1. The Lord said to me, "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.
3. The 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.
4. " ' "Be careful to obey those 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.
5. " ' "But suppose you do not obey those commands," announces the Lord. "Then I promise you that this palace will be destroyed. I make that promise by taking an oath in my own name." ' "
6. The 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.
7. I 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?'
9. "And the answer will be, 'Because its people have turned away from the covenant the Lord their God made with them. They have worshiped other gods. And they have served them.' "
10. Don't sob over dead King Josiah. Don't be sad because he's gone. Instead, sob bitterly over King Jehoahaz. He was forced to leave his country. He will never return. He'll never see his own land again.
11. Jehoahaz 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.
12. He will die in Egypt. That is where he was taken as a prisoner. He will not see this land again."