Jeremiah 23

1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD.

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the LORD.

Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this concerning the shepherds who are shepherding his people, “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away. You have not cared for them. So I am about to punish you for the evil you have done—this is Yahweh's declaration.

3 Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply.

I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all of the lands where I have driven them, and I will return them to a grazing place, where they will be fruitful and increase.

4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.

Then I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them so they will no longer fear or be shattered. None of them will go missing—this is Yahweh's declaration.

5 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.

See, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will raise up for David a righteous branch. He will reign as king; he will act wisely and cause justice and righteousness in the land.

6 In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.

In his days Judah will be rescued, and Israel will live in security. Then this is the name by which he will be called: Yahweh is our righteousness.

7 So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’

Therefore see, days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when they will no longer say, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought the people of Israel up from the land of Egypt.'

8 Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’ Then they will dwell once more in their own land.”

Instead they will say, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought up and who led back the descendants of the house of Israel from the northern land and all the lands where they had been driven.' Then they will live in their own land.”

9 As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, and all my bones tremble. I have become like a drunkard, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD, because of His holy words.

Regarding the prophets, my heart is broken in me, and all of my bones tremble. I have become like a drunk man, like a man whom wine has overpowered, because of Yahweh and his holy words.

10 For the land is full of adulterers— because of the curse, the land mourns and the pastures of the wilderness have dried up— their course is evil and their power is misused.

For the land is full of adulterers. Because of these the land is dried up. The meadows in the wilderness dry up. These prophets' paths are wicked; their power is not used in a right manner.

11 “For both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in My house I have found their wickedness,”

“For both the prophets and the priests are polluted. I even found their wickedness in my house!—this is Yahweh's declaration—

12 “Therefore their path will become slick; they will be driven away into the darkness and fall into it. For I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment,”

therefore their way will be like a slippery place in the darkness. They will be pushed down. They will fall in it. For I will send disaster against them in the year of their punishment—this is Yahweh's declaration.

13 “Among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.

For I have seen the prophets in Samaria doing what is repulsive: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.

14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”

Among the prophets in Jerusalem I have seen horrible things: They commit adultery and walk in deceit. They strengthen the hands of evildoers; no one turns back from his evildoing. All of them have become like Sodom to me and its inhabitants like Gomorrah!”

15 Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says concerning the prophets: “I will feed them wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”

Therefore Yahweh of hosts says this concerning the prophets, “Look, I am about to make them eat wormwood and drink poisonous water, for pollution has gone out from the prophets of Jerusalem to all the land.”

16 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.

Yahweh of hosts says this, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They have deluded you! They are announcing visions from their own minds, not from Yahweh's mouth.

17 They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’

They are constantly saying to those who dishonor me, 'Yahweh declares there will be peace for you.' For everyone walking in the stubbornness of his own heart says, 'Disaster will not come upon you.'

18 But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and obeyed it?

Yet who has stood in Yahweh's council meeting? Who sees and hears his word? Who pays attention to his word and listens?

19 Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone out with fury, a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of the wicked.

See, there is a storm coming from Yahweh! His fury is going out, and a tempest is whirling about. It is whirling around the heads of the wicked.

20 The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His heart. In the days to come you will understand this clearly.

Yahweh's wrath will not return until it has carried out and brought into being his heart's intentions. In the final days, you will understand it.

21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.

I did not send out these prophets. They just appeared. I did not proclaim anything to them, but they have still prophesied.

22 But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and deeds.”

For if they had stood in my council meeting, they would have caused my people to hear my word; they would have caused them to turn from their wicked words and corrupt practices.

23 “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?”

Am I only a God nearby—this is Yahweh's declaration—and not also a God far away?

24 “Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.

Can anyone hide in a secret place so I cannot see him?—this is Yahweh's declaration— and do I not fill the heavens and the earth?—this is Yahweh's declaration.

25 “I have heard the sayings of the prophets who prophesy lies in My name: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’

I have heard what the prophets have said, those who were prophesying deceit in my name. They said, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!'

26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the delusion of their own minds?

How long will this go on, prophets who prophesy lies from their minds, and who prophesy from the deceit in their hearts?

27 They suppose the dreams that they tell one another will make My people forget My name, just as their fathers forgot My name through the worship of Baal.

They are planning on making my people forget my name with the dreams that they report, each one to his neighbor, just as their ancestors forgot my name in favor of Baal's name.

28 Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For what is straw compared to grain?” declares the LORD.

The prophet who has a dream, let him report the dream. But the one to whom I have declared something, let him declare my word truthfully. What does straw have to do with grain?—this is Yahweh's declaration—

29 “Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”

Is not my word like fire?—this is Yahweh's declaration—and like a hammer that shatters a rock into pieces?

30 “Therefore behold,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words they attribute to Me.”

So see, I am against the prophets—this is Yahweh's declaration—anyone who steals words from another person and says they come from me.

31 “Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and proclaim, ‘The LORD declares it.’”

See, I am against the prophets—this is Yahweh's declaration—who use their tongues to prophesy proclamations.

32 “Indeed,” declares the LORD, “I am against those who prophesy false dreams and retell them to lead My people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent them or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people,” declares the LORD.

See, I am against the prophets who dream deceitfully—this is Yahweh's declaration—and then proclaim them and in this way mislead my people with their deceit and boasting. I am against them, for I have not sent them out nor given them commands. So they will certainly not help this people—this is Yahweh's declaration.

33 “Now when this people or a prophet or priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you are to say to them, ‘What burden? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’

When these people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, 'What is the burden of Yahweh?' you will say to them, 'You are the burden, and I will cast you off'—this is Yahweh's declaration.

34 As for the prophet or priest or anyone who claims, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ I will punish that man and his household.

As for the prophets, priests, and people who are saying, 'This is the burden of Yahweh' I will punish that man and his house.

35 This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his brother: ‘What has the LORD answered?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’

You continue to say, each person to his neighbor and each man to his brother, 'What did Yahweh answer?' and 'What did Yahweh declare?'

36 But refer no more to the burden of the LORD, for each man’s word becomes the burden, so that you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God.

But you must no longer talk about the 'burden of Yahweh,' for the burden is every man's own word, and you have perverted the words of the living God, Yahweh of hosts, our God.

37 Thus you are to say to the prophet: ‘What has the LORD answered you?’ and ‘What has the LORD spoken?’

This is what you will say to the prophet, 'What answer did Yahweh give you? or 'What did Yahweh say?'

38 But if you claim, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ then this is what the LORD says: Because you have said, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ and I specifically told you not to make this claim,

But if you say, 'The burden of Yahweh', this is what Yahweh says: 'Because you have said these words, 'The burden of Yahweh,' when I sent to you, saying, 'You will not say, “The burden of Yahweh,”'

39 therefore I will surely forget you and will cast you out of My presence, both you and the city that I gave to you and your fathers.

therefore, behold, I am about to pick you up and throw you away from me, along with the city that I gave you and your ancestors.

40 And I will bring upon you everlasting shame and perpetual humiliation that will never be forgotten.”

Then I will put everlasting shame and insult on you that will not be forgotten.'”