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.

耶和华论到犹大王的家如此说：“我看你如基列，如黎巴嫩顶；然而，我必使你变为旷野，为无人居住的城邑。

耶和华论到犹大王的家如此说：“我看你如基列，如黎巴嫩的山顶；然而，我必使你变为旷野，成为无人居住的城镇。

耶和华论到犹大王的家如此说：“我看你如基列，如黎巴嫩的山顶；然而，我必使你变为旷野，成为无人居住的城镇。

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。

因为耶和华论到犹大王的宫殿这样说：“虽然在我看来，你好像基列，好像黎巴嫩的山峰；我却要使你变为旷野，变为无人居住的城市。

耶和華論到猶大王的家如此說：我看你如基列，如黎巴嫩頂；然而，我必使你變為曠野，為無人居住的城邑。

耶和華論到猶大王的家如此說：「我看你如基列，如黎巴嫩的山頂；然而，我必使你變為曠野，成為無人居住的城鎮。

耶和華論到猶大王的家如此說：「我看你如基列，如黎巴嫩的山頂；然而，我必使你變為曠野，成為無人居住的城鎮。

論到猶大王的宮殿，耶和華說：「雖然它在我眼中美如基列，又像黎巴嫩的山峰，但我必使它變成不毛之地，變成杳無人煙的城邑。

因為耶和華論到猶大王的宮殿這樣說：“雖然在我看來，你好像基列，好像黎巴嫩的山峰；我卻要使你變為曠野，變為無人居住的城市。

因為永恆主論猶大的王室是這麼說的：『你在我看固然如基列，如利巴嫩的山頂，我卻要使你變為曠野，變為無人居住的城市。

耶和華論猶大王家曰、我視爾若基列、若利巴嫩之巔、然我必使爾成為曠野、無人居處之邑、

耶和華又告猶大王宗室曰、昔我視爾若基列地、利巴嫩巔、今我使爾荒蕪、若無人居處之邑、

主諭諭或作論猶大王之家如是云、昔我視爾若基列、若利巴嫩山巔、今我使爾荒蕪、如無人居處之邑、

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.

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.

For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:“‘ You are like Gilead to me, like the summit of Lebanon, yet surely I will make you a desert, an uninhabited city.

For this is what the LORD says concerning the house of the king of Judah:“ You are like Gilead to me, or the summit of Lebanon, but I will certainly turn you into a wilderness, uninhabited cities.

For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:“ You are like Gilead to Me, Like the summit of Lebanon; Yet most assuredly I will make you a wilderness, Cities that are not inhabited.

For thus says the Lord to the house of the king of Judah:“ You are Gilead to Me, The head of Lebanon; Yet I surely will make you a wilderness, Cities which are not inhabited.

For thus saith Jehovah concerning the house of the king of Judah: Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon; yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.

For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah: You are like Gilead to Me, or the summit of Lebanon, but I will certainly turn you into a wilderness, uninhabited cities.

For thus saith the LORD unto the king’s house of Judah; Thou[ art] Gilead unto me,[ and] the head of Lebanon:[ yet] surely I will make thee a wilderness,[ and] cities[ which] are not inhabited.

“‘ For the LORD says concerning the palace of the king of Judah,“ This place looks like a veritable forest of Gilead to me. It is like the wooded heights of Lebanon in my eyes. But I swear that I will make it like a wilderness whose towns have all been deserted.

For Yahweh says concerning the house of the king of Judah:“ You are Gilead to me, the head of Lebanon. Yet surely I will make you a wilderness, cities which are not inhabited.

Then I said,“ Lord, how long will this go on?” And he replied,“ Until their towns are empty, their houses are deserted, and the whole country is a wasteland;

He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands, because of the wickedness of those who live there.

Because of you, Mount Zion will be plowed like an open field; Jerusalem will be reduced to ruins! A thicket will grow on the heights where the Temple now stands.

The fortified towns will be silent and empty, the houses abandoned, the streets overgrown with weeds. Calves will graze there, chewing on twigs and branches.

I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in the streets of Jerusalem. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard in the towns of Judah. The land will lie in complete desolation.

“ I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins,” says the Lord.“ It will be a place haunted by jackals. The towns of Judah will be ghost towns, with no one living in them.”

They said,“ Remember when Micah of Moresheth prophesied during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah. He told the people of Judah,‘ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Mount Zion will be plowed like an open field; Jerusalem will be reduced to ruins! A thicket will grow on the heights where the Temple now stands.’

Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.

Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains.’

then I will destroy this Temple as I destroyed Shiloh, the place where the Tabernacle was located. And I will make Jerusalem an object of cursing in every nation on earth.’”The priests, the prophets, and all the people listened to Jeremiah as he spoke in front of the Lord’s Temple.But when Jeremiah had finished his message, saying everything the Lord had told him to say, the priests and prophets and all the people at the Temple mobbed him.“ Kill him!” they shouted.“ What right do you have to prophesy in the Lord’s name that this Temple will be destroyed like Shiloh? What do you mean, saying that Jerusalem will be destroyed and left with no inhabitants?” And all the people threatened him as he stood in front of the Temple.

And I myself will punish you for your sinfulness, says the Lord. I will light a fire in your forests that will burn up everything around you.’”

“ Say to them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those living in the ruins will die by the sword. And I will send wild animals to eat those living in the open fields. Those hiding in the forts and caves will die of disease.I will completely destroy the land and demolish her pride. Her arrogant power will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will be so desolate that no one will even travel through them.

I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy. I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever.I will take away your happy singing and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard. Your millstones will fall silent, and the lights in your homes will go out.

Waves of destruction roll over the land, until it lies in complete desolation. Suddenly my tents are destroyed; in a moment my shelters are crushed.

“ As surely as I live,” says the Lord,“ I will abandon you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. Even if you were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off.

Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people.Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors— none will be spared.The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken!The earth mourns and dries up, and the land wastes away and withers. Even the greatest people on earth waste away.The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted God’s instructions, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant.Therefore, a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive.

His legs are like marble pillars set in sockets of finest gold. His posture is stately, like the noble cedars of Lebanon.

“ Say to the royal family of Judah,‘ Listen to this message from the Lord!

“‘ For I will upset the careful plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will allow the people to be slaughtered by invading armies, and I will leave their dead bodies as food for the vultures and wild animals.I will reduce Jerusalem to ruins, making it a monument to their stupidity. All who pass by will be astonished and will gasp at the destruction they see there.