Jeremias 23
1 Woe to the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of their pasture!
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD.
2 Therefore thus says the Lord against them that tend my people; You have scattered my sheep, and driven them out, and you have not visited them: behold, I [will] take vengeance upon you according to your evil practices.
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.
3 And I will gather in the remnant of my people in every land, whither I have driven them out, and will set them in their pasture; and they shall increase and be multiplied.
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.
4 And I will raise up shepherds to them, who shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be alarmed, says the Lord.
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.
5 Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and understand, and shall execute judgement and righteousness on the earth.
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.
6 In his days both Juda shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell securely: and this is his name, which the Lord shall call him, Josedec amongst the prophets.
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.
7 Therefore, behold, the days come, says the Lord, when they shall no more say, The Lord lives, who brought up the house of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
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.’
8 but The Lord lives, who has gathered the whole seed of Israel from the north land, and from all the countries whither he [had] driven them out, and has restored them into their own land.
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.”
9 My heart is broken within me; all my bones are shaken: I am become as a broken-down man, and as a man overcome with wine, because of the Lord, and because of the excellence of his glory.
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.
10 For because of these things the land mourns; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up; and their course is become evil, and so [also] their strength.
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.
11 For priest and prophet are defiled; and I have seen their iniquities in my house.
“For both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in My house I have found their wickedness,”
12 Therefore let their way be to them slippery and dark: and they shall be tripped up and fall in it: for I will bring evils upon them, in the year of their visitation.
“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,”
13 And in the prophets of Samaria I have seen lawless deeds; they prophesied by Baal, and led my people Israel astray.
“Among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.
14 Also in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen horrible things: as they committed adultery, and walked in lies, and strengthened the hands of many, that they should not return each from his evil way: they are all become to me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrha.
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.”
15 Therefore thus says the Lord; Behold, I will feed them with pain, and give them bitter water to drink: for from the prophets of Jerusalem has defilement gone forth [into] all the land.
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.”
16 Thus says the Lord Almighty, Listen not to the words of the prophets: for they frame a vain vision for themselves; they speak from their own heart, and not from the mouth of the Lord.
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.
17 They say to them that reject the word of the Lord, There shall be peace to you; and to all that walk after their own lusts, and to everyone that walks in the error of his heart, they have said, No evil shall come upon you.
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.’
18 For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, and seen his word? who has listened, and heard?
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?
19 Behold, [there is] an earthquake from the Lord, and anger proceeds to a convulsion, it shall come violently upon the ungodly.
Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone out with fury, a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of the wicked.
20 And the Lord's wrath shall return no more, until he have accomplished it, and until he have established it, according to the purpose of his heart: at the end of the days they shall understand it.
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.
21 I sent not the prophets, yet they ran: neither spoke I to them, yet they prophesied.
I did not send 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 counsel, and if they had listened to my words, then would they have turned my people from their evil practices.
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.”
23 I am a God near at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off.
“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?”
24 Shall any one hide himself in secret places, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.
“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.
25 I have heard what the prophets say, what they prophesy in my name, saying falsely, I have seen a night vision.
“I have heard the sayings of the prophets who prophesy lies in My name: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’
26 How long shall [these things] be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, when they prophesy the purposes of their own heart?
How long will this continue in the hearts of these prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the delusion of their own minds?
27 who devise that [men] may forget my law by their dreams, which they have told every one to his neighbour, as their fathers forgot my name in [the worship of] Baal.
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.
28 The prophet who has a dream, let him tell his dream; and [he] in whom is my word [spoken] to him, let him tell my word truly: what is the chaff to the corn? so are my words, says the Lord.
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.
29 Behold, are not my words as fire? says the Lord; and as an axe cutting the rock?
“Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”
30 Behold, I am therefore against the prophets, says the Lord God, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
“Therefore behold,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words they attribute to Me.”
31 Behold, I am against the prophets that put forth prophecies of mere words, and slumber their sleep.
“Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and proclaim, ‘The LORD declares it.’”
32 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets that prophesy false dreams, and have not told them [truly], and have caused my people to err by their lies, and by their errors; yet I sent them not, and commanded them not; therefore, they shall not profit this people at all.
“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.
33 And if this people, or the priest, or the prophet, should ask, What is the burden of the Lord? then you shall say to them, You are the burden, and I will dash you down, says the Lord.
“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.’
34 [As for] the prophet, and the priests, and the people, who shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even take vengeance on that man, and on his house.
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.
35 Thus shall you say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What has the Lord answered? and, what has the Lord said?
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?’
36 And do you name no more the burden of the Lord; for his own word shall be a man's burden.
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.
37 But therefore, [say you], has the Lord our God spoken?
Thus you are to say to the prophet: ‘What has the LORD answered you?’ and ‘What has the LORD spoken?’
38 Therefore thus says the Lord our God; Because you have spoken this word, The burden of the Lord, and I sent to you, saying, you shall not say, The burden of the Lord;
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,
39 therefore, behold, I [will] seize, and dash down you and the city which I gave to you and your fathers.
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.
40 And I will bring upon you an everlasting reproach, and everlasting disgrace, which shall not be forgotten.
And I will bring upon you everlasting shame and perpetual humiliation that will never be forgotten.”
