Jeremiah 23
Legacy Standard Bible
The Righteous Branch
23 “(A)Woe to the shepherds who are [a](B)destroying and scattering the (C)sheep of My pasture!” declares Yahweh. 2 Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who are shepherding My people: “You have scattered My flock and banished them and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to (D)attend to you for the (E)evil of your deeds,” declares Yahweh. 3 “Then I Myself will (F)gather the remnant of My flock out of all the land where I have banished them and cause them to return to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will also raise up (G)shepherds over them, and they will [b]shepherd them; and they will (H)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, (I)nor will any be left unattended,” declares Yahweh.
5 “Behold, the (J)days are coming,” declares Yahweh,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous [c](K)Branch;
And He will (L)reign as king and [d]prosper
And (M)do justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In His days Judah will be saved,
And (N)Israel will dwell securely;
And this is His (O)name by which He will be called,
‘(P)Yahweh our righteousness.’
7 “(Q)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when they will no longer say, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ 8 (R)but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who (S)brought up and brought back the seed of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the lands where I had banished them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”
False Prophets Condemned
9 As for the prophets:
My (T)heart is broken within me;
All my bones tremble;
I have become like a drunken man,
Even like a man overcome with wine,
Because of Yahweh
And because of His holy words.
10 For the land is full of (U)adulterers;
For the land (V)mourns because of the curse.
The (W)pastures of the wilderness have dried up.
Their course also is evil,
And their might is not right.
11 “For (X)both prophet and priest are polluted;
Even in My house I have found their evil,” declares Yahweh.
12 “Therefore their way will be like (Y)slippery paths to them;
They will be driven away into the (Z)thick darkness and fall down in it;
For I will bring their (AA)evil upon them,
The year of their [e]punishment,” declares Yahweh.
13 “Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an (AB)offensive thing:
They (AC)prophesied by Baal and (AD)led My people Israel astray.
14 Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen an (AE)appalling thing:
The committing of (AF)adultery and walking in lying;
And they strengthen the hands of (AG)evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his evil.
All of them have become to Me like (AH)Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts concerning the prophets,
‘Behold, I am going to (AI)feed them wormwood
And make them drink [f]poisoned water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Pollution has gone forth into all the land.’”
16 Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“(AJ)Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are (AK)leading you into vanity;
They speak a (AL)vision of their own heart,
Not (AM)from the mouth of Yahweh.
17 They keep saying to those who (AN)spurn Me,
‘Yahweh has said, “(AO)You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the (AP)stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘(AQ)Evil will not come upon you.’
18 But (AR)who has stood in the council of Yahweh,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has given (AS)heed to [g]His word and heard?
19 Behold, the (AT)storm of Yahweh has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling storm;
It will whirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 The (AU)anger of Yahweh will not turn back
Until He has (AV)done and established the purposes of His heart;
(AW)In the last days you will clearly understand it.
21 (AX)I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.
22 But if they had (AY)stood in My council,
Then they would have (AZ)caused My words to be heard by My people
And would have turned them back from their evil way
And from the evil of their deeds.
23 “Am I a God who is (BA)near,” declares Yahweh,
“And not a God far off?
24 Can a man (BB)hide himself in hiding places
So I do not see him?” declares Yahweh.
“(BC)Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares Yahweh.
25 “I have (BD)heard what the prophets have said who (BE)prophesy a lie in My name, saying, ‘I had a (BF)dream, I had a dream!’ 26 How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy a lie, even these prophets of the (BG)deception of their own heart, 27 who intend to (BH)make My people forget My name by their dreams which they recount to one another, just as their fathers (BI)forgot My name because of Baal? 28 The prophet who has a dream may recount his dream, but let him who has (BJ)My word speak My word in truth. (BK)What does straw have in common with grain?” declares Yahweh. 29 “Is not My word like (BL)fire?” declares Yahweh, “and like a (BM)hammer which shatters a rock? 30 Therefore behold, (BN)I am against the prophets,” declares Yahweh, “who steal My words from each other. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares Yahweh, “who take their tongues and declare, ‘Yahweh declares.’ 32 Behold, I am against those who have prophesied (BO)lying dreams,” declares Yahweh, “and who recounted them and led My people astray by their lying and (BP)reckless boasting; yet (BQ)I did not send them, and I did not command them, and they do not (BR)furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares Yahweh.
