“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.

¹⁰ Don’t weep over dead King Josiah.
    Don’t be sad because he’s gone.
Instead, weep bitterly over King Jehoahaz.
    He was forced to leave his country.
He will never return.
    He’ll never see his own land again.

¹³ The Lord says, “How terrible it will be for King Jehoiakim!
    He builds his palace
    by mistreating his people.
He builds its upstairs rooms
    with money gained by sinning.
He makes his own people work for nothing.
    He does not pay them for what they do.
¹⁴ He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace.
    It will have large rooms upstairs.’
So he makes big windows in it.
    He covers its walls with cedar boards.
    He decorates it with red paint.

¹⁵ “Jehoiakim, does having more and more cedar boards
    make you a king?
Your father Josiah had enough to eat and drink.
    He did what was right and fair.
    So everything went well with him.
¹⁶ He stood up for those who were poor or needy.
    So everything went well with him.
That is what it means to know me,”
    announces the Lord.
¹⁷ “Jehoiakim, the only thing on your mind
    is to get rich by cheating others.
You would even kill people who are not guilty
    of doing anything wrong.
You would mistreat them.
    You would take everything they own.”

“His people will not mourn for him.
    They will not say,
    ‘My poor brother! My poor sister!’
They will not mourn for him.
    They will not say,
    ‘My poor master! How sad that his glory is gone!’
¹⁹ In fact, he will be buried like a donkey.
    His body will be dragged away and thrown
    outside the gates of Jerusalem.”

²⁰ The Lord says, “People of Jerusalem, go up to Lebanon.
    Cry out for help.
    Let your voice be heard in the land of Bashan.
Cry out from the mountains of Abarim.
    All those who were going to help you are crushed.
²¹ When you felt secure, I warned you.
    But you said, ‘I won’t listen!’
You have acted like that ever since you were young.
    You have not obeyed me.
²² The wind will drive away all your shepherds.
    All those who were going to help you will be carried off as prisoners.
Then you will be dishonored and put to shame.
    That will happen because you have been so sinful.
²³ Some of you live in Jerusalem in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
    You are comfortable in your cedar buildings.
But you will groan when pain comes on you.
    It will be like the pain of a woman having a baby.

²⁸ This man Jehoiachin is like a broken pot.
    Everyone hates him. No one wants him.
Why will he and his children be thrown out of this land?
    Why will they be sent to a land
    they don’t know about?
²⁹ Land, land, land,
    listen to the Lord’s message!
³⁰ The Lord says,
“Let the record say that this man did not have any children.
    Let it report that he did not have any success in life.
None of his children will have success either.
    None of them will sit on David’s throne.
    None of them will ever rule over Judah.