Jeremiah 22:17
New International Version
“But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood and on oppression and extortion.”

New Living Translation
“But you! You have eyes only for greed and dishonesty! You murder the innocent, oppress the poor, and reign ruthlessly.”

English Standard Version
But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.”

Berean Standard Bible
“But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.”

King James Bible
But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

New King James Version
“Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence.”

New American Standard Bible
“But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood, And on practicing oppression and extortion.”

NASB 1995
“But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood And on practicing oppression and extortion.”

NASB 1977
“But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood And on practicing oppression and extortion.”

Legacy Standard Bible
“But your eyes and your heart Are set on nothing except your own greedy gain And on shedding innocent blood And on doing oppression and extortion.”

Amplified Bible
“But your eyes and your heart Are only intent on your own dishonest gain, On shedding innocent blood, On oppression and extortion and violence.”

Christian Standard Bible
But you have eyes and a heart for nothing except your own dishonest profit, shedding innocent blood and committing extortion and oppression.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But you have eyes and a heart for nothing except your own dishonest profit, shedding innocent blood and committing extortion and oppression.

American Standard Version
But thine eyes and thy heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

Contemporary English Version
But all you think about is how to cheat or abuse or murder some innocent victim.

English Revised Version
But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"But your eyes and your mind are set on nothing but dishonest profits. You kill innocent people and violently oppress your people."

Good News Translation
But you can only see your selfish interests; you kill the innocent and violently oppress your people. The LORD has spoken.

International Standard Version
But your eyes and heart are on nothing but your dishonest gain, shedding the blood of innocent people, and practicing oppression and extortion."

Majority Standard Bible
“But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.”

NET Bible
But you are always thinking and looking for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means. Your eyes and your heart are set on killing some innocent person and committing fraud and oppression.

New Heart English Bible
"But your eyes and your heart are not but for your covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it."

Webster's Bible Translation
But thy eyes and thy heart are only for thy covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

World English Bible
But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness, for shedding innocent blood, for oppression, and for doing violence.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“But your eyes and your heart are not, "" Except on your dishonest gain, "" And on shedding of innocent blood, "" And on oppression, and on doing of violence.”

Young's Literal Translation
But thine eyes and thy heart are not, Except on thy dishonest gain, And on shedding of innocent blood, And on oppression, and on doing of violence.

Smith's Literal Translation
For thine eyes and thy heart not but for thy plunder and for guiltless blood to pour out, and for oppression and for running, to do.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But thy eyes and thy heart are set upon covetousness, and upon shedding innocent blood, and upon oppression, and running after evil works.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Yet truly, your eyes and your heart are toward avarice and the shedding of innocent blood, and toward false accusations and the pursuit of evil deeds.

New American Bible
But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own gain, On shedding innocent blood and practicing oppression and extortion.

New Revised Standard Version
But your eyes and heart are only on your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But your eyes and your hearts are set for nothing else but for your wealth and for the shedding of innocent blood, and for oppression and for violence, to do it.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
But your eyes and your heart are not on anything but your possessions and upon shedding innocent blood and upon oppression and exercising tyranny
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But thine eyes and thy heart Are not but for thy covetousness, And for shedding innocent blood, And for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Behold, thine eyes are not good, nor thine heart, but they go after thy covetousness, and after the innocent blood to shed it, and after acts of injustice and slaughter, to commit them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Warning about Jehoiakim
16He took up the cause of the poor and needy, and so it went well with him. Is this not what it means to know Me?” declares the LORD. 17“But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.” 18Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’…

Cross References
Ezekiel 22:12
In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.

Micah 3:11
Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”

Isaiah 1:23
Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.

Amos 5:11-12
Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted. / For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.

Habakkuk 2:9
Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster!

Proverbs 17:23
A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.

Isaiah 5:8
Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land.

James 5:1-6
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. / Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days. ...

Luke 11:39
Then the Lord said, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

Matthew 23:25
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Ezekiel 22:27
Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.

Isaiah 10:1-2
Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees, / to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder.

Zephaniah 3:3-4
Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning. / Her prophets are reckless, faithless men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to the law.

Hosea 12:7
A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.

1 Timothy 6:9-10
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. / For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.


Treasury of Scripture

But your eyes and your heart are not but for your covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

thine eyes.

Joshua 7:21
When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

Job 31:7
If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;

Psalm 119:36,37
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness…

covetousness.

Exodus 18:21
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

Psalm 10:3
For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.

Luke 12:15-21
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth…

to shed.

Jeremiah 22:3
Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

Jeremiah 26:22-24
And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt…

1 Kings 21:19
And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

violence.

