23 The Lord says, ‘Terrible trouble will come to the rulers of my people. They should have taken care of my people, as shepherds take care of their sheep. Instead, they have caused them to run away.’ 2 So the Lord , Israel's God, says to the leaders who rule over his people, ‘You have not taken care of my people. You have chased them away to other places. So now I will come and punish you, because of the evil things that you have done. I, the Lord , tell you that!
3 I myself will bring back together all my people who are still alive. I will fetch them from the countries where I have sent them. I will bring them back to the land that is their home. They will give birth to many children and they will grow in number. 4 I will choose rulers for them who will truly take care of them. My people will no longer be afraid. They will all be safe.’ That is what the Lord says.
5 The Lord says, ‘The time will come when I do this:
I will cause a descendant of David to be born.
He will be righteous.
He will grow like a branch on the tree of David's family.
He will rule as king in a wise way.
He will do what is right and fair in the land.
6 While he rules, the people of Judah will be safe.
And Israel's people will live in peace.
People will give this name to him:
“The Lord is our righteous Saviour.” ’
7 The Lord says, ‘Yes, a new time will come. When people make a promise, they will not say, “I promise to do this as surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites safely out of Egypt.” 8 Instead they will say, “I promise to do this as surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel safely back from the land in the north. He brought them back from all the places where he had sent them as prisoners.” At that time they will live in their own land.’
9 I am very upset about what the prophets are doing.
My body is shaking.
I move like a man who has become drunk,
someone who has drunk too much wine.
I am afraid because of the Lord
and the holy message that he has spoken.
10 The land is full of people who are not faithful to God.
The prophets live wicked lives.
They use their power in a bad way.
Because of that, God has cursed the land.
The land is as dry as a desert,
and the fields have no grass.
11 The Lord says,
‘The prophets and the priests are all wicked.
I see the evil things that they do,
even in my temple.
12 Because of that, the paths that they travel on will be dark.
They will easily slip and fall to the ground.
I will cause terrible trouble to happen to them.
I will decide the time when I will punish them.’
That is what the Lord says.
13 ‘I saw the disgusting thing that the prophets in Samaria did. [ a ]
They used the name of Baal to prophesy.
Their messages deceived my people, Israel.
14 But now some prophets in Jerusalem do even worse things!
They are not faithful to their wives. [ b ]
They always deceive people.
They encourage people to do evil things.
They do not try to stop them.
They are as bad as the people of Sodom long ago.
The people of Jerusalem are as bad as the people of Gomorrah. [ c ]
15 So I, the Lord Almighty,
say this about these prophets:
I will cause them to have much pain and trouble.
They will eat bitter food.
They will drink water that is poison.
It is because of Jerusalem's prophets
that people do wicked things everywhere in the land.’
16 The Lord Almighty says to the people,
‘Do not listen to the messages that the prophets are telling you.
They are only deceiving you.
They speak about visions that are their own ideas.
They do not speak a message that comes from the Lord himself.
17 When people refuse to listen to me,
the prophets still encourage them.
They say to them,
“The Lord will give you peace.”
When people refuse to change their wicked way of life,
the prophets tell them,
“Nothing bad will happen to you.”
18 But none of those prophets has met with the Lord .
They have not seen him
and they have not heard his voice.
So none of them has ever listened to him
to know what he is saying.
19 But look! The Lord 's anger will come
like a strong storm.
It will blow away the heads of those wicked people.
20 The Lord will not stop being angry,
until he has finished what he has decided to do.
When the time comes,
you will understand this clearly.
21 I did not send those prophets.
But they have still run to speak to you.
I did not tell them what to say,
but they have continued to prophesy.
22 If they had really met with me,
they would have spoken my message to my people.
They would have caused my people to turn away from their wicked way of life.
They would have stopped my people doing evil things.’
23 The Lord says, ‘Am I a God in only one place?
No! I see everything everywhere!
24 Do you think you can hide
in a place where I cannot see you?
You should know that I am everywhere,
in the heavens above and on the earth.’
That is what the Lord says.
25 ‘I have heard the lies that these prophets are saying. They say that they have messages from me. They say, “God has spoken to me in a dream!” 26 But all their words are lies. Their messages are their own ideas. When will they stop deceiving people? 27 They want to make my people forget who I am. They use their dreams to do this. They tell them to each other. They are as bad as their ancestors. They also forgot who I am when they worshipped the false god, Baal.
