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
New American Standard Bible
The Coming Messiah: the Righteous Branch
23 “(A)Woe to the shepherds who are causing the (B)sheep of My pasture to (C)perish and are scattering them!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says concerning the shepherds who are [a]tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not been concerned about them; behold, I am going to (D)call you to account for the (E)evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord. 3 “Then I Myself will (F)gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will also raise up (G)shepherds over them and they will [b]tend them; and they will (H)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, (I)nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
5 “Behold, the (J)days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous [c](K)Branch;
And He will (L)reign as king and [d]act wisely
And (M)do justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In His days Judah will be saved,
And (N)Israel will live securely;
And this is His (O)name by which He will be called,
‘The (P)Lord Our Righteousness.’
7 “(Q)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of Egypt,’ 8 (R)but, ‘As the Lord lives, who (S)brought up and led the descendants of the household of Israel back from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”
False Prophets Denounced
9 As for the prophets:
My (T)heart is broken within me,
All my bones tremble;
I have become like a drunken man,
And like a man overcome by wine,
Because of the Lord
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 is evil
And their might is not right.
11 “For (X)both prophet and priest are defiled;
Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their way will be like (Y)slippery paths to them,
They will be driven away into the (Z)gloom and fall down in it;
For I will bring (AA)disaster upon them,
The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.
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 a (AE)horrible thing:
The committing of (AF)adultery and walking in deceit;
And they strengthen the hands of (AG)evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.
All of them have become to Me like (AH)Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says concerning the prophets:
‘Behold, I am going to (AI)feed them wormwood
And make them drink poisonous water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Ungodliness has spread into all the land.’”
16 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“(AJ)Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are (AK)leading you into futility;
They tell a (AL)vision of their own [e]imagination,
Not (AM)from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They keep saying to those who (AN)despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, “(AO)You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the (AP)stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘(AQ)Disaster will not come on you.’
18 But (AR)who has stood in the council of the Lord,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has paid (AS)attention to [f]His word and listened?
19 Behold, the (AT)storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling tempest;
It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 The (AU)anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has (AV)performed and carried out 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)announced My words to 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 the Lord,
“And not a God far off?
24 Can a person (BB)hide himself in hiding places
So that I do not see him?” declares the Lord.
“(BC)Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.
25 “I have (BD)heard what the prophets have said who (BE)prophesy falsely 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 falsehood, these prophets of the (BG)deceitfulness of their own heart, 27 who intend to (BH)make My people forget My name by their dreams which they report to one another, just as their fathers (BI)forgot My name because of Baal? 28 The prophet who has a dream may report his dream, but let him who has (BJ)My word speak My word truthfully. (BK)What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is My word not like (BL)fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a (BM)hammer which shatters a rock? 30 Therefore behold, (BN)I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal My words from each other. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who [g]use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares!’ 32 Behold, I am against those who have prophesied (BO)false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and reported them and led My people astray by their lies and (BP)reckless boasting; yet (BQ)I did not send them nor command them, nor do they (BR)provide this people the slightest benefit,” declares the Lord.
33 “Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the [h](BS)pronouncement of the Lord?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What [i]pronouncement?’ The Lord declares, ‘I will (BT)abandon you.’ 34 Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The (BU)pronouncement of the Lord,’ I will bring punishment upon that person and his household. 35 This is what each one of you will say to his neighbor and to his brother: ‘(BV)What has the Lord answered?’ or, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 For you will no longer remember the pronouncement of the Lord, because every person’s own word will become the pronouncement, and you have (BW)perverted the words of the (BX)living God, the Lord of armies, our God. 37 This is what you will say to that prophet: ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 And if you say, ‘The pronouncement of the Lord!’ for that reason the Lord says this: ‘Because you said this word, “The pronouncement of the Lord!” I have also sent word to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The pronouncement of the Lord!’”’ 39 Therefore behold, (BY)I will certainly forget you and thrust you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers. 40 I will put an everlasting (BZ)disgrace on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 23:2 Lit shepherding
- Jeremiah 23:4 Or shepherd
- Jeremiah 23:5 Lit Sprout
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or succeed
- Jeremiah 23:16 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 23:18 Another reading is My
- Jeremiah 23:31 Lit take
- Jeremiah 23:33 Or burden, and so throughout the ch
- Jeremiah 23:33 Or burden, and so throughout the ch
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