Jeremías 23

1 “¡Ay de los pastores que destruyen y dispersan las ovejas de mi prado!”, dice el Señor.

Yahweh declares, “Terrible things will happen to [the leaders] [MET] [of my people—those who are like] shepherds of [the people who are like] my sheep—because they have scattered my people and sent them away, and have not taken care of them.

2 Por eso Yahvé, el Dios de Israel, dice contra los pastores que apacientan a mi pueblo “Ustedes han dispersado mi rebaño, lo han alejado y no lo han visitado. He aquí que yo visitaré sobre ustedes el mal de sus acciones”, dice el Señor.

So, this is what [I, ] Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli [people worship], say to those leaders: ‘Instead of taking care of my people and [leading them to places where they are safe, like a shepherd does for] his sheep, you have scattered them. So I will punish you for the evil things that you have done.

3 “Reuniré el remanente de mi rebaño de todas las tierras a las que lo he expulsado, y lo devolveré a sus rebaños; y será fecundo y se multiplicará.

But later I will gather those who are still alive, from the countries where I have forced them to go. I will bring them back to their own country, where they will have many children, and their number/population will increase.

4 Pondré sobre ellas pastores que las apacienten. Ya no tendrán miedo ni se desanimarán, ni les faltará nada”, dice Yahvé.

[Then] I will appoint [other] leaders for my people, leaders who will take care of them. And my people will never be afraid [DOU] of anything again, and none of them will be [like a] lost [sheep].’”

5 “He aquí que llegan los días”, dice Yahvé, “que levantaré a David una rama justa; y reinará como rey y tratará con sabiduría, y hará justicia y rectitud en la tierra.

Yahweh [also] says, “Some day I will appoint for you a righteous man who will be a descendant of King David. He will be a king who rules wisely. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.

6 En sus días Judá se salvará, e Israel habitará con seguridad. Este es el nombre por el que será llamado: Yahvé, nuestra justicia.

At that time, all the Israeli people [DOU] will be saved [from their enemies], and they will be safe. And his name will be ‘Yahweh, the one who vindicates/defends us.’”

7 “Por tanto, he aquí que vienen días — dice Yahvé — en que ya no dirán: “Vive Yahvé, que sacó a los hijos de Israel de la tierra de Egipto”;

Yahweh [also] says that at that time, people [who are solemnly promising to do something] will no longer say, “[I will do it as surely] as Yahweh lives, who rescued the Israeli people from Egypt.”

8 sino: “Vive Yahvé, que sacó y condujo a la descendencia de la casa de Israel de la tierra del norte y de todas las tierras a las que los había expulsado”. Entonces habitarán en su propia tierra”.

Instead, they will say, “[I will do it] as surely as Yahweh lives, who brought [us] Israeli people back to our own land, from the land to the northeast and from all the [other] countries to which he had exiled us.” And they will live in their own land [again].

9 Con respecto a los profetas: Mi corazón está roto por dentro. Todos mis huesos tiemblan. Soy como un borracho, y como un hombre al que el vino ha vencido, a causa de Yahvé, y por sus santas palabras.

I am very shocked because of the sacred message that Yahweh has spoken about [what will happen to] the [false] prophets; [it is as though] all my bones shake. I stagger like a man who is drunk after drinking a lot of wine.

10 “Porque la tierra está llena de adúlteros; porque a causa de la maldición la tierra está de luto. Los pastos del desierto se han secado. Su curso es malvado, y su poderío no es correcto;

The land is full of [people who commit] adultery; and [Yahweh] has cursed the land. Even the pastures in the desert are all dried up, because the people do what is evil, and [the false prophets] use their power to do things that are not just/fair.

11 pues tanto el profeta como el sacerdote son profanos. Sí, en mi casa he encontrado su maldad”, dice Yahvé.

Yahweh says, “[Yes, even] the priests and the prophets are ungodly; they do wicked things even in my temple.

12 Por eso su camino será para ellos como lugares resbaladizos en la oscuridad. Serán conducidos, y caer en ella; porque traeré el mal sobre ellos, hasta el año de su visita”, dice Yahvé.

Therefore, [it will be as though] the paths that they walk on are slippery. [It will be as though] they are being chased in the darkness, and there they will fall down, because I will cause them to experience disasters at the time that I will punish them. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”

13 “He visto locura en los profetas de Samaria. Profetizaron por Baal, y ha hecho errar a mi pueblo Israel.