28 If a prophet has a dream, he should say what it is. If a prophet receives a message from me, he should speak that message faithfully. But dreams are very different from my messages. Straw is not the same as wheat! 29 A message from me is like a fire that burns things. It is like a hammer that breaks a rock into pieces.’ That is what the Lord says.
30 ‘I tell you that I am against those prophets! They say that they speak messages from me. But they are using each other's ideas. 31 They say, “This message is from the Lord ,” but it is their own words that they speak. 32 Yes, I am against those who have dreams and use them to deceive people. They are using cruel lies to lead the people away from me. I did not send those prophets to speak on my behalf. They do nothing to help my people.’ That is what the Lord says.
33 The Lord said, ‘Jeremiah, someone may ask you a question. He may be one of these people or a prophet or a priest. He may ask you, “What message of trouble is the Lord telling us now?” Then you must say to him, “You are the trouble! The Lord says that he will go away from you.” 34 If a prophet, a priest, or anyone else says, “I have a message of trouble from the Lord ,” I will punish that person. I will punish his whole family too.
35 Instead, each of you should ask your friends, “What is the Lord 's answer?” or “What has the Lord said?” 36 But you must not speak any more about “a message of trouble from the Lord ”. It is the person's own message that brings the trouble. In that way, you change the true message of our God, the living God who is the Lord Almighty. 37 You should ask the prophet, “What answer did the Lord give to you?” or “What did the Lord say?” 38 You must no longer say, “What is the message of trouble from the Lord ?” If you continue to say that when I have told you not to say it, this is what will happen: 39 I will pick you up and I will throw you away! I will send you all a long way away from me. I will chase out all the people of this city that I gave to you and to your ancestors. 40 I will make you very ashamed. People will never forget your great shame.’
23 “It will be very bad for the shepherds of the people of Judah. They are destroying the sheep. They are making the sheep run from my pasture in all directions.” This message is from the Lord .
2 They are responsible for my people. And this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says to them: “You shepherds have made my sheep run away in all directions. You have forced them to go away, and you have not taken care of them. But I will take care of you—I will punish you for the evil things you did.” This message is from the Lord : 3 “I sent my sheep to other countries. But I will gather together my sheep that are left, and I will bring them back to their pasture. When my sheep are back in their pasture, they will have many children and grow in number. 4 I will place new shepherds over my sheep. They will take care of my sheep, and my sheep will never again feel afraid. None of my sheep will be lost.” This message is from the Lord .
5 This message is from the Lord :
“The time is coming,
when I will raise up a good ‘branch’ from David’s family.
He will be a king who will rule in a wise way.
He will do what is fair and right in the land.
6 When he rules, Judah will be saved,
and Israel will live in safety.
This will be his name:
The Lord Makes Things Right for Us. [ a ]
7 “So the time is coming,” says the Lord , “when people will not make a promise by saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the one who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt ….’ 8 But people will say something new: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the one who brought the Israelites out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had sent them ….’ Then the people of Israel will live in their own land.”
9 A message to the prophets:
I am very sad—my heart is broken.
All my bones are shaking.
Because of the Lord and his holy words,
I am like a man who is drunk.
10 The land of Judah is full of people who commit adultery.
They are unfaithful in many ways.
So God cursed the land,
and it became very dry.
The plants are dried and dying in the pastures.
The fields have become like the desert.
The prophets are evil.
They use their influence and power in the wrong way.
11 This message is from the Lord :
“The prophets and even the priests are evil.
I have seen them doing evil things in my own Temple.
12 I will stop giving my messages to them.
They will walk in darkness.
The road will be slippery for those prophets and priests,
and they will fall in that darkness.
I will bring disaster on them;
I will punish them.”
This message is from the Lord .
13 “I saw the prophets of Samaria doing wrong things.
I saw them prophesy in the name of the false god Baal.
They led the people of Israel away from me.
14 I have even seen the prophets of Jerusalem doing sinful things.
They are committing adultery and living a life of lies.
They support their fellow prophets
and never stop doing evil.
They have become like Sodom;
they are all like Gomorrah.”
15 So this is what the Lord All-Powerful says about those Jerusalem prophets:
“I will make them suffer.
Their food will be bitter, their water like poison.
I will punish them because they started a spiritual sickness
that spread through the whole country.”
16 This is what the Lord All-Powerful says:
“Don’t pay attention to what those prophets are saying to you.
