Jeremiah 23

1 Woe unto the shepherds that destroy and scatter the flocks of my pasture! saith the Lord.

Woe to the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of their pasture!

2 Therefore thus hath said the Lord the God of Israel concerning the shepherds that feed my people, Ye have scattered my flocks, and driven them away, and have not taken care of them: now, behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.

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.

3 And I will indeed gather the remnant of my flock together out of all the countries whither I have driven them; and I will bring them back again to their folds: and they shall be fruitful and multiply.

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.

4 And I will raise up over them shepherds who shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, and none of them shall be missing, saith the Lord.

And I will raise up shepherds to them, who shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be alarmed, says the Lord.

5 Behold, days are coming, saith the Lord, when I will raise up unto David a righteous sprout, and he shall reign as king, and prosper, and he shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.

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.

6 In his days shall Judah be helped, and Israel shall dwell in safety: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord is our righteousness.

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.

7 Therefore, behold, days are coming, saith the Lord, when they shall no more say, As the Lord liveth, who hath brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

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;

8 But, As the Lord liveth, who hath brought up and who hath led forth the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and out of all countries whither I had driven them: and they shall dwell in their own land.

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.

9 To the prophets—Broken is my heart within me; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a person whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of his holy words.

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.

10 For of adulterers is the land full; for because of false swearing mourneth the land, dried up are the pastures in the wilderness; because their course was for evil, and their strength was for injustice.

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.

11 For both prophet and priest are hypocrites: yea, in my own house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord.

For priest and prophet are defiled; and I have seen their iniquities in my house.

12 Therefore shall their way be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness; they shall be pushed forward, and fall thereon; for I will bring upon them evil, the year of their punishment, saith the Lord.

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.

13 And on the prophets of Samaria have I seen absurdity: they prophesied by Ba'al, and misled my people Israel.

And in the prophets of Samaria I have seen lawless deeds; they prophesied by Baal, and led my people Israel astray.

14 But on the prophets of Jerusalem have I seen a horrible thing; they commit adultery, and walk in falsehood; and they strengthen the hands of evil-doers, so that not one of these doth return from his wickedness: they are become unto me all of them as Sodom, and its inhabitants as Gomorrah.

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.

15 Therefore thus hath said the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets, Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink poison-water; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is hypocrisy gone forth over all the land.

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.

16 Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you, they bring you unto vanity: a vision of their own heart do they ever speak, not out of the mouth of the Lord.

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.

17 They say indeed unto those that incense me, The Lord hath spoken, Peace shall ye have; and unto every one that walketh in the stubbornness of his own heart, they said, There shall come no evil upon you.

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.

18 For who hath stood in the secret counsel of the Lord, that he could perceive and hear his word? who hath listened to his word and heard it?

For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, and seen his word? who has listened, and heard?

19 Behold, the storm-wind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, yea, a whirling storm: upon the head of the wicked shall it fall grievously.

Behold, [there is] an earthquake from the Lord, and anger proceeds to a convulsion, it shall come violently upon the ungodly.

20 The anger of the Lord will not return, until he have executed, and until he have fulfilled the purposes of his heart: in the end of days shall ye understand this fully.

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.

21 I had not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I had not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

I sent not the prophets, yet they ran: neither spoke I to them, yet they prophesied.

22 But if they had stood in my secret counsel, they should have announced my words to my people, and have caused them to turn back from their evil way, and from the wrongfulness of their doings.

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.

23 Am I a God for those near at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God for those who are afar off?

I am a God near at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off.

24 If a man should hide himself in secret places should I not then see him? saith the Lord. Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? saith the Lord.

Shall any one hide himself in secret places, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.

25 I have heard what the prophets have said, that prophesy falsely in my name, saying, I have dreamt, I have dreamt.

I have heard what the prophets say, what they prophesy in my name, saying falsely, I have seen a night vision.

26 How long shall it be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy falsehood? yea, the prophets of the deceit of their own heart, —

How long shall [these things] be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, when they prophesy the purposes of their own heart?

27 [How long] do they think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they relate every man to his neighbor, as their fathers forgot my name for the sake of Ba'al?

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.

28 The prophet that hath had a dream, let him relate his dream; and he that hath received my word, let him speak my word of truth. What hath the straw to do with the corn? saith the Lord.

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.

29 Is not thus my word, like the fire? saith the Lord, and like a hammer that shivereth the rock?

Behold, are not my words as fire? says the Lord; and as an axe cutting the rock?

30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbor.

Behold, I am therefore against the prophets, says the Lord God, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their own word, and say, [The Lord] saith.

Behold, I am against the prophets that put forth prophecies of mere words, and slumber their sleep.

32 Behold, I am against those that prophesy with false dreams, saith the Lord, and do relate them, and mislead my people by their falsehoods, and by their vain boasting: while I have not sent them, nor commanded them; and they cannot bring the least profit to this people, saith the Lord.

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.

33 And if this people, or the prophet, or a priest, should ask thee, saying, What is the message of the Lord? then shalt thou say unto them, Because of this “What is the message?” will I even cast you off, saith the Lord.

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.

34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that will say, “A message of the Lord,” I will even inflict punishment on that man and on his house.

[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.

35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, What hath the Lord answered? and, What hath the Lord spoken?

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?

36 But “A message of the Lord” shall ye not mention any more; for the message cometh indeed to the man of his [prophetic] word; but ye pervert the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.

And do you name no more the burden of the Lord; for his own word shall be a man's burden.

37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the Lord answered thee? and, What hath the Lord spoken?

But therefore, [say you], has the Lord our God spoken?

38 But if ye will say, “A message of the Lord,” then thus saith the Lord, Because ye say this word, “A message of the Lord,” and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, “A message of the Lord:”

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;

39 Therefore, behold, I am here, and I will tear you completely away, and I will cast you off, and the city that I have given to you and to your fathers, out of my presence;

therefore, behold, I [will] seize, and dash down you and the city which I gave to you and your fathers.

40 And I will lay upon you an everlasting disgrace, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.

And I will bring upon you an everlasting reproach, and everlasting disgrace, which shall not be forgotten.