[Previously] I saw that the prophets in Samaria were doing something that was wrong; they were prophesying, saying that Baal [gave them the messages that they were proclaiming], and they were deceiving my people.

14 En los profetas de Jerusalén también he visto una cosa horrible: cometen adulterio y andan en la mentira. Fortalecen las manos de los malhechores, para que nadie vuelva de su maldad. Todos se han vuelto para mí como Sodoma, y sus habitantes como Gomorra”.

And [now] I have seen the prophets in Jerusalem doing terrible things. They commit adultery and habitually tell lies. They encourage evil people to continue to do evil things, with the result that the people do not stop sinning. Those prophets are as wicked as the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were.

15 Por lo tanto, el Señor de los Ejércitos dice sobre los profetas: “He aquí que los alimentaré con ajenjo, y hacerles beber agua envenenada; porque de los profetas de Jerusalén ha salido la impiedad en toda la tierra”.

So, this is what the Commander of the armies of angels says about those [false] prophets: “I will give those prophets bitter things to eat and poison to drink, because it is because of them that this land is filled with [people who do] wicked things.”

16 El Señor de los Ejércitos dice, “No escuchéis las palabras de los profetas que os profetizan. Te enseñan la vanidad. Hablan una visión de su propio corazón, y no de la boca de Yahvé.

This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: “Do not pay any attention to what those [false] prophets say to you, because they are just deceiving you. They tell you about visions that they have thought/created [only] in their own minds, not about visions that I have given them.

17 Dicen continuamente a los que me desprecian, ‘Yahvé ha dicho: “Tendrás paz”;’ y a todo aquel que camina en la terquedad de su propio corazón le dicen, ‘Ningún mal caerá sobre ti’.

They habitually say to those who hate me, ‘[Yahweh says that] you will have peace.’ And they say to those who stubbornly do what they want to do, ‘Nothing bad will happen to you [because of your doing those things].’

18 Pues quién ha estado en el consejo de Yahvé, para que perciba y escuche su palabra? ¿Quién ha escuchado mi palabra y la ha oído?

But none of them has ever been in a council [meeting] in heaven in order to listen to a message from me. None of them has paid attention to anything that [I], Yahweh, have said.

19 He aquí que la tormenta de Yahvé, su ira, ha salido. ¡Sí, una tormenta de remolinos! Estallará en la cabeza de los malvados.

So, listen to this: I will punish them; it will be [like] a great storm; it will come down [like] a whirlwind, swirling around the heads of those wicked people.

20 La ira de Yahvé no volverá hasta que haya ejecutado y realizó las intenciones de su corazón. En los últimos días, lo entenderás perfectamente.

I will not stop being angry until I completely accomplish all that I have planned. In the future, you will understand [all of] this clearly.”

21 Yo no envié a estos profetas, y sin embargo corrieron. No les hablé, y sin embargo profetizaron.

[Yahweh also says, ] “I have not appointed those prophets, but they run [around telling people their messages]. I did not speak to them, but they [continue to] prophesy.

22 Pero si hubieran estado en mi consejo, entonces habrían hecho que mi pueblo escuchara mis palabras, y los habría alejado de su mal camino, y de la maldad de sus actos.

If they had been in my council [meetings], they would have been able to speak messages from me, and they would have caused people to turn away from committing evil things.”

23 “Soy un Dios cercano”, dice Yahvé, “¿y no un Dios lejano?

Yahweh [also] says, “Am I a God who is only nearby? No, I am a God who is far away, also.

24 ¿Puede alguien esconderse en lugares secretos ¿para que no lo vea?”, dice Yahvé. “¿No lleno yo el cielo y la tierra?”, dice Yahvé.

So, no one can hide in some secret place with the result that I cannot see him. I am everywhere, in heaven and on the earth! [That is what I], Yahweh, say!

25 “He oído lo que han dicho los profetas, que profetizan mentiras en mi nombre, diciendo: “¡He tenido un sueño! He tenido un sueño”.

I have heard those prophets prophesy lies, saying that they are telling people messages from me. They say, ‘[Listen to me tell you] the dream that God gave me last night! I [really] had this dream!’

26 ¿Hasta cuándo estará esto en el corazón de los profetas que profetizan mentiras, los profetas del engaño de su propio corazón?

How long will they continue to do this? How long will those lying prophets continue to prophesy things that come only from their own minds?

27 Pretenden hacer que mi pueblo se olvide de mi nombre con sus sueños que cada uno cuenta a su prójimo, como sus padres se olvidaron de mi nombre por culpa de Baal.

