Jeremiah 23

1 Woe unto the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

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

2 Therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, against the shepherds 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.

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 gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them 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 set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking, 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, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute judgment and justice in the land.

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 judgment and righteousness on 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 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 among the prophets.

7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, As the LORD liveth, which 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, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the 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 Concerning the prophets. Mine heart within me is broken, 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 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 the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up; and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

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 profane; yea, in my 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 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery places 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.

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 I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.

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

14 In the prophets of Jerusalem also I have seen an horrible thing; they commit adultery, and walk in lies, and they strengthen the hands of evil-doers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them become unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof 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 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.

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 saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you; they teach you vanity: they speak a vision of their own heart, and 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 continually unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and unto every one that walketh in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, No evil shall come 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 council of the LORD, that he should perceive and hear his word? who hath marked my 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 tempest of the LORD, [even his] fury, is gone forth, yea, a whirling tempest: it shall burst upon the head of the wicked.

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 shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly.

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 sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I spake not unto 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 council, then had they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from their evil way, and from the evil 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 at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

I am a God near at hand, says 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.

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 lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

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 this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies; even 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 which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers forgat my name for Baal.

who devise that [men] may forget my law by their dreams, which they have told every one to his neighbor, as their fathers forgot my name in [the worship of] 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 straw to the wheat? 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 my word like as fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

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 neighbour.

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

31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.

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

32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy lying dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their vain boasting: yet I sent them not, nor commanded them; neither shall they profit this people at all, 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 when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? then shalt thou say unto them, What burden! I will 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 shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and 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 neighbour, 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 neighbor, and every one to his brother, What has the Lord answered? and, what has the Lord said?

36 And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s own word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted 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 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;

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 will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off, and the city that I gave unto you and to your fathers, away from 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 bring an everlasting reproach upon you, 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.