Jeremias 23

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

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith YHWH.

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 thus saith YHWH Elohim of Israel against the pastors 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 YHWH.

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.

And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

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.

And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith YHWH.

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 judgment and righteousness on the earth.

Behold, the days come, saith YHWH, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

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 among the prophets.

In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, YHWH 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;

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith YHWH, that they shall no more say, YHWH liveth, which brought up the children of Israel 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.

But, YHWH liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell 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.

Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of YHWH, and because of the words of his holiness.

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; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

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

For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith YHWH.

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.

Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways 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 YHWH.

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

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

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.

I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as 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 thus saith YHWH 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.

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.

Thus saith YHWH of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of YHWH.

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 say still unto them that despise me, YHWH hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

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

For who hath stood in the counsel of YHWH, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?

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

Behold, a whirlwind of YHWH is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head 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 YHWH shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

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

I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they 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 counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

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

Am I an Elohim at hand, saith YHWH, and not an Elohim afar off?

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 any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith YHWH. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith YHWH.

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 what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

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 shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

27 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.

Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for 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.

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 chaff to the wheat? saith YHWH.

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

Is not my word like as a fire? saith YHWH; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

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

Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith YHWH, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

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

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

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.

Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith YHWH, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith YHWH.

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.

And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of YHWH? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith YHWH.

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.

And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of YHWH, I will even punish that man and his house.

35 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?

Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath YHWH answered? and, What hath YHWH spoken?

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

And the burden of YHWH shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living Elohim, of YHWH of hosts our Elohim.

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

Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath YHWH answered thee? and, What hath YHWH 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 since ye say, The burden of YHWH; therefore thus saith YHWH; Because ye say this word, The burden of YHWH, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of YHWH;

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

Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:

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

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