They think that because of the dreams that they tell to each other, people will forget me, like their ancestors forgot about me when they started to worship Baal.

28 El profeta que tenga un sueño, que cuente un sueño; y el que tenga mi palabra, que diga mi palabra con fidelidad. ¿Qué es la paja para el trigo?”, dice el Señor.

Allow those [false] prophets to tell people their dreams, but those who have messages that [really] come from me should proclaim those messages faithfully. I, Yahweh, say [that like] straw and grain are certainly very different, [my messages and the messages from those false prophets are certainly very different].

29 “¿No es mi palabra como el fuego?”, dice el Señor, “y como un martillo que rompe la roca en pedazos”.

[It is as though] my messages [burn] like a fire; they [strike people’s inner beings like] someone strikes a rock with a hammer and smashes it into pieces.

30 “Por tanto, he aquí que estoy contra los profetas — dice el Señor — que roban cada uno mis palabras a su prójimo.

Therefore, [I, ] Yahweh say, 'I oppose all those prophets who steal messages from each other and claim that those messages came from me.

31 He aquí que yo estoy contra los profetas — dice el Señor — que usan su lengua y dicen: “Él dice”.

I oppose those prophets who speak their own messages but claim that those messages came from me.

32 He aquí que yo estoy contra los que profetizan sueños mentirosos — dice el Señor —, que los cuentan y hacen errar a mi pueblo con sus mentiras y con su vana jactancia; pero yo no los envié ni los mandé. No aprovechan en absoluto a este pueblo”, dice Yahvé.

I oppose those prophets who falsely say that I told them something in a vision, but they are [only] telling lies that cause my people to sin. I did not send those prophets. I did not even appoint them [to be prophets]. And they have no messages that will benefit my people at all.' [That is what I, ] Yahweh, declare.”

33 “Cuando este pueblo, o el profeta, o un sacerdote, te pregunten diciendo: “¿Cuál es el mensaje de Yahvé? Entonces les dirás: ‘¿Qué mensaje? Te voy a expulsar”, dice el Señor.

[Yahweh said to me], “If one of those prophets or priests or one of the [other] people asks you, ‘What problem has Yahweh told you about [now]?’, you must reply, ‘You are the problem! And Yahweh says that he will abandon you!’

34 En cuanto al profeta, al sacerdote y al pueblo que digan: “El mensaje de Yahvé”, castigaré a ese hombre y a su familia.

And if any prophet or priest or anyone [else falsely] says, ‘[I have] a prophecy from Yahweh,’ I will punish that person and his family.

35 Cada uno dirá a su prójimo y cada uno a su hermano: “¿Qué ha respondido Yahvé?” y “¿Qué ha dicho Yahvé?”

What you should continually ask each other is, ‘[When you spoke to Yahweh, ] what did he reply? What is he saying [to us]?’

36 No mencionaréis más el mensaje de Yahvé, porque la palabra de cada uno se ha convertido en su mensaje; porque habéis pervertido las palabras del Dios vivo, de Yahvé de los Ejércitos, nuestro Dios.

But stop saying ‘[I have] a prophecy/message from Yahweh,’ because those who say that are doing it only because they want people to accept their ideas, and by doing that they distort/change the messages that are from our God, the Commander of the armies of angels.

37 Diréis al profeta: “¿Qué te ha respondido Yahvé?” y “¿Qué ha dicho Yahvé?’

This is what you should ask each prophet: ‘What did Yahweh reply [when you talked to him]? What is he saying [to us]?’

38 Aunque digáis: ‘El mensaje de Yahvé’, por eso Yahvé dice: ‘Porque decís esta palabra: “El mensaje de Yahvé”, y yo he enviado a deciros que no digáis: “El mensaje de Yahvé”,

If he replies, ‘[What I told you] is a prophecy/message from Yahweh,’ you should say to him, ‘You have continued to say, “[I received] a prophecy/message from Yahweh” even though I told you to not claim that you have received prophecies/messages from Yahweh.’

39 por lo tanto, he aquí que os olvidaré por completo, y os echaré con la ciudad que os di a vosotros y a vuestros padres, lejos de mi presencia.

So I [, Yahweh, ] will get rid of you [false prophets]. I will expel you from my presence. And I will get rid of this city that I gave to you and to your ancestors.

40 traeré sobre ti un oprobio eterno, y una vergüenza perpetua, que no será olvidada.’”

I will cause people to make fun of you forever. People will never forget that you were disgraced.”