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Judgment Against Evil Kings
22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the ·palace [L house] of the king of Judah and ·prophesy this message [L say this word] there: 2 ‘Hear the word of the Lord, king of Judah, who ·rules from [L sits on] David’s throne. You and your officers, and your people who come through these gates, listen! 3 This is what the Lord says: Do ·what is fair and right [L justice and righteousness]. ·Save [Protect; Rescue] the one who has been robbed from the ·power [L hand] of his ·attacker [L oppressor]. Don’t mistreat or ·hurt [do violence to] the ·foreigners [resident aliens; Ex. 23:21; Lev. 19:33], orphans, or widows [Ex. 22:22; Deut. 10:18; 27:19]. Don’t ·kill innocent people [L spill innocent blood; Deut. 19:10; 27:25] here. 4 If you carefully ·obey these commands [perform this word], kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this ·palace [L house] with their officers and people, riding in chariots and on horses. 5 But if you don’t ·obey these commands [L listen to these words], says the Lord, I swear by my ·own name [L myself] that this ·king’s palace [L house] will become a ruin.’”
6 This is what the Lord says about the ·palace where the king of Judah lives [L house of the king of Judah]:
“You are like Gilead to me,
like the ·mountaintops [summit] of ·Lebanon [C lush; the palace was built with the cedars of Lebanon; 1 Kin. 7:2].
But I will truly make you into a ·desert [wilderness],
into towns where no one lives.
7 I will ·send [L consecrate; set apart] ·men to destroy the palace [destroyers],
each with his weapons.
They will cut up your ·strong, beautiful cedar beams [L choice cedars]
and throw them into the fire.
8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and ask each other, ‘Why has the Lord done such a terrible thing to Jerusalem, this great city?’ 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they [C the people of Judah] ·quit following [abandoned; forsook] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with the Lord their God. They ·worshiped [bowed down to] and served other gods.’”
Judgment Against Jehoahaz
10 Don’t cry for the dead one [C the king] or ·be sad about [bemoan] him.
But cry ·painfully for the king who is being taken [L for the one who goes] away [C into exile],
because he will never return
or see ·his homeland [L the land of his birth] again.
11 This is what the Lord says about Jehoahaz [L Shallum; C ruled 597 bc; 2 Kin. 23:31–33] son of Josiah who became king of Judah after his father left this place [C died]: “He will never return. 12 He will die where he has been taken ·captive [into exile], and he will not see this land again.”
Judgment Against Jehoiakim
13 “·How terrible it will be for one [Woe to the one; C King Jehoiakim (605–597 bc), placed on the throne by the Egyptian pharaoh to replace his brother Jehoahaz; 2 Kin. 23:34] who builds his ·palace [L house] by ·doing evil [L unrighteousness],
·who cheats people so he can build its upper rooms [his upper rooms without justice].
He makes his ·own people [L neighbors] work for nothing
and does not pay them.
14 He says, ‘I will build a ·great palace [L spacious house] for myself
with large upper rooms.’
So he ·builds it with [cuts out] large windows
and uses cedar wood for the ·walls [panels],
which he paints ·red [vermilion].
15 “Does having a lot of cedar [C in your house]
make you a great king?
·Your father was satisfied to [L Did not your father…?; C Josiah, a godly king] have food and drink.
He did what was right and fair,
so everything went well for him.
16 He ·helped [L judged the cause of] those who were poor and needy,
so everything went well for him.
·That is what it [L Is this not what it…?] means to know ·God [L me],”
says the Lord.
17 “But ·you only look for and think about [L your eyes and your heart are on]
what you can get dishonestly.
You are even willing to ·kill innocent people [L pour out innocent blood] to get it.
You feel free to ·hurt [oppress] people and to steal from them.”
18 So this is what the Lord says to Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
“They [C the people of Judah] will not cry [mourn] ·when Jehoiakim dies [L for him],
saying: ‘·Oh [Woe], my brother,’ or ‘·Oh [Woe], my sister.’
They will not ·cry [mourn] for him, saying:
‘·Oh [Woe], master,’ or ‘·Oh [Woe], my king.’
19 They will bury him like a donkey,
dragging and throwing his body away
outside the gates of Jerusalem.
20 “Judah, go up to Lebanon and cry out.
Let your voice be heard in Bashan.
Cry out from Abarim,
because all your friends are destroyed!
21 When you [C Judah] were ·successful [prosperous], I warned you,
but you said, ‘I won’t listen.’
·You have acted like this [L This is your way/path] since you were young;
you have not ·obeyed me [L listened to my voice].
22 ·Like a storm, my punishment will blow all your shepherds away [L The wind will shepherd all your shepherds away]
and send your ·friends [or lovers] into ·captivity [exile; 2 Kin. 23:36—24:7].
Then you will really be ashamed and ·disgraced [humiliated]
because of all the ·wicked things [evil] you did.
23 You [C King Jehoiakim] live in Lebanon [C the palace was made of cedar from Lebanon],
·cozy [nestled] in your rooms of cedar.
But when your ·punishment [L pangs] comes, how you will groan
like a woman ·giving birth to a baby [in labor]!