Jump to Previous
Acts Blood Causing Covetousness Cruel Death Dishonest Extortion Eyes Fixed Gain Heart Innocent Intent Oppression Practicing Profit Shed Shedding Violence Violent Wrong
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Acts Blood Causing Covetousness Cruel Death Dishonest Extortion Eyes Fixed Gain Heart Innocent Intent Oppression Practicing Profit Shed Shedding Violence Violent Wrong
Jeremiah 22
1. He exhorts to repentance, with promises and threats.
10. The judgment of Shallum;
13. of Jehoiakim;
20. and of Coniah.














But your eyes and heart
The phrase "your eyes and heart" signifies the totality of one's inner and outer being, encompassing both perception and desire. In Hebrew thought, the "heart" (לֵב, lev) is the center of will and emotion, while the "eyes" often represent one's focus or intent. This duality suggests a complete and willful engagement in the actions that follow. Historically, the leaders of Judah were often criticized by prophets for their failure to align their hearts and eyes with God's commandments, instead pursuing their own selfish interests.

are set on nothing except
This phrase indicates an exclusive focus or obsession. The Hebrew root for "set" (שׂוּם, sum) implies a deliberate and conscious choice. The leaders of Judah have made a conscious decision to prioritize their own desires over God's will. This reflects a broader biblical theme where God calls His people to set their hearts on Him alone, as seen in Deuteronomy 6:5, where the Israelites are commanded to love God with all their heart.

your own dishonest gain
"Dishonest gain" (בֶּצַע, betsa) refers to profit obtained through unethical or unjust means. In the context of ancient Judah, this often involved corrupt practices such as bribery, exploitation, and deceit. The prophets frequently condemned such behavior, as it violated the covenantal laws of justice and righteousness that were meant to govern the community. This phrase serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of prioritizing wealth over integrity.

on shedding innocent blood
The shedding of "innocent blood" (דָּם נָקִי, dam naki) is a grave sin in the biblical narrative, representing the ultimate violation of justice and sanctity of life. In ancient Israel, the shedding of innocent blood was not only a moral atrocity but also a defilement of the land, calling for divine retribution. This phrase underscores the severity of the leaders' actions, as they are not only guilty of personal sin but also of societal corruption that cries out for God's judgment.

on oppression and extortion
"Oppression and extortion" (עֹשֶׁק וּמְרוּצָה, osheq u'merutzah) highlight systemic injustice and abuse of power. "Oppression" involves the exploitation and subjugation of the vulnerable, while "extortion" refers to the coercive extraction of resources or compliance. These practices were rampant in the ancient Near East, where rulers often enriched themselves at the expense of the poor and marginalized. The prophets, including Jeremiah, consistently called out such injustices, urging a return to covenantal faithfulness characterized by justice, mercy, and humility before God.

(17) Thy covetousness.--More literally, thy gain, the word used implying (as in Jeremiah 6:13; Jeremiah 8:10) the idea of violence and oppression as the means by which it was obtained. The verb from which the noun is derived is so translated--" violence" (literally, "crushing")--in Deuteronomy 28:33. The marginal reading, "incursion," has nothing to commend it. In "the blood of the innocent" here, as in Jeremiah 22:3, we have an allusive reference to many, for the most part unrelenting, acts of cruelty. One of these, the murder of Urijah, meets us in Jeremiah 26:23.

Verse 17. - But thou, O Jehoiakim, art the opposite of thy father. For (not, But) thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness. "Covetousness" includes the ideas of injustice and violence (comp. Jeremiah 6:13; Jeremiah 8:10); hence the second half of the verse emphasizes the cruel tyranny which marked the internal policy of Jehoiakim.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“But
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

your eyes
עֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ (‘ê·ne·ḵā)
Noun - cdc | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

and heart
וְלִבְּךָ֔ (wə·lib·bə·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

[are set on] nothing
אֵ֤ין (’ên)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

except
כִּ֖י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

your own dishonest gain,
בִּצְעֶ֑ךָ (biṣ·‘e·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1215: Gain made by violence, unjust gain, profit

on shedding
לִשְׁפּ֔וֹךְ (liš·pō·wḵ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 8210: To spill forth, to expend, to sprawl out

innocent
הַנָּקִי֙ (han·nā·qî)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 5355: Clean, free from, exempt

blood,
דַּֽם־ (dam-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

on practicing
לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ (la·‘ă·śō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 6213: To do, make

extortion
הָעֹ֥שֶׁק (hā·‘ō·šeq)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6233: Injury, fraud, distress, unjust gain

and oppression.”
הַמְּרוּצָ֖ה (ham·mə·rū·ṣāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4835: A crushing, an oppression


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 22:17 But your eyes and your heart (Jer.)
Jeremiah 22:16
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