They will cut down your finest cedar trees and throw them on a fire.

8 "People from many nations will pass by this city and ask each other, 'Why has Yahweh done this to this important city?' 9 The answer will be: 'They rejected the promisea of Yahweh their Elohim . They worshiped other gods and served them.'"

10 Don't cry for the dead.

Don't shake your heads at them.

Cry bitterly for those who are taken away, because they won't come back to see their homeland.

11 This is what Yahweh says about King Josiah's son Shallum, who succeeded his father as king of Judah and left this place: He will never come back here again. 12 He will die in the place where he was taken captive, and he will never see this land again.

13 "How horrible it will be for the person who builds his house dishonestly and his upper rooms through injustice.

He makes his neighbors work for nothing and doesn't pay them for their work.

14 He says, 'I will build a large house for myself with big upper rooms.'

He cuts out windows in it, panels the rooms with cedar, and paints them red.

15 Do you think you're a better king than others because you use more cedar?

Your father ate and drank and did what is fair and right.

Everything went well for him.

16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy.

Everything went well for him.

Isn't this what it means to know me?" asks Yahweh.

17 "But your eyes and your mind are set on nothing but dishonest profits.

You kill innocent people and violently oppress your people."

18 This is what Yahweh says about Jehoiakim, son of Judah's King Josiah: People won't mourn for him and say, "How horrible it is for my brother and sister!"

They won't mourn for him and say, "How horrible it is for my master and his splendor!"

19 He will receive a donkey's burial.

He will be dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.

20 "Go to Lebanon and cry! Raise your voice in Bashan!

Cry out from Abarim, because all your lovers are defeated."

21 I spoke to you when you were prosperous, but you said that you wouldn't listen.

This is how you've been ever since you were young.

You don't listen to me.

22 The wind will blow away all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity.

Then you will be ashamed and disgraced by all your wickedness.

23 You live in Lebanon and have your nest in the cedars.

But you will groan when pain strikes you, pain like a woman giving birth to a child.

24 "As I live," declares Yahweh, "even though you, Jehoiakin,a son of Judah's King Jehoiakim, are the signet ring on my right hand, I will pull you off my hand. 25 I will hand you over to those who want to kill you, those you fear-King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonians. 26 I will throw you and your mother into another land. You weren't born there, but you will die there. "You will want to return to this land, but you won't be allowed to come home."

28 This Jehoiakin is like a rejected and broken pot that no one wants.

Is that why he and his descendants will be thrown out and cast into another land they've never heard of?

29 O land, land, land!

Listen to the word of Yahweh.

30 This is what Yahweh says: Write this about Jehoiakin: He will be childless.

He won't prosper in his lifetime.

None of his descendants will succeed him as king.

They won't sit on David's throne and rule Judah again.

The Righteous Branch 23 1 "How horrible it will be for the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep in my care," declares Yahweh. 2 "This is what I, Yahweh Elohim of Israel, said to the shepherds who take care of my people: You have scattered my sheep and chased them away. You have not taken care of them, so now I will take care of you by punishing you for the evil you have done," declares Yahweh.

3 "Then I will gather the remaining part of my flock from all the countries where I chased them. I will bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fertile and increase in number. 4 I will put shepherds over them. Those shepherds will take care of them. My sheep will no longer be afraid or terrified, and not one of them will be missing," declares Yahweh.

5 "The days are coming," declares Yahweh, "when I will grow a righteous Tsemach for David.

He will be a king who will rule wisely.

He will do what is fair and right in the land.

6 In his lifetime, Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.

This is the name that he will be given: Yahweh Tsidqenu .

7 "That is why the days are coming," declares Yahweh, "when people's oaths will no longer be, 'Yahweh brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. As Yahweh lives. . .' 8 Instead, their oaths will be, 'Yahweh brought the descendants of the nation of Israel out of the land of the north and all the lands where hea had scattered them. As Yahweh lives. . .' At that time they will live in their own land.

Warnings to the False Prophets 9 "Say this about the prophets: I am deeply disturbed.

All my bones tremble.

I am like a drunk, like a person who has had too much wine, because of Yahweh and his holy words.

10 The land is filled with adulterers.

The land mourns because of the curse.

Pastures in the wilderness have dried up.

The people are evil, and they use their strength to do the wrong things.

11 The prophets and priests are godless.

Even in my temple I've found them doing evil," declares Yahweh.

12 "That is why their own way will become like slippery paths in the dark.

They will be chased away, and they will fall down in the dark.

I will bring disaster on them.

It is time for them to be punished," declares Yahweh.

13 "Say this about the prophets of Samaria: I saw something disgusting.

The prophets of Samaria prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.

14 "Say this about the prophets of Jerusalem: I see something horrible.

The prophets of Jerusalem commit adultery and live a lie.

They support those who do evil so that no one turns back from his wickedness.

They are all like Sodom to me, and those who live in Jerusalem are like Gomorrah."

15 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says about the prophets: I will give them wormwood to eat and poison to drink.

The prophets of Jerusalem have spread godlessness throughout the land.

16 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: Don't listen to what the prophets are saying to you.

They fill you with false hope.

They speak about visions that they dreamed up.