They are trying to fool you.
They talk about visions,
but they did not get their visions from me.
Their visions come from their own minds.
17 Some of the people hate the real messages from the Lord ,
so the prophets give them a different message.
They say, ‘You will have peace.’
Some of the people are very stubborn.
They do only what they want to do.
So the prophets say,
‘Nothing bad will happen to you!’
18 But none of these prophets has stood in the heavenly council. [ b ]
None of them has seen or heard the message from the Lord .
None of them has paid close attention to his message.
19 Now the punishment from the Lord will come like a storm.
His anger will be like a tornado.
It will come crashing down on the heads of those wicked people.
20 The Lord ’s anger will not stop
until he finishes what he plans to do.
When that day is over,
you will understand this clearly.
21 I did not send those prophets,
but they ran to tell their messages.
I did not speak to them,
but they spoke in my name.
22 If they had stood in my heavenly council,
then they would have told my messages to the people of Judah.
They would have stopped the people from doing bad things.
They would have stopped them from doing evil.”
23 This message is from the Lord .
“I am God, and I am always near.
I am not far away.
24 Someone might try to hide from me in some hiding place.
But it is easy for me to see that person, says the Lord ,
because I am everywhere in heaven and earth.”
This message is from the Lord : 25 “There are prophets who tell lies in my name. They say, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’ I heard them say those things. 26 How long will this continue? They think up lies and then they teach them to the people. 27 They are trying to make the people of Judah forget my name by telling each other these false dreams. They are trying to make my people forget me, just as their ancestors forgot me and worshiped the false god Baal. 28 Straw is not the same as wheat! In the same way, the dreams of those prophets are not messages from me. If people want to tell about their dreams, let them. But those who hear my message must speak it truthfully.” This is what the Lord says. 29 Yes, the Lord says, “You must treat my message carefully, like a fire or like a hammer that can smash a rock.”
30 This message is from the Lord : “So I am against the false prophets. They keep stealing my words from each other.” 31 Yes, the Lord says, “I am against the false prophets. They use their own words and pretend that it is a message from me. 32 I am against the false prophets who tell false dreams.” This message is from the Lord . “They mislead my people with their lies and false teachings. I did not send them to teach the people. I never commanded them to do anything for me. They cannot help the people of Judah at all.” This message is from the Lord .
33 “The people of Judah, or a prophet, or a priest may ask you, ‘Jeremiah, what is the announcement of the Lord ?’ You will answer them and say, ‘You are a heavy load [ c ] , and I will throw down this heavy load.’ This message is from the Lord .
34 “A prophet, or a priest, or maybe one of the people might say, ‘This is an announcement from the Lord ….’ Because of that lie, I will punish that person and their whole family. 35 This is what you will say to one another: ‘What did the Lord answer?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’ 36 But you will never again use the expression, ‘The announcement of the Lord .’ That is because his message should not be a heavy load for anyone. But you changed the words of our God. He is the living God, the Lord All-Powerful!
37 “If you want to learn about God’s message, ask a prophet, ‘What answer did the Lord give you?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’ 38 But don’t say, ‘What was the announcement from the Lord ?’ If you use these words, the Lord will say this to you: ‘You should not have called my message an “announcement from the Lord .” I told you not to use those words. 39 But you called my message a heavy load, so I will pick you up like a heavy load and throw you away from me. I gave the city of Jerusalem to your ancestors. But I will throw you and that city away from me, 40 and I will make you a disgrace forever. You will never forget your shame.’”
23 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord .
2 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord .
3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord .
5 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord , that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness .
7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord , that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
8 But, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord , and because of the words of his holiness.
10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord .
12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord .
13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
15 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord .
17 They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
18 For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord , and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
19 Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
23 Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord , and not a God afar off?
24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord . Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord .
25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord .
29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord ; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord , that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord , that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord , and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord .
33 And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the Lord ? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the Lord .
34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the Lord , I will even punish that man and his house.
35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the Lord answered? and, What hath the Lord spoken?
36 And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.
37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the Lord answered thee? and, What hath the Lord spoken?