33 “Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the [h](BS)oracle of Yahweh?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What oracle?’ Yahweh declares, ‘I will (BT)abandon you.’ 34 Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The (BU)oracle of Yahweh,’ I will bring punishment upon that man and his household. 35 Thus will each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, ‘(BV)What has Yahweh answered?’ or, ‘What has Yahweh spoken?’ 36 For you will no longer remember the oracle of Yahweh because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have (BW)perverted the words of the (BX)living God, Yahweh of hosts, our God. 37 Thus you will say to that prophet, ‘What has Yahweh answered you?’ and, ‘What has Yahweh spoken?’ 38 For if you all say, ‘The oracle of Yahweh!’ surely thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you said this word, “The oracle of Yahweh!” I have also sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The oracle of Yahweh!’”’ 39 Therefore behold, (BY)I will surely forget you and abandon you, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers, so that you are out of My presence. 40 I will put an everlasting (BZ)reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 23:1 Lit causing to perish
- Jeremiah 23:4 Or feed
- Jeremiah 23:5 Lit Sprout
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or act with insight
- Jeremiah 23:12 Or visitation
- Jeremiah 23:15 Or gall
- Jeremiah 23:18 Or My
- Jeremiah 23:33 Or burden, so in ch
Jeremiah 23
English Standard Version
The Righteous Branch
23 (A)“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning (B)the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. (C)Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. 3 (D)Then I will gather the remnant of my flock (E)out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, (F)and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 (G)I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.
5 (H)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous (I)Branch, and (J)he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and (K)Israel will (L)dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: (M)‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
7 (N)“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 8 but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he[a] had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”
Lying Prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
(O)My heart is broken within me;
(P)all my bones shake;
I am like a drunken man,
like a man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and because of his holy words.
10 (Q)For the land is full of adulterers;
(R)because of the curse (S)the land mourns,
and (T)the pastures of the wilderness are dried up.
(U)Their course is evil,
and their might is not right.
11 (V)“Both prophet and priest are ungodly;
even (W)in my house I have found their evil,
declares the Lord.
12 (X)Therefore their way shall be to them
like slippery paths (Y)in the darkness,
into which they shall be driven and fall,
for I will bring disaster upon them
(Z)in the year of their punishment,
declares the Lord.
13 In the prophets of (AA)Samaria
(AB)I saw an unsavory thing:
(AC)they prophesied by Baal
(AD)and led my people Israel astray.
14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen a horrible thing:
(AE)they commit adultery and walk in lies;
(AF)they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that no one turns from his evil;
(AG)all of them have become like Sodom to me,
(AH)and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:
(AI)“Behold, I will feed them with bitter food
(AJ)and give them (AK)poisoned water to drink,
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness 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, (AL)filling you with vain hopes. (AM)They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, (AN)‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who (AO)stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, (AP)‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”
18 For (AQ)who among them has stood in the council of the Lord
to see and to hear his word,
or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
19 (AR)Behold, the storm of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
(AS)a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
20 (AT)The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and (AU)accomplished
the intents of his heart.
(AV)In the latter days you will understand it clearly.
21 (AW)“I did not send the prophets,
yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
22 (AX)But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
(AY)and they would have turned them from their evil way,
and (AZ)from the evil of their deeds.
23 (BA)“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 (BB)Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. (BC)Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. 25 I have heard what the prophets have said (BD)who prophesy lies in my name, saying, (BE)‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ 26 How long shall there be lies in the heart of (BF)the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, 27 who think to make my people forget my name (BG)by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their (BH)fathers forgot my name for Baal? 28 (BI)Let the prophet who has a dream (BJ)tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. (BK)What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. 29 (BL)Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and (BM)like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? 30 (BN)Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’ 32 Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and (BO)lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when (BP)I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord.
33 (BQ)“When one of 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,[b] and (BR)I will cast you off, declares the Lord.’ 34 And as for the prophet, priest, or one of the people who says, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ (BS)I will punish that man and his household. 35 Thus shall you say, every one to his neighbor and every one to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But ‘the burden of the Lord’ you shall mention no more, for the burden is every man's own word, and (BT)you pervert the words of (BU)the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. 37 Thus you shall say to 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, behold, I will surely lift you up[c] and (BV)cast you away from my presence, you and the city that I gave to you and your fathers. 40 (BW)And I will bring upon you everlasting reproach and (BX)perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 23:8 Septuagint; Hebrew I
- Jeremiah 23:33 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew What burden?
- Jeremiah 23:39 Or surely forget you
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
