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
Jeremiah 23
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
The Lord and His Sheep
23 ‘Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! ’(A) This is the Lord’s declaration. 2 ‘Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend my people: You have scattered my flock,(B) banished them, and have not attended to them.(C) I am about to attend to you because of your evil acts’ – this is the Lord’s declaration. 3 ‘I will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands where I have banished them,(D) and I will return them to their grazing land. They will become fruitful and numerous.(E) 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them.(F) They will no longer be afraid or discouraged, nor will any be missing.’(G) This is the Lord’s declaration.
The Righteous Branch of David
5 ‘Look, the days are coming’(H) – this is the Lord’s declaration –
‘when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David.(I)
He will reign wisely as king
and administer justice and righteousness in the land.(J)
6 In his days Judah will be saved,
and Israel will dwell securely.(K)
This is the name he will be called:
The Lord Is Our Righteousness.[a](L)
7 ‘Look, the days are coming’(M) – the Lord’s declaration – ‘when it will no longer be said, “As the Lord lives(N) who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,” 8 but, “As the Lord lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other countries where I[b] had banished them.” They will dwell once more in their own land.’(O)
False Prophets Condemned
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart is broken within me,(P)
and all my bones tremble.
I have become like a drunkard,
like a man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord,
because of his holy words.
10 For the land is full of adulterers;(Q)
the land mourns(R) because of the curse,(S)
and the grazing lands in the wilderness have dried up.
Their way of life[c] has become evil,
and their power is not rightly used,
11 because both prophet and priest are ungodly;(T)
even in my house(U) I have found their evil.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
12 Therefore, their way will seem
like slippery paths in the gloom.(V)
They will be driven away and fall down there,
for I will bring disaster on them,
the year of their punishment.(W)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
13 Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw something disgusting:
They prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel astray.(X)
14 Among the prophets of Jerusalem also
I saw a horrible thing:(Y)
They commit adultery and walk in lies.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
and none turns his back on evil.
They are all like Sodom(Z) to me;
Jerusalem’s residents are like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies says concerning the prophets:
I am about to feed them wormwood(AA)
and give them poisoned water to drink,(AB)
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness[d] has spread throughout the land.
16 This is what the Lord of Armies says: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are deluding you. They speak visions from their own minds,(AC) not from the Lord’s mouth.(AD) 17 They keep on saying to those who despise me,(AE) “The Lord has spoken: You will have peace.”(AF) They have said to everyone who follows the stubbornness of his heart, “No harm will come to you.” ’
18 For who has stood in the council(AG) of the Lord
to see and hear his word?
Who has paid attention to his word and obeyed?
19 Look, a storm from the Lord!(AH)
Wrath has gone out,
a whirling storm.
It will whirl about the heads of the wicked.
20 The Lord’s anger will not turn away(AI)
until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart.
In time to come you will understand it clearly.(AJ)
21 I did not send out these prophets,(AK)
yet they ran.(AL)
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
22 If they had really stood in my council,
they would have enabled my people to hear my words
and would have turned them from their evil ways
and their evil deeds.(AM)
23 ‘Am I a God who is only near’(AN) – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘and not a God who is far away? 24 Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him? ’(AO) – the Lord’s declaration. ‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? ’(AP) – the Lord’s declaration.
25 ‘I have heard what the prophets who prophesy a lie in my name have said: “I had a dream! I had a dream! ”(AQ) 26 How long will this continue in the minds of the prophets prophesying lies, prophets of the deceit of their own minds? 27 Through their dreams that they tell one another, they plan to cause my people to forget my name as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship.(AR) 28 The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has my word should speak my word truthfully, for what is straw compared to grain? ’ – this is the Lord’s declaration. 29 ‘Is not my word like fