Add parallel Print Page Options

Chapter 23

Messianic Oracles. Woe to the shepherds who lead astray and scatter the sheep of my pasture, says the Lord. Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has to say in regard to the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my flock and driven them away, and you showed not the slightest concern about taking care of them. Therefore, I will not hesitate to punish you for your evil deeds, says the Lord.

I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their meadows where they will be fruitful and multiply. I will appoint shepherds for them who will treat them kindly, so that they will no longer fear or experience terror, nor will any be discovered missing, says the Lord.

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,
    when I will raise up a righteous branch
    from the line of David.
He will reign as king and rule wisely
    and ensure justice and righteousness in the land.
In his days Judah will live in safety,
    and Israel will dwell in security.
And this is the name that will be given to him:
    “The Lord Our Righteousness.”

Therefore, the days are coming, says the Lord, when people will no longer say, “As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt,” but rather, “As the Lord lives who brought forth the offspring of the house of Israel up from the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had dispersed them.” Then they will again inhabit their own land.

The False Prophets[a]

As for the prophets,
    my heart is broken within me,
    and all my bones never cease to tremble.
I have become like a drunken man,
    like someone overcome with wine,
because of the Lord
    and because of his holy words.
10 For the land swarms with adulterers;
    because of them the country mourns
    and the pastures in the desert have withered.
11 Both the prophets and the priests are godless;
    even in my own house have I observed their wickedness,
    says the Lord.
12 Therefore, they will find that the paths they travel
    will be slippery beneath their feet;
in the darkness where they are driven,
    they will fall headlong.
For I will inflict disaster upon them
    in the year of their punishment,
    says the Lord.
13 Among the prophets of Samaria
    I beheld this repulsive deed:
they prophesied in the name of Baal
    and led my people astray.
14 But among the prophets of Jerusalem
    I have seen deeds that are even more shocking:
they commit adultery and persist in lying
    and uphold those who are evil
    so that no one turns away from wickedness.
To me they have all become like Sodom,
    and its inhabitants are like Gomorrah.

15 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts in regard to the prophets:

I intend to give them wormwood to eat
    and force them to drink poisoned water.
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
    ungodliness has spread throughout the land.
16 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
    Do not listen to the words of the prophets;
    their prophecies are designed to delude you.
They concoct visions from their own minds
    and not from the mouth of the Lord.
17 To those who despise the word of the Lord
    they say, “Peace will be yours.”
To those who follow their own stubborn inclinations
    they say, “No harm will befall you.”
18 Yet which of them has stood in the council of the Lord
    to see or to hear his word?
    Which of them has heeded his word and proclaimed it?
19 Behold the storm of the Lord!
    His wrath bursts forth
like a frightening tempest
    that whirls around the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord will not subside
    until he has fully accomplished
    the purposes he has in mind.
When the time comes,
    you will understand this clearly.
21 I did not send these prophets,
    yet they went forth in haste.
I did not speak to them,
    yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,
    they would have then proclaimed my words to my people
and caused them to turn back from their evil ways
    and from the wickedness of their deeds.
23 The Lord asks:
    Am I a God only when I am near at hand,
    but not when I am far away?
24 Can someone hide in a secret place
    so that I cannot see him?
    Do I not fill heaven and earth?

25 I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. “I have had a dream,” they cry out. “I have had a dream.” 26 How much longer must we endure prophets who prophesy lies and proclaim their own delusions? 27 By means of the dreams that they relate to one another, they believe that they will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name and replaced it with Baal. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream relate his dream, but let the one who receives my word deliver it truthfully.

What does straw have in common with wheat?
    asks the Lord.
29 Is not my word like fire, says the Lord,
    like a hammer shattering a rock?

30 Therefore, says the Lord, I have set myself in opposition to the prophets who steal my words from one another. 31 I am against those prophets who concoct their own prophecies and then assert, “Thus says the Lord.” 32 I am against those prophets who prophesy lying dreams, says the Lord, and then recount them, thereby leading my people astray with their lies and reckless bragging. They have not received any commission from me, and so they are of no benefit to this people in any way, says the Lord.

33 And when this people or a prophet or a priest asks you, “What is the burden of the Lord?” you are to reply, “You are the burden, and I will cast you off,” says the Lord. 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else speaks of “the burden of the Lord,” I will punish that man and his household.

35 Therefore, when speaking to one another, you are to ask, “What answer did the Lord give?” or “What did the Lord say?” 36 But you must never again speak of “the burden of the Lord,” because each man’s word becomes his own burden, and you therefore pervert the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God.

37 Therefore, you are to ask a prophet, “What answer has the Lord given?” or “What has the Lord said?” 38 But if you say “the burden of the Lord,” the Lord will reply, “Because you have used the words ‘the burden of the Lord’ when I forbade you to use that expression, 39 therefore, I will lift you up and cast you away from my presence, both you and the city that I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 And I will inflict upon you everlasting disgrace and eternal and unforgettable shame.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 23:9 Jeremiah is heartsick at these professional prophets who flatter the people instead of shaking them up, and who take their dreams as the word of God or accommodate their message to the tastes of the day.

Restoration after Exile

23 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord.(A) Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.(B) I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall no longer fear or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.(C)

The Righteous Branch of David

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.(D) In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”(E)

Therefore the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, “As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,”(F) but “As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he[a] had driven them.” Then they shall live in their own land.

False Prophets of Hope Denounced

Concerning the prophets:

My heart is crushed within me;
    all my bones shake;
I have become like a drunkard,
    like one overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
    and because of his holy words.(G)
10 For the land is full of adulterers;
    because of the curse the land mourns,
    and the pastures of the wilderness are dried up.
Their course has been evil,
    and their might is not right.(H)
11 Both prophet and priest are ungodly;
    even in my house I have found their wickedness,
            says the Lord.(I)
12 Therefore their way shall be to them
    like slippery paths in the darkness,
    into which they shall be driven and fall,
for I will bring disaster upon them
    in the year of their punishment,
            says the Lord.(J)
13 In the prophets of Samaria
    I saw a disgusting thing:
they prophesied by Baal
    and led my people Israel astray.(K)
14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem
    I have seen a more shocking thing:
they commit adultery and walk in lies;
    they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
    so that no one turns from wickedness;
all of them have become like Sodom to me
    and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.(L)
15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:
I am going to make them eat wormwood
    and give them poisoned water to drink,
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
    ungodliness has spread throughout the land.(M)

16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they are deluding you. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.(N) 17 They keep saying to those who despise the word of the Lord,[b] “It shall be well with you,” and to all who stubbornly follow their own stubborn hearts, they say, “No calamity shall come upon you.”(O)

18 For who has stood in the council of the Lord
    so as to see and to hear his word?
    Who has given heed to his word so as to proclaim it?(P)
19 Look, the storm of the Lord!
    Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
    it will burst upon the head of the wicked.(Q)
20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
    until he has executed and accomplished
    the intents of his mind.
In the latter days you will understand it clearly.(R)

21 I did not send the prophets,
    yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
    yet they prophesied.(S)
22 But if they had stood in my council,
    then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
and they would have turned them from their evil way
    and from the evil of their doings.(T)

23 Am I a God near by, says the Lord, and not a God far off?(U) 24 Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.(V) 25 I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, “I have dreamed! I have dreamed!”(W) 26 How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back—those who prophesy lies and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? 27 They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal.(X) 28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? says the Lord.(Y) 29 Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?(Z) 30 See, therefore, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who steal my words from one another.(AA) 31 See, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who use their own tongues and say, “Says the Lord.” 32 See, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, says the Lord, and who tell them and who lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or command them, so they do not profit this people at all, says the Lord.

33 When this people or a prophet or a priest asks you, “What is the burden of the Lord?” you shall say to them, “You are the burden.[c] I will cast you off, says the Lord.”(AB) 34 And as for the prophet, priest, or the people who say, “The burden of the Lord,” I will punish them and their households.(AC) 35 Thus shall you say to one another, among yourselves, “What has the Lord answered?” or “What has the Lord spoken?”(AD) 36 But “the burden of the Lord” you shall mention no more, for the burden is everyone’s own word, and so you pervert the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God.(AE) 37 Thus you shall ask the prophet, “What has the Lord answered you?” or “What has the Lord spoken?” 38 But if you say, “the burden of the Lord,” thus says the Lord: Because you have said these words, “the burden of the Lord,” when I sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘the burden of the Lord,’ ” 39 therefore, I will surely lift you up[d] and cast you away from my presence, you and the city that I gave to you and your ancestors.(AF) 40 And I will bring upon you everlasting disgrace and perpetual shame that shall not be forgotten.(AG)

Footnotes

  1. 23.8 Gk: Heb I
  2. 23.17 Gk Syr: Heb despise me, the Lord has spoken
  3. 23.33 Heb ms Gk Syr: MT What burden?
  4. 23.39 Heb mss Gk Vg: MT forget you

The Righteous Branch

23 “Woe to the shepherds(A) who are destroying and scattering(B) the sheep of my pasture!”(C) declares the Lord. Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds(D) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock(E) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil(F) you have done,” declares the Lord. “I myself will gather the remnant(G) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,(H) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds(I) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid(J) or terrified, nor will any be missing,(K)” declares the Lord.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will raise up for David[a] a righteous Branch,(L)
a King(M) who will reign(N) wisely
    and do what is just and right(O) in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
    and Israel will live in safety.(P)
This is the name(Q) by which he will be called:
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.(R)

“So then, the days are coming,”(S) declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(T) but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”(U)

Lying Prophets

Concerning the prophets:

My heart(V) is broken within me;
    all my bones tremble.(W)
I am like a drunken man,
    like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
    and his holy words.(X)
10 The land is full of adulterers;(Y)
    because of the curse[b](Z) the land lies parched
    and the pastures(AA) in the wilderness are withered.(AB)
The prophets follow an evil course
    and use their power unjustly.

11 “Both prophet and priest are godless;(AC)
    even in my temple(AD) I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their path will become slippery;(AE)
    they will be banished to darkness
    and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
    in the year they are punished,(AF)
declares the Lord.

13 “Among the prophets of Samaria
    I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal(AG)
    and led my people Israel astray.(AH)
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
    I have seen something horrible:(AI)
    They commit adultery and live a lie.(AJ)
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,(AK)
    so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.(AL)
They are all like Sodom(AM) to me;
    the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”(AN)

15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:

“I will make them eat bitter food
    and drink poisoned water,(AO)
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
    ungodliness(AP) has spread throughout the land.”

16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Do not listen(AQ) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
    they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions(AR) from their own minds,
    not from the mouth(AS) of the Lord.
17 They keep saying(AT) to those who despise me,
    ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’(AU)
And to all who follow the stubbornness(AV) of their hearts
    they say, ‘No harm(AW) will come to you.’
18 But which of them has stood in the council(AX) of the Lord
    to see or to hear his word?
    Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm(AY) of the Lord
    will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind(AZ) swirling down
    on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger(BA) of the Lord will not turn back(BB)
    until he fully accomplishes
    the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
    you will understand it clearly.
21 I did not send(BC) these prophets,
    yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
    yet they have prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,(BD)
    they would have proclaimed(BE) my words to my people
and would have turned(BF) them from their evil ways
    and from their evil deeds.(BG)

23 “Am I only a God nearby,(BH)
declares the Lord,
    “and not a God far away?
24 Who can hide(BI) in secret places
    so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
    “Do not I fill heaven and earth?”(BJ)
declares the Lord.

25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies(BK) in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!(BL) I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions(BM) of their own minds?(BN) 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget(BO) my name, just as their ancestors forgot(BP) my name through Baal worship.(BQ) 28 Let the prophet who has a dream(BR) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word(BS) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not my word like fire,”(BT) declares the Lord, “and like a hammer(BU) that breaks a rock in pieces?

30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against(BV) the prophets(BW) who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31 Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’(BX) 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,(BY)” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray(BZ) with their reckless lies,(CA) yet I did not send(CB) or appoint them. They do not benefit(CC) these people in the least,” declares the Lord.

False Prophecy

33 “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message(CD) from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake(CE) you, declares the Lord.’ 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message(CF) from the Lord,’ I will punish(CG) them and their household. 35 This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’(CH) or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort(CI) the words of the living God,(CJ) the Lord Almighty, our God. 37 This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the Lord’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ this is what the Lord says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord.’ 39 Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast(CK) you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring on you everlasting disgrace(CL)—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 23:5 Or up from David’s line
  2. Jeremiah 23:10 Or because of these things

The Branch of Righteousness

23 “Woe (A)to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. (B)Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord. “But (C)I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up (D)shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord.

