Year of the Bible
Jeremiah 22
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Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 22:
The downfall of Judah did not happen all at once. Chapter 22 collects prophecies given to different Kings to reveal how the sinful decline was systemic, and how God had been calling the people back over decades of time. In the opening verses, God is speaking to an anonymous King about the reforms to social justice that need to happen. Embracing these reforms will lead to blessings, but disaster that will come if the reforms are ignored. Next, God speaks to King Shallum. God reminds him of the justice and righteousness that King Josiah, his father, had enacted. God warns King Shallum of the need to follow in his father’s footsteps and not think himself better than his subjects and free from following the law. Finally, God speaks to King Jehoiakim, the successor to Shallum. His arrogance and wickedness have been so severe that God speaks only words of woe to him.
The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 22:
Exhortation to Repentance
1 Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah, who sit on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. 3 Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their servants, and their people. 5 But if you will not heed these words, I swear by myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. 6 For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“‘You are as Gilead to me,
as the summit of Lebanon, yet surely I will make you a desert,
an uninhabited city.
7 I will prepare destroyers against you,
each with his weapons; and they shall cut down your
choicest cedars,
and cast them into the fire.
8 “ ‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, “Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?” 9 And they will answer, “Because they forsook the
covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.”’”
10 Weep not for him who is dead, nor bemoan him;
but weep bitterly for him who goes away,
for he shall return no more to see his native land.
Message to the Sons of Josiah
11 For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went away from this place: “He shall return here no more, 12 but in the place where they have carried him captive, there shall he die, and he shall never see this land again.”
13 “Woe to him who
builds his house by unrighteousness,
and his upper rooms by injustice;
who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing,
and does not give him his wages;
14 who says, ‘I will build myself a great house
with spacious upper rooms,’ and cuts out windows for it,
paneling it with cedar, and painting it with vermilion.
15 Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
and do justice and righteousness?
Then it was well with him.
16 He judged the cause of the
poor and needy; then it was well.
Is not this to know me? says the Lord.
17But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain,
for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing
oppression and violence.”
18 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
“They shall not lament for him, saying,
‘Ah my brother!’ or ‘Ah sister!’
They shall not lament for him, saying,
‘Ah lord!’ or ‘Ah his majesty!’
19 With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried,
dragged and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”
20 “Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,
and lift up your voice in Bashan;
cry from Abarim,
for all your lovers are destroyed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity,
but you said, ‘I will not listen.'
This has been your way from your youth,
that you have not obeyed my voice.
22 The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds,
and your lovers shall go into captivity;
then you will be ashamed and confounded
because of all your wickedness.
23 O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars,
how you will groan l when pangs come upon you,
pain as of a woman with labor pains!”
Message concerning Coniah the Son of Jehoiakim
24 “As I live, says the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off 25 and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. 27 But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return.”
28 Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot,
a vessel no one cares for?
Why are he and his children hurled and cast
into a land which they do not know?
29 O land, land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 Thus says the Lord: “Write this man down as childless,
a man who shall not succeed in his days;
for none of his offspring shall succeed
in sitting on the throne of David,
and ruling again in Judah.”
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
Today we hear how any earthly authority that does not seek true justice for all will eventually fail. Do I seek to be in right relationship with all people, even those with whom I disagree? How do my actions effect my parish, my community, my country?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan, an adult faith formation apostolate. cbsmich.org/join
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.
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Jeremías 22
22 1 Esto dice el Señor: «Baja a la
casa del rey de Judá y proclama
allí este mensaje. 2 Has de decir: “Escucha
la palabra del Señor, rey de Judá,
que te sientas en el trono de David, tú,
tus servidores y tu pueblo, que entráis
por estas puertas”».
3 Esto dice el Señor: “Ejerced el derecho
y la justicia. Librad al despojado de
la mano del explotador. No oprimáis ni
hagáis violencia al extranjero, al huérfano
ni a la viuda. No derraméis sangre
inocente en este lugar. 4 Si de verdad ponéis
en práctica este mensaje, entrarán
por las puertas de esta casa los reyes que
se sienten en el trono de David, montados
en carrozas y caballos, ellos, sus
servidores y su pueblo. 5 Pero si no escucháis
estas palabras, juro por mí mismo
–oráculo del Señor– que esta casa llegará
a ser una ruina”».