These visions are not from Yahweh.

17 They keep saying to those who despise me, "Yahweh says, 'Everything will go well for you.'"

They tell all who live by their own stubborn ways, "Nothing bad will happen to you."

18 Who is in Yahweh's inner circle and sees and hears his word?

Who pays attention and listens to his word?

19 The storm of Yahweh will come with his anger.

Like a windstorm, it will swirl down on the heads of the wicked.

20 The anger of Yahweh will not turn back until he has done everything he intends to do.

In the last days you will understand this clearly.

21 I didn't send these prophets, yet they ran with their message.

I didn't speak to them, yet they prophesied.

22 If they had been in my inner circle, they would have announced my words to my people.

They would have turned back from their evil ways and the evil they have done.

23 "I am an Elohim who is near.

I am also an Elohim who is far away," declares Yahweh.

24 "No one can hide so that I can't see him," declares Yahweh.

"I fill heaven and earth!" declares Yahweh.

25 "I've heard the prophets who speak lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' 26 How long will these prophets continue to lie and deceive? 27 They tell each other the dreams they had, because they want to make my people forget my name, as their ancestors forgot my name because of Baal. 28 The prophet who has a dream should tell his dream. However, the person who has my word should honestly speak my word. What does grain have to do with straw?" asks Yahweh. 29 "Isn't my word like fire or like a hammer that shatters a rock?" asks Yahweh. 30 "I'm against the prophets who steal my words from each other," declares Yahweh. 31 "I'm against the prophets who speak their own thoughts and say that they speak for me. 32 I'm against those who prophesy dreams they made up," declares Yahweh. "They tell the dreams they made up and lead my people astray with their lies and their wild talk. I didn't send them or command them to go. They don't help these people at all," declares Yahweh.

33 "When these people, the prophets, or the priests ask you, 'What revelation has Yahweh burdened you with now?' say to them, 'You are the burden! I will abandon you, declares Yahweh.' 34 Suppose the prophets, the priests, or these people say, 'This is Yahweh's revelation!' I will punish them and their families. 35 They should ask their neighbors and their relatives, 'What is Yahweh's answer?' and 'What did Yahweh say?' 36 They should never again say, 'This is Yahweh's revelation,' because each person's word becomes the revelation. They will twist the words of Elohim Chay , Yahweh Tsebaoth , our Elohim .

37 "Jeremiah, say this to the prophets, 'What was Yahweh's answer to you?' and 'What did Yahweh say?' 38 Suppose they say, 'This is Yahweh's revelation!' Then say, 'This is what Yahweh says: Because you have said, "This is Yahweh's revelation!" even though I commanded you not to repeat this saying, 39 I will certainly forget you. I will throw you out of my presence and out of the city that I gave you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring eternal disgrace and shame on you. It will never be forgotten.'"

YAHWEH TSIDQENU.

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Righteousness isn't a popular word in our culture. Yet righteousness is essential to our happiness because it involves being in right relationship or right standing with God. To be righteous is to conform to God's character, fulfilling our responsibilities toward him and others. But even though this righteousness is vital, it's impossible to achieve, no matter how much we long for it. It comes only as God's gift through faith in his Son.

The Hebrew word tsedeq is usually translated "righteousness" but can also be translated "righteous," "honest," "right," "justice," "accurate," "just," "truth," or "integrity." Though people who observed the law were often called righteous in the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament stresses that righteousness is not merely a matter of outward behavior but a matter of the heart-of thoughts, motives, and desires. The goal is not merely to do what God says but to become like him in the process. In thewordsof Addison Leitch, righteousness "is primarily and basically a relationship, never an attainment. . .Christian righteousness . . .is a direction, a loyalty, a commitment, a hope-and only someday an arrival."a The prophet Jeremiah predicted the coming of a King who would be called the LORD Our Righteousness (yah-WEH tsid-KAY-nu). Jesus fulfilled this prophecy by restoring our relationship with God through his life, death, and resurrection.

Praying to Yahweh Tsidqenu "Say hello to this forty-two-yearold divorced mother of two from Southern California. I am a brunette of Italian descent, a little tallerthan average, a little plumper than average-though still considered a looker by my male friends. . ."

Okay, what's a personal ad doing in a Bible? I include it because it's touted on the web as an example of the kind of ad that is likely to attract a lot of people. Now let's do a little editing for another, hypothetical ad.

"Say hello to a fellow human being. I'm not going to tell you whether I live in Sacramento or Saskatchewan. Neither will you discover whether I'm a psychologist, a secretary, or a research scientist. The most important thing about me-the one thing you need to know-is that people say I'm a lot like my Father. I know the comparison is way overblown, but I love to hear it because my Dad isthe greatest person I know. He's hugely forgiving, generous to a fault, loving beyond belief and kind, kind, kind. . ."

Okay, the chances of such an ad appearing on an online dating site are slim to none, and you probably wouldn't believe it if it did. But the point is that what's most attractive about us is not ultimately the shape of our lips or the sensuousness of our bodies but the beauty of the soul we have. Are we generous or stingy, patient or prickly, forgiving or faultfinding? In the day to day, these are the qualities that either endear us to or alienate us from people.