Judgment upon Jehoiachin
24 “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “·Jehoiachin [L Coniah; C ruled 597 bc; 2 Kin. 24:8–17; 2 Chr. 36:9–10] son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, even if you were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still ·pull [tear] you off. 25 I will ·hand you over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans]—those people you fear because they ·want to kill you [L seek your life]. 26 I will ·throw [hurl] you and your mother who bore you into another country [C Babylon]. Neither of you was born there, but both of you will die there. 27 They will want to come back, but they will never be able to return.”
28 ·Jehoiachin is like a broken pot someone threw away [L Is this man Jehoiachin a despised broken pot…?];
·he is like something [L a vessel…?] no one wants.
Why will Jehoiachin and his children be ·thrown out [hurled away]
and ·sent [thrown] into a ·foreign land [country they do not know; C exiled to Babylon]?
29 Land, land, land [C of Judah],
hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
“Write this down ·in the record about [L about this man; C Jehoiachin]:
He is a man without children,
a man who will not be successful in his ·lifetime [L days].
And none of his descendants will be successful;
none will sit on the throne of David
or rule in Judah.”
The Evil Leaders of Judah
23 “·How terrible it will be for [Woe to] ·those [L the shepherds; C the leaders of Judah] who are scattering and destroying ·my people [L the sheep of my pasture],” says the Lord.
2 They are ·responsible for the people [L the shepherds who shepherd my people; Num. 27:7; Ps. 78:70–72; Ezek. 34], so the Lord, the God of Israel, says to them: “You have scattered my ·people [flock] and forced them away and not taken care of them. So I will ·punish [take care of] you for the evil things you have done,” says the Lord. 3 “But I will gather ·those who are left alive [L the remnant of my flock] from all the lands where I have driven them and bring them back to their own ·country [flock]. Then they will ·have many children and grow in number [be fruitful and multiply]. 4 I will ·place [raise up] ·new leaders over my people, who will take care of them [L shepherds who will shepherd them]. And my people will not be afraid or terrified again, and none of them will be lost,” says the Lord.
The Good Branch Will Come
5 “The days are coming,” says the Lord,
“when I will raise up a ·good [righteous] branch ·in David’s family [L for David; Is. 4:2; Zech. 3:8; 6:12].
He will be a king who will rule in a wise way;
he will do ·what is fair and right [justice and righteousness] in the land.
6 In his time Judah will be ·saved [rescued],
and Israel will live ·in safety [with confidence].
This will be his name:
The Lord ·Does What Is Right [L Our Righteousness].
7 “So the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when people will not say again: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought Israel out of Egypt….’ 8 But people will say something new: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the ·descendants of Israel [L seed of the house of Israel] from the land of the north [C Babylon] and from all the countries where he had ·sent [driven] them away….’ Then the people of Israel will live in their own land [16:14–15].”
False Prophets Will Be Punished
9 A message to the prophets:
My heart is ·broken [L shattered within me].
All my bones shake.
I’m like someone who is drunk,
like someone who has been ·overcome [inebriated] with wine.
This is because of the Lord
and his holy words.
10 The land [C of Judah] is full of people who are guilty of adultery.
Because of the curse the land ·is sad [mourns],
and the pastures of the ·desert [wilderness] have dried up.
The people [Their lives/L courses] are evil
and ·they use their power in the wrong way [L their power is not right].
11 “Both the prophets and the priests are ungodly.
I have found even in my own ·Temple [L house],” says the Lord.
12 “So their ·lives [L ways; paths] will be slippery and dark [C they will be in danger].
They will ·be defeated [L fall].
I will bring ·disaster [evil; trouble] on them
in the year I punish them,” says the Lord.
13 “I saw the prophets of Samaria [C capital of the northern kingdom destroyed in 722 bc]
do something ·wrong [disgusting].
Those prophets prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel away [Deut. 13:1–5].
14 And I have seen the prophets of Jerusalem
do ·terrible [shocking] things.
They are guilty of adultery
and ·live [walk] by lies.
They ·encourage [strengthen] ·evil people to keep on doing evil [L the hands of evildoers],
so the people don’t ·stop sinning [L turn back from their evil].
All of those people are like the city of Sodom.
The people of Jerusalem are like the city of Gomorrah to me [C sinful and soon to be punished; Gen. 18–19]!”
15 So this is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says about the prophets:
“I will make those prophets eat ·bitter food [L wormwood; C the bitter tasting leaves of a shrub; 9:15]
and drink poisoned water,
because the prophets of Jerusalem spread ·wickedness [godlessness]
through the whole country.”
16 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
“Don’t ·pay attention [listen] to what those prophets are ·saying [prophesying] to you.
They are trying to ·fool [delude] you.
They talk about visions their own ·minds [L hearts] made up,
not ·about visions from me [L from the mouth of the Lord].
17 They say to those who ·hate [despise] me:
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’
They say to all those who ·are stubborn and do as they please [L walk in the stubbornness of their heart]:
‘Nothing ·bad [evil; disastrous] will happen to you.’
