约雅敬啊，你有祸了！
你以不公不义的手段建造宫廷殿宇，
不给工人发工钱。
14你说要为自己建造宏伟的宫殿、宽敞的房间。
你安上窗户，
镶上香柏木，
涂上红漆。
15难道你大肆使用香柏木就能显出你做王的气派吗？
你父亲也吃也喝，
但他秉公行义，
所以他凡事顺利；
16他为困苦和贫穷的人申冤，
所以他凡事顺利。
这才是真正认识我。
这是耶和华说的。
17可是，你一心贪图不义之财，
滥杀无辜，横征暴敛。”
18因此，论到犹大王约西亚的儿子约雅敬，耶和华说：
“没有人会为他哀悼说，
‘唉，我的弟兄啊！
唉，我的姊妹啊！’
没有人会为他哀悼说，
‘唉，主人啊！
唉，他的尊荣！’
19你必像死驴一样被拖到耶路撒冷的城门外，暴尸荒野。”
对耶路撒冷的警告
20“耶路撒冷人啊，
你们要上黎巴嫩大声哭喊，
在巴珊哀号，
在亚巴琳痛哭，
因为你们的盟友被消灭了。
21在你们兴盛的时候，
我曾警告过你们，
你们却不听。
你们从小就叛逆，
不听我的话。
22你们的首领都要被风卷去，
你们的盟友都要被掳走，
你们必因自己的恶行而蒙羞受辱。
23住在黎巴嫩、安居在香柏木宫殿中的人啊，
当妇人分娩般的痛苦临到你们的时候，
你们将怎样呻吟呢！”
对哥尼雅的审判
24耶和华说：“犹大王约雅敬的儿子哥尼雅22:24 “哥尼雅”即“耶哥尼雅”，又叫“约雅斤”。啊，我凭我的永恒起誓，即使你是我右手上盖章的戒指，我也要把你摘下来， 25交给那些想杀你的人，交给你所惧怕的人，就是巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒和他的迦勒底军队。 26我要把你和你母亲赶到异乡，那里不是你们的出生之地，却是葬身之处。 27你们渴望回到故乡，却不能如愿以偿。”
28难道哥尼雅是个被人鄙视、无人理睬的破瓶子吗？
为什么他和他的子孙被赶到陌生之地？
29大地啊，大地啊，大地啊，
要听耶和华的话！
30耶和华说：
“你要把这人作为无儿无女、
一生失败的人记录下来，
因为他的后裔中无一人能成功地继承大卫的宝座，
统治犹大。”
