Jeremiah 22:20-23:8

New American Standard Bible

²⁰Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
And raise your voice in Bashan;
Cry out also from ^(A)Abarim,
For all your ^(B)lovers have been crushed.
²¹I spoke to you in your prosperity;
But ^(C)you said, ‘I will not listen!’
^(D)This has been your way ^(E)from your youth,
That you have not obeyed My voice.
²²The wind will sweep away all your ^(F)shepherds,
And your ^(G)lovers will go into captivity;
Then you will certainly be ^(H)ashamed and humiliated
Because of all your wickedness.
²³You who live in Lebanon,
Nested in the cedars,
How you will groan when sharp pains come on you,
^(I)Pain like a woman in childbirth!

²⁴“As I live,” declares the Lord, “even if ^[a]^(J)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a ^(K)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull ^[b]you ^[c]off; ²⁵and I will ^(L)hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. ²⁶I will ^(M)hurl you and your ^(N)mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. ²⁷But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.

²⁸Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
Or is he an ^(O)undesirable vessel?
Why have he and his descendants been ^(P)hurled out
And cast into a ^(Q)land that they had not known?
²⁹^(R)O land, land, land,
Hear the word of the Lord!

³⁰This is what the Lord says:

‘Write this man down as ^(S)childless,
A man who will ^(T)not prosper in his days;
For no man among his ^(U)descendants will prosper
Sitting on the throne of David
Or ruling again in Judah.’”

The Coming Messiah: the Righteous Branch

23 “^(V)Woe to the shepherds who are causing the ^(W)sheep of My pasture to ^(X)perish and are scattering them!” declares the Lord. ²Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says concerning the shepherds who are ^[d]tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not been concerned about them; behold, I am going to ^(Y)call you to account for the ^(Z)evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord. ³“Then I Myself will ^(AA)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. ⁴I will also raise up ^(AB)shepherds over them and they will ^[e]tend them; and they will ^(AC)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, ^(AD)nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

⁵“Behold, the ^(AE)days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous ^[f]^(AF)Branch;
And He will ^(AG)reign as king and ^[g]act wisely
And ^(AH)do justice and righteousness in the land.
⁶In His days Judah will be saved,
And ^(AI)Israel will live securely;
And this is His ^(AJ)name by which He will be called,
‘The ^(AK)Lord Our Righteousness.’

⁷“^(AL)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^(AM)but, ‘As the Lord lives, who ^(AN)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.”