Jeremiah 22:17
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. 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.
The verse exposes Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah at the very time warnings of impending doom were being pressed upon princes and people. Instead of leading in confession of sin and reformation and good works, he gave himself to selfish pleasure. He planned a wide house with large chambers ceiled with cedar and painted with vermilion, built with money and labor gained by fraud and oppression and by using his neighbor's service without wages.
The verse means his eyes and heart were set on nothing but covetous gain and greed, the shedding of innocent blood, oppression and cruelty, and violence and force to carry them out. They were the desires, intentions and purpose guiding his actions. This conduct is contrasted with his father, who ate and drank and did judgment and justice and defended the poor and needy, which was to know the Lord and brought well-being. Therefore woe and judgment were pronounced upon him, with no lamentation over him at his death and a shameful burial drawn and cast beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
These wrongs, together with the nation's failure to honor its trust and render the fruits God required, explain why desolation came upon Judah and the Jewish nation despite its great light, blessings, and prosperity. The verse's condemnation applies to those who manufacture and sell intoxicating liquor, whose covetousness takes the form of a business that is robbery. Sellers gain money while consumers receive no fair value or equivalent in return, and each dollar added to their gains brings a curse to the person who spends it. The passage in verses 13-17 pictures the liquor business, in which manufacturers and sellers act from greed and bring oppression and ruin to others. God's gifts of grain and fruit meant for sustenance are turned into poisons that cause misery and ruin through greed for gain and lust of appetite.