22 Yahweh told me to go down to Yehudah’s (Judah’s) palace and declare this message: 2 Listen to Yahweh’s message for Yehudah’s king who sits on David’s throne, along with your officials and your people who enter these doorways. 3 Yahweh says that you must administer justice and do what’s right. Rescue anyone who’s been robbed, from their oppressor. Don’t mistreat any foreigner or orphan or widow. Don’t be violent, and don’t shed innocent blood in this place, 4 because if you carefully do those things, then the kings who sit on David’s throne will enter through the gates of this palace riding in chariots or on horses, along with their officials and their people. 5 However, if you take no notice of those instructions, then Yahweh solemnly promises that this palace will become a pile of rubble,[ref] 6 because this is what Yahweh says about the palace of Yehudah’s king:

To me, you’re like the Gilead forests or like Levanon’s summit.

However, I’ll make you into a wilderness—

cities that aren’t inhabited.

7 I’ll appoint destroyers against you—

each warrior with his weapons.

They’ll cut down your choicest cedars

and throw them onto the fire.

8 Then many nations will pass by this city and ask each other why Yahweh has done that to this great city? 9 Someone else will answer that it’s because they abandoned the agreement with their god Yahweh, and bowed down to their gods and served them.