18 ·But none of these prophets has stood in the meeting of angels [L Who has stood in the assembly/council of the Lord…?; 1 Kin. 22:19–23; Job 1—2; 15:8; Ps. 82; Is. 6:1–3]
to see or hear the message of the Lord.
·None of them [L Who…?] has paid close attention to his message.
19 Look, the ·storm [whirlwind] of the Lord!
His anger will pour forth like a ·hurricane [storm; whirlwind].
It will come swirling down on the heads of those wicked people [30:23].
20 The Lord’s anger will not ·stop [turn back]
until he finishes what he plans to do.
When that day is over,
you will understand this clearly [30:24].
1 From Paul [Acts 15:22, 40], Silas, and Timothy [Acts 16:1–5; 1 Cor. 16:10–11; Phil. 2:19–24; 1 and 2 Timothy].
To the church ·in Thessalonica [L of the Thessalonians; C a city in Macedonia, present-day northern Greece] in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul Talks About God’s Judgment
3 We ·must [ought to] always thank God for you, brothers and sisters. This is only right, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love that every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4 So we ·brag [boast] about you to the other churches of God. We tell them about the way you ·continue to be strong [persevere; endure] and have faith even though you are being ·treated badly [persecuted] and are suffering many ·troubles [trials; hardships].
5 This is ·proof [evidence] that God is ·right [just; righteous] in his judgment. ·He wants you to be counted […so that you will be considered; or …to make you] worthy of his kingdom for which you are suffering. 6 [L For] God ·will do what is right [is just/righteous]. He will ·give trouble to [pay back with trials/hardship] those who ·trouble [inflict trials/hardships on] you. 7 And he will give rest to you who are ·troubled [suffering trials/hardships] and to us also when the Lord Jesus ·appears [is revealed] ·with blazing fire from heaven [or from heaven; C “with blazing fire” may go with the next sentence] with his powerful angels. 8 Then he will ·punish [or punish with blazing fire] those who do not know God [Jer. 10:25] and who do not obey the ·Good News about [Gospel of] our Lord Jesus. 9 Those people will be punished with a ·destruction that continues forever [eternal destruction], ·separated from [L …from] the presence of the Lord and from ·his great power [or the glory of his strength; or his glorious strength]. 10 This will happen on the day when ·the Lord Jesus [L he] comes to ·receive glory [be glorified] ·because of [or among; or in; or from] his holy people. And all the people who have believed will ·be amazed at [marvel at] Jesus. You will be in that group, because you believed ·what we told [our testimony to] you.
11 ·That is why [To that end; In this regard] we always pray for you, asking our God to ·help you live the kind of life he called you to live [make/consider you worthy of his calling]. We pray that with his power God will ·help you do the good things you want [L fulfill every desire for goodness] and ·perform the works that come from your [L every work of] faith. 12 We pray all this so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will ·have glory [be glorified] in you, and you ·will have glory in him [L in him]. That glory comes from the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
A Prayer Against the Enemies
A song. A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
83 God, do not keep quiet;
God, do not be silent or still.
2 Your enemies are ·making noises [in tumult];
those who hate you ·are getting ready to attack [L raise up their head; 2:1].
3 They are making secret ·plans [plots] against your people;
they plot against those you ·love [cherish; treasure].
4 They say, “Come, let’s ·destroy them [wipe them out] as a nation.
Then no one will ever remember the name ‘Israel.’”
5 They ·are united in their plan [L plot with one mind/heart].
These have ·made an agreement [L cut a covenant/treaty] against you:
6 the ·families [L tents] of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
7 the people of Byblos, Ammon, Amalek,
Philistia, and inhabitants of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them
to ·help Ammon and Moab, the [L be the arm of the] descendants of Lot [C a list of traditional enemies of Israel]. ·
9 God, do to them what you did to Midian,
what you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon ·River [Wadi; Judg. 4–5].
10 They ·died [were destroyed] at Endor,
·and their bodies rotted [L like dung/manure] on the ground.
11 Do to their ·important leaders [princes; nobles] what you did to Oreb and Zeeb [Judg. 7:25].
Do to their princes what you did to Zebah and Zalmunna [Judg. 8:21].
12 They said, “Let’s take for ourselves
the pasturelands that belong to God.”
13 My God, make them like tumbleweed,
like chaff blown ·away by [before] the wind [C rootless and landless; 1:4].
14 Be like a fire that burns a forest
or like flames that blaze through the ·hills [mountains].
15 ·Chase [Pursue] them with your ·storm [tempest],
and ·frighten [terrify] them with your ·wind [hurricane].
16 ·Cover [L Fill] them with shame.
Then people will ·look for you [L seek your name], Lord.
17 Make them afraid and ashamed forever.
·Disgrace [Humiliate] them and destroy them.
18 Then they will know that ·you are the Lord [L the Lord is your name],
that only you are God Most High over all the earth.
11 The right word spoken at the right time
is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver ·bowl [L setting].
12 A wise ·warning [correction] to ·someone who will listen [L a listening ear]
is as valuable as gold earrings or fine gold jewelry.
13 Trustworthy messengers refresh those who send them,
like the coolness of snow ·in the summertime [L at harvest time].
14 People who brag about gifts they never give
are like clouds and wind that give no rain.
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