Jeremiah 22:13

Judgment on Jehoiakim

22:13 “‘Sure to be judged ¹  is the king who builds his palace using injustice

and treats people unfairly while adding its upper rooms. ² 

He makes his countrymen work for him for nothing.

He does not pay them for their labor.

Jeremiah 25:14

25:14 For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and his nation ³  too. I will repay them for all they have done!’” ⁴ 

[22:13]  ¹ sn Heb “Woe.” This particle is used in laments for the dead (cf., e.g., 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 34:5) and as an introductory particle in indictments against a person on whom judgment is pronounced (cf., e.g., Isa 5:8, 11; Jer 23:1). The indictment is found here in vv. 13-17 and the announcement of judgment in vv. 18-19.

[22:13]  ² tn Heb “Woe to the one who builds his house by unrighteousness and its upper rooms with injustice using his neighbor [= countryman] as a slave for nothing and not giving to him his wages.”

[25:14]  ³ tn Heb “make slaves of them.” The verb form here indicates that the action is as good as done (the Hebrew prophetic perfect). For the use of the verb rendered “makes slaves” see parallel usage in Lev 25:39, 46 (cf. BDB 713 s.v. עָבַד 3).

[25:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.” The two phrases are synonymous; it would be hard to represent them both in translation without being redundant. The translation attempts to represent them by the qualifier “all” before the first phrase.