“Behold, (E)the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and [a]prosper,
(F)And execute [b]judgment and righteousness in the [c]earth.
(G)In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel (H)will dwell safely;
Now (I)this is His name by which He will be called:

[d]THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

“Therefore, behold, (J)the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country (K)and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own (L)land.”

False Prophets and Empty Oracles

My heart within me is broken
Because of the prophets;
(M)All my bones shake.
I am like a drunken man,
And like a man whom wine has overcome,
Because of the Lord,
And because of His holy words.
10 For (N)the land is full of adulterers;
For (O)because of a curse the land mourns.
(P)The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up.
Their course of life is evil,
And their might is not right.

11 “For (Q)both prophet and priest are profane;
Yes, (R)in My house I have found their wickedness,” says the Lord.
12 “Therefore(S) their way shall be to them
Like slippery ways;
In the darkness they shall be driven on
And fall in them;
For I (T)will bring disaster on them,
The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.
13 “And I have seen [e]folly in the prophets of Samaria:
(U)They prophesied by Baal
And (V)caused My people Israel to err.
14 Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem:
(W)They commit adultery and walk in lies;
They also (X)strengthen the hands of evildoers,
So that no one turns back from his wickedness.
All of them are like (Y)Sodom to Me,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

15 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:

‘Behold, I will feed them with (Z)wormwood,
And make them drink the water of gall;
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
[f]Profaneness has gone out into all the land.’ ”

16 Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.
They make you worthless;
(AA)They speak a vision of their own heart,
Not from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They continually say to those who despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, (AB)“You shall have peace” ’;
And to everyone who (AC)walks according to the [g]dictates of his own heart, they say,
(AD)‘No evil shall come upon you.’ ”

18 For (AE)who has stood in the counsel of the Lord,
And has perceived and heard His word?
Who has marked His word and heard it?
19 Behold, a (AF)whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury—
A violent whirlwind!
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
20 The (AG)anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart.
(AH)In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.

21 “I(AI) 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 had caused My people to hear My words,
Then they would have (AJ)turned them from their evil way
And from the evil of their doings.

23 Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord,
“And not a God afar off?
24 Can anyone (AK)hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?” says the Lord;
(AL)“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

25 “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ 26 How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, 27 who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, (AM)as their fathers forgot My name for Baal.

28 “The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream;
And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully.
What is the chaff to the wheat?” says the Lord.
29 Is not My word like a (AN)fire?” says the Lord,
“And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

30 “Therefore behold, (AO)I am against the prophets,” says the Lord, “who steal My words every one from his neighbor. 31 Behold, I am (AP)against the prophets,” says the Lord, “who use their tongues and say, ‘He says.’ 32 Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” says the Lord, “and tell them, and cause My people to err by their (AQ)lies and by (AR)their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not (AS)profit this people at all,” says the Lord.

33 “So when these people or the prophet or the priest ask you, saying, ‘What is (AT)the [h]oracle of the Lord?’ you shall then say to them, [i]‘What oracle?’ I will even forsake you,” says the Lord. 34 “And as for the prophet and the priest and the people who say, ‘The [j]oracle of the Lord!’ I will even punish that man and his house. 35 Thus every one of you shall say to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 And the [k]oracle of the Lord you shall mention no more. For every man’s word will be his oracle, for you have (AU)perverted the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. 37 Thus you shall say to the prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 But since you say, ‘The [l]oracle of the Lord!’ therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Because you say this word, “The oracle of the Lord!” and I have sent to you, saying, “Do not say, ‘The oracle of the Lord!’ ” 39 therefore behold, I, even I, (AV)will utterly forget you and forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and will cast you out of My presence. 40 And I will bring (AW)an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual (AX)shame, which shall not be forgotten.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 23:5 act wisely
  2. Jeremiah 23:5 justice
  3. Jeremiah 23:5 land
  4. Jeremiah 23:6 Heb. YHWH Tsidkenu
  5. Jeremiah 23:13 Lit. distastefulness
  6. Jeremiah 23:15 Or Pollution
  7. Jeremiah 23:17 stubbornness or imagination
  8. Jeremiah 23:33 burden, prophecy
  9. Jeremiah 23:33 LXX, Tg., Vg. ‘You are the burden.’
  10. Jeremiah 23:34 burden, prophecy
  11. Jeremiah 23:36 burden, prophecy
  12. Jeremiah 23:38 burden, prophecy