38 But since ye say, The burden of the Lord ; therefore thus saith the Lord ; Because ye say this word, The burden of the Lord , and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord ;
39 Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
23 “ ( A ) Woe to the shepherds who are causing the ( B ) sheep of My pasture to ( C ) perish and are scattering them !” declares the Lord . 2 Therefore this is what the Lord , the God of Israel says concerning the shepherds who are [ a ] tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not been concerned about them; behold, I am going to ( D ) call you to account for the ( E ) evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord . 3 “Then I Myself will ( F ) gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will also raise up ( G ) shepherds over them and they will [ b ] tend them; and they will ( H ) not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, ( I ) nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord .
5 “Behold, the ( J ) days are coming,” declares the Lord ,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous [ c ] ( K ) Branch;
And He will ( L ) reign as king and [ d ] act wisely
And ( M ) do justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In His days Judah will be saved,
And ( N ) Israel will live securely;
And this is His ( O ) name by which He will be called,
‘The ( P ) Lord Our Righteousness.’
7 “ ( Q ) Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord , “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of Egypt,’ 8 ( R ) but, ‘As the Lord lives, who ( S ) brought up and led the descendants of the household of Israel back from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”
9 As for the prophets:
My ( T ) heart is broken within me,
All my bones tremble;
I have become like a drunken man,
And like a man overcome by wine,
Because of the Lord
And because of His holy words.
10 For the land is full of ( U ) adulterers;
For the land ( V ) mourns because of the curse.
The ( W ) pastures of the wilderness have dried up.
Their course is evil
And their might is not right.
11 “For ( X ) both prophet and priest are defiled;
Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord .
12 “Therefore their way will be like ( Y ) slippery paths to them,
They will be driven away into the ( Z ) gloom and fall down in it;
For I will bring ( AA ) disaster upon them,
The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord .
13 “Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an ( AB ) offensive thing:
They ( AC ) prophesied by Baal and ( AD ) led My people Israel astray.
14 Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a ( AE ) horrible thing:
The committing of ( AF ) adultery and walking in deceit;
And they strengthen the hands of ( AG ) evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.
All of them have become to Me like ( AH ) Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says concerning the prophets:
‘Behold, I am going to ( AI ) feed them wormwood
And make them drink poisonous water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Ungodliness has spread into all the land.’”
16 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“ ( AJ ) Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are ( AK ) leading you into futility;
They tell a ( AL ) vision of their own [ e ] imagination,
Not ( AM ) from the mouth of the Lord .
17 They keep saying to those who ( AN ) despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, “ ( AO ) You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the ( AP ) stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘ ( AQ ) Disaster will not come on you.’
18 But ( AR ) who has stood in the council of the Lord ,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has paid ( AS ) attention to [ f ] His word and listened?
19 Behold, the ( AT ) storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling tempest;
It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 The ( AU ) anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has ( AV ) performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
( AW ) In the last days you will clearly understand it.
21 ( AX ) I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.
22 But if they had ( AY ) stood in My council,
Then they would have ( AZ ) announced My words to My people,
And would have turned them back from their evil way
And from the evil of their deeds.
23 “Am I a God who is ( BA ) near,” declares the Lord ,
“And not a God far off?
24 Can a person ( BB ) hide himself in hiding places
So that I do not see him?” declares the Lord .
“ ( BC ) Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord .
25 “I have ( BD ) heard what the prophets have said who ( BE ) prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a ( BF ) dream, I had a dream!’ 26 How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the ( BG ) deceitfulness of their own heart, 27 who intend to ( BH ) make My people forget My name by their dreams which they report to one another, just as their fathers ( BI ) forgot My name because of Baal? 28 The prophet who has a dream may report his dream, but let him who has ( BJ ) My word speak My word truthfully. ( BK ) What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the Lord . 29 “Is My word not like ( BL ) fire?” declares the Lord , “and like a ( BM ) hammer which shatters a rock? 30 Therefore behold, ( BN ) I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord , “who steal My words from each other. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord , “who [ g ] use their tongues and declare, ‘ The Lord declares!’ 32 Behold, I am against those who have prophesied ( BO ) false dreams,” declares the Lord , “and reported them and led My people astray by their lies and ( BP ) reckless boasting; yet ( BQ ) I did not send them nor command them, nor do they ( BR ) provide this people the slightest benefit,” declares the Lord .
