Welcome to our website where we explore the Bible! Pleasure to meet you here!
May your journey into the world of the Holy Scriptures be engaging and inspiring!
You can change reading language: uk ru
Parallel
New International Version
New Living Translation
Judgment Against Wicked Kings
This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there:
This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there:
A Message for Judah’s Kings
This is what the LORD said to me: “Go over and speak directly to the king of Judah. Say to him,
This is what the LORD said to me: “Go over and speak directly to the king of Judah. Say to him,
‘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.
‘Listen to this message from the LORD, you king of Judah, sitting on David’s throne. Let your attendants and your people listen, too.
This 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.
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!
For 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.
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.
But if you do not obey these commands, declares the Lord, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.’ ”
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.’”
For 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.
“Though you are like Gilead to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,
I will surely make you like a wasteland,
like towns not inhabited.
A Message about the Palace
Now this is what the LORD says concerning Judah’s royal palace:
“I love you as much as fruitful Gilead
and the green forests of Lebanon.
But I will turn you into a desert,
with no one living within your walls.
I 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.
each man with his weapons,
and they will cut up your fine cedar beams
and throw them into the fire.
I will call for wreckers,
who will bring out their tools to dismantle you.
They will tear out all your fine cedar beams
and throw them on the fire.
who will bring out their tools to dismantle you.
They will tear out all your fine cedar beams
and throw them on the fire.
“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?’
“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?’
And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’ ”
And the answer will be, ‘Because they violated their covenant with the LORD their God by worshiping other gods.’”
A Message about Jehoahaz
A Message about Jehoahaz
Do 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.
rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return
nor see his native land again.
Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss.
Instead, weep for the captive king being led away!
For he will never return to see his native land again.
Instead, weep for the captive king being led away!
For he will never return to see his native land again.
He will die in the place where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
He will die in a distant land and will never again see his own country.”
A Message about Jehoiakim
A Message about Jehoiakim
“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 labor.
his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
not paying them for their labor.
He 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.
with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
panels it with cedar
and decorates it in red.
He says, ‘I will build a magnificent palace
with huge rooms and many windows.
I will panel it throughout with fragrant cedar
and paint it a lovely red.’
with huge rooms and many windows.
I will panel it throughout with fragrant cedar
and paint it a lovely red.’
“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.
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.
But a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king!
Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink.
But he was just and right in all his dealings.
That is why God blessed him.
Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink.
But he was just and right in all his dealings.
That is why God blessed him.
He 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.
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the Lord.
He gave justice and help to the poor and needy,
and everything went well for him.
Isn’t that what it means to know me?”
says the LORD.
and everything went well for him.
Isn’t that what it means to know me?”
says the LORD.
“But your eyes and your heart
are set only on dishonest gain,
on shedding innocent blood
and on oppression and extortion.”
are set only on dishonest gain,
on shedding innocent blood
and on oppression and extortion.”
“But you! You have eyes only for greed and dishonesty!
You murder the innocent,
oppress the poor, and reign ruthlessly.”
You murder the innocent,
oppress the poor, and reign ruthlessly.”
Therefore 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 splendor!’
“They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
Therefore, this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah:
“The people will not mourn for him, crying to one another,
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
His subjects will not mourn for him, crying,
‘Alas, our master is dead! Alas, his splendor is gone!’
“The people will not mourn for him, crying to one another,
‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
His subjects will not mourn for him, crying,
‘Alas, our master is dead! Alas, his splendor is gone!’
He will have the burial of a donkey —
dragged away and thrown
outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
dragged away and thrown
outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
He will be buried like a dead donkey —
dragged out of Jerusalem and dumped outside the gates!
dragged out of Jerusalem and dumped outside the gates!
“Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
let your voice be heard in Bashan,
cry out from Abarim,
for all your allies are crushed.
let your voice be heard in Bashan,
cry out from Abarim,
for all your allies are crushed.
I 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.
but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;
you have not obeyed me.
I warned you when you were prosperous,
but you replied, ‘Don’t bother me.’
You have been that way since childhood —
you simply will not obey me!
but you replied, ‘Don’t bother me.’
You have been that way since childhood —
you simply will not obey me!
The 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.
and your allies will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced
because of all your wickedness.
And now the wind will blow away your allies.
All your friends will be taken away as captives.
Surely then you will see your wickedness and be ashamed.
All your friends will be taken away as captives.
Surely then you will see your wickedness and be ashamed.
It may be nice to live in a beautiful palace
paneled with wood from the cedars of Lebanon,
but soon you will groan with pangs of anguish —
anguish like that of a woman in labor.
paneled with wood from the cedars of Lebanon,
but soon you will groan with pangs of anguish —
anguish like that of a woman in labor.
I 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.
I will expel you and your mother from this land, and you will die in a foreign country, not in your native land.
You will never come back to the land you long to return to.”
You will never again return to the land you yearn for.
Is 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?
an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled out,
cast into a land they do not know?
“Why is this man Jehoiachin like a discarded, broken jar?
Why are he and his children to be exiled to a foreign land?
Why are he and his children to be exiled to a foreign land?
O land, land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
hear the word of the Lord!
O earth, earth, earth!
Listen to this message from the LORD!
Listen to this message from the LORD!
This 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.”
“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.”
This is what the LORD says:
‘Let the record show that this man Jehoiachin was childless.
He is a failure,
for none of his children will succeed him on the throne of David
to rule over Judah.’
‘Let the record show that this man Jehoiachin was childless.
He is a failure,
for none of his children will succeed him on the throne of David
to rule over Judah.’