Jeremiah 23

1 Woe to shepherds destroying, And scattering the flock of My pasture, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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

2 Therefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Against the shepherds who feed My people, Ye have scattered My flock, and drive them away, And have not inspected them, Lo, I am charging on you the evil of your doings, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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 do gather the remnant of My flock Out of all the lands whither I drove them, And have brought them back unto their fold, And they have been fruitful, and multiplied.

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 have raised for them shepherds, And they have fed them, And they fear no more, nor are affrighted, Nor are they lacking — an affirmation of Jehovah.

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 Lo, days are coming — an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have raised to David a righteous shoot, And a king hath reigned and acted wisely, And done judgment and righteousness in 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 judgment and righteousness on the earth.

6 In his days is Judah saved, and Israel dwelleth confidently, And this his name that Jehovah proclaimeth him, '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, lo, days are coming, An affirmation of Jehovah, And they do not say any more, Jehovah liveth who brought up The sons 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 — Jehovah liveth, who brought up, And who brought in, the seed of the house of Israel, From the land of the north, And from all the lands whither I drove them, And they have dwelt on their own ground!

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 In reference to the prophets: Broken hath been my heart in my midst, Fluttered have all my bones, I have been as a man — a drunkard, And as a man — wine hath passed over him, Because of Jehovah, and 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 hath the land been full, For because of these hath the land mourned, Dried up hath been the pleasant places of the wilderness, And their course is evil, and their might — 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 have been profane, Yea, in My house I found their wickedness, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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

12 Therefore is their way to them as slippery places, Into thick darkness they are driven, And they have fallen in it, For I bring in against them evil, The year of their inspection, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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 in prophets of Samaria I have seen folly, They have prophesied by Baal, And cause 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 And in prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing, Committing adultery, and walking falsely, Yea, they strengthened the hands of evil doers, So that they have not turned back Each from his wickedness, They have been to 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 said Jehovah of Hosts, concerning the prophets: Lo, I am causing them to eat wormwood, And have caused them to drink water of gall, For, from prophets of Jerusalem Hath profanity gone forth to 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 said Jehovah of Hosts: Ye do not hearken unto the words Of the prophets who are prophesying to you, They are making you vain things, A vision of their own heart they speak, Not from the mouth of Jehovah.

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 Saying diligently to those despising The word of Jehovah: Peace is for you, And [to] every one walking in the stubbornness of his heart they have said: Evil doth not come in unto 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 counsel of Jehovah, And seeth and heareth His word? Who hath regarded My word, and hearkeneth?

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

19 Lo, a whirlwind of Jehovah — Fury hath gone out, even a piercing whirlwind, On the head of the wicked it stayeth.

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 Jehovah doth not turn back Till His doing, and till His establishing, The thoughts of His heart, In the latter end of the days ye attend to it With understanding.

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 have not sent the prophets, and they have run, I have not spoken unto them, and they have prophesied.

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

22 But — if they stood in My counsel, Then they cause My people to hear My words, And they turn them back 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 A God near [am] I — an affirmation of Jehovah, And not a God afar off?

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

24 Is any one hidden in secret places, And I see him not? an affirmation of Jehovah, Do not I fill the heavens and the earth? An affirmation of Jehovah.

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 that which the prophets said, Who prophesy in My name falsehood, 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 Till when is it in the heart of the prophets? The prophets of falsehood, Yea, prophets of the deceit of their 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 Who are devising to cause My people To forget My name by their dreams, That they recount each to his neighbour, As their fathers forgot 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 with whom [is] a dream, Let him recount the dream, And he with whom [is] My word, Let him truly speak My word. What — to the straw with the corn? An affirmation of Jehovah.

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 it not thus? My word [is] as a fire, An affirmation of Jehovah. And as a hammer — it breaketh in pieces a rock.

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

30 Therefore, lo, I [am] against the prophets, An affirmation of Jehovah, Stealing My words each from his neighbour.

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

31 Lo, I [am] against the prophets, An affirmation of Jehovah, Who are making smooth their tongue, And they affirm — an affirmation.

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

32 Lo, I [am] against the prophets of false dreams, An affirmation of Jehovah, And they recount them, and cause my people to err, By their falsehoods, and by their instability, And I — I have not sent them, Nor have I commanded them, And they are not at all profitable to this people, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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, doth ask thee, saying, What [is] the burden of Jehovah? Then thou hast said unto them: Ye [are] the burden, and I have left you, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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 the prophet, and the priest, and the people, That saith, The burden of Jehovah, I have seen after that man, and after 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 do ye say each unto his neighbour, And each unto his brother: What hath Jehovah answered? And what hath Jehovah 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 Jehovah ye do not mention any more, For the burden to each is — His word, And ye have overturned the words of the living God, Jehovah 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 dost thou say unto the prophet What hath Jehovah answered thee? And what hath Jehovah spoken?

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

38 And if the burden of Jehovah ye say, Therefore thus said Jehovah: Because of your saying this word, The burden of Jehovah, And I do send unto you, saying, Ye do not say, The burden of Jehovah.

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, lo, I — I have taken you utterly away, And I have sent you out, And the city that I gave to you, And to your fathers, from before My face,

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

40 And I have put on you reproach age-during, And shame age-during that is not forgotten!

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