33 “Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the [ h ] ( BS ) pronouncement of the Lord ?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What [ i ] pronouncement?’ The Lord declares, ‘I will ( BT ) abandon you.’ 34 Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The ( BU ) pronouncement of the Lord ,’ I will bring punishment upon that person and his household. 35 This is what each one of you will say to his neighbor and to his brother: ‘ ( BV ) What has the Lord answered?’ or, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 For you will no longer remember the pronouncement of the Lord , because every person’s own word will become the pronouncement, and you have ( BW ) perverted the words of the ( BX ) living God, the Lord of armies, our God. 37 This is what you will say to that prophet: ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 And if you say, ‘The pronouncement of the Lord !’ for that reason the Lord says this: ‘Because you said this word, “The pronouncement of the Lord !” I have also sent word to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The pronouncement of the Lord !’”’ 39 Therefore behold, ( BY ) I will certainly forget you and thrust you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers. 40 I will put an everlasting ( BZ ) disgrace on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”
23 “Woe to the shepherds ( A ) who are destroying and scattering ( B ) the sheep of my pasture!” ( C ) declares the Lord . 2 Therefore this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says to the shepherds ( D ) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock ( E ) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil ( F ) you have done,” declares the Lord . 3 “I myself will gather the remnant ( G ) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, ( H ) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds ( I ) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid ( J ) or terrified, nor will any be missing, ( K ) ” declares the Lord .
5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord ,
“when I will raise up for David [ a ] a righteous Branch, ( L )
a King ( M ) who will reign ( N ) wisely
and do what is just and right ( O ) in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety. ( P )
This is the name ( Q ) by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior. ( R )
7 “So then, the days are coming,” ( S ) declares the Lord , “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ ( T ) 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.” ( U )
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart ( V ) is broken within me;
all my bones tremble. ( W )
I am like a drunken man,
like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and his holy words. ( X )
10 The land is full of adulterers; ( Y )
because of the curse [ b ] ( Z ) the land lies parched
and the pastures ( AA ) in the wilderness are withered. ( AB )
The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.
11 “Both prophet and priest are godless; ( AC )
even in my temple ( AD ) I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord .
12 “Therefore their path will become slippery; ( AE )
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished, ( AF ) ”
declares the Lord .
13 “Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal ( AG )
and led my people Israel astray. ( AH )
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible: ( AI )
They commit adultery and live a lie. ( AJ )
They strengthen the hands of evildoers, ( AK )
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness. ( AL )
They are all like Sodom ( AM ) to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.” ( AN )
15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:
“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water, ( AO )
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness ( AP ) has spread throughout the land.”
16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen ( AQ ) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions ( AR ) from their own minds,
not from the mouth ( AS ) of the Lord .
17 They keep saying ( AT ) to those who despise me,
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ ( AU )
And to all who follow the stubbornness ( AV ) of their hearts
they say, ‘No harm ( AW ) will come to you.’
18 But which of them has stood in the council ( AX ) of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm ( AY ) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind ( AZ ) swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger ( BA ) of the Lord will not turn back ( BB )
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
21 I did not send ( BC ) these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council, ( BD )
they would have proclaimed ( BE ) my words to my people
and would have turned ( BF ) them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds. ( BG )
23 “Am I only a God nearby, ( BH ) ”
declares the Lord ,
“and not a God far away?
24 Who can hide ( BI ) in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord .
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?” ( BJ )
declares the Lord .
25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies ( BK ) in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! ( BL ) I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions ( BM ) of their own minds? ( BN ) 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget ( BO ) my name, just as their ancestors forgot ( BP ) my name through Baal worship. ( BQ ) 28 Let the prophet who has a dream ( BR ) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word ( BS ) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord . 29 “Is not my word like fire,” ( BT ) declares the Lord , “and like a hammer ( BU ) that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord , “I am against ( BV ) the prophets ( BW ) who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31 Yes,” declares the Lord , “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ ( BX ) 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams, ( BY ) ” declares the Lord . “They tell them and lead my people astray ( BZ ) with their reckless lies, ( CA ) yet I did not send ( CB ) or appoint them. They do not benefit ( CC ) these people in the least,” declares the Lord .
33 “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message ( CD ) from the Lord ?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake ( CE ) you, declares the Lord .’ 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message ( CF ) from the Lord ,’ I will punish ( CG ) them and their household. 35 This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the Lord ’s answer?’ ( CH ) or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord ’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort ( CI ) the words of the living God, ( CJ ) the Lord Almighty, our God. 37 This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the Lord ’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord ,’ this is what the Lord says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the Lord ,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord .’ 39 Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast ( CK ) you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring on you everlasting disgrace ( CL ) —everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”