6 Porque esto dice el Señor acerca de
la casa del rey de Judá:
«Tú eras para Mí, Galaad,
cabeza del Líbano,
pero en verdad haré de ti un desierto,
unas ciudades despobladas.
7Te tengo reservados unos devastadores,
hombres y armas,
para que talen tus cedros más selectos
y los echen al fuego.
8 Muchas naciones pasarán por esta
ciudad y comentarán entre ellos: “¿Por
qué el Señor trató así a esta gran ciudad?”.
9 Y responderán: “Porque abandonaron
la alianza del Señor, su Dios,
y se postraron ante dioses extranjeros y
les rindieron culto”».
10No lloréis al muerto,
ni le hagáis duelo.
Llorad a lágrima viva por el que se
va,
porque ya no volverá a ver
la tierra en que nació.
11 Pues esto dice el Señor acerca de
Salum, hijo de Josías, rey de Judá, que
reina en lugar de su padre, que partió de
este lugar: «No volverá más aquí, 12 sino
que morirá en el lugar adonde lo deportaron,
y no verá más este país».
13¡Ay del que edifica su casa sin justicia
y sus altas salas sin derecho,
del que hace trabajar de balde a su
prójimo
y no le da su paga,
14del que dice: «Me construiré una
gran casa
con amplios salones»,
y le abre ventanas,
le pone artesonado de cedro
y la pinta de rojo.
15¿Es que te crees rey
porque compites en cedros?
Si tu padre comía y bebía
era porque ejercía el derecho y la
justicia,
por eso le iba bien.
16Hacía justicia al pobre y al mísero,
por eso le iba bien:
«¿No es eso reconocerme?»
–oráculo del Señor–.
17Pero tú no tienes ojos ni corazón
sino para tu lucro,
para derramar sangre inocente,
para oprimir y atropellar.
18Por eso, así dice el Señor acerca de
Yoyaquim, hijo de Josías, rey de Judá:
«No le harán duelo:
“¡Ay, hermano mío, ay hermana!”.
No le harán duelo:
“¡Ay, Señor, ay Majestad!”.
19Se le dará la sepultura de un asno:
será arrastrado y tirado
fuera de las puertas de Jerusalén».
Oráculos contra Yoyaquín
20Sube al Líbano y grita,
da voces en el Basán,
grita desde los Abarim,
que todos tus amantes están rotos.
21Te hablé cuando gozabas de prosperidad.
Respondiste: «No quiero escuchar».
Ésa ha sido tu conducta desde tu
adolescencia:
nunca escuchaste mi voz.
22A todos tus pastores los apacentará
el viento,
y tus amantes marcharán a la cautividad.
Entonces sentirás vergüenza y sonrojo
de toda tu malicia.
23Tú, que habitas en el Líbano,
que anidas en los cedros,
cómo gemirás cuando te lleguen los
dolores,
los espasmos como de parturienta.
24 «Por mi vida –oráculo del Señor–,
aunque sea Conías, hijo de Yoyaquim,
rey de Judá, anillo de sello en mi diestra,
te arrancaré de allí. 25 Te entregaré
en manos de quienes atentan contra
tu vida, en manos de quienes temes
encontrarte, en manos de Nabucodonosor,
rey de Babilonia, en manos de
los caldeos. 26 Te arrojaré, a ti y a la madre
que te dio a luz, a una tierra extraña,
donde no nacisteis, y allí moriréis.
27 Pero a la tierra adonde ellos ansían
volver, ahí no volverán».
28¿Acaso es una vasija despreciada,
rota,
este hombre, Conías?
¿Acaso un trasto que nadie quiere?
¿Por qué son desechados, él con su
linaje,
y arrojados a una tierra que desconocían?
29¡Tierra, tierra, tierra!
Escucha la palabra del Señor.
30Esto dice el Señor:
«Inscribid a este hombre: “Sin hijos”,
“varón fracasado en su vida”.
Pues no logrará que de su descendencia
se siente hombre alguno en el trono
de David
para dominar más sobre Judá».
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
Hoy escuchamos como una autoridad terrena que no busca la verdadera justicia para todos, va a fallar eventualmente. ¿Yo busco estar en una relación correcta con toda la gente, aún aquéllos con los que no estoy de acuerdo? ¿De qué manera tienen mis acciones un efectyo en mu parroquia, mi comunuidad, mi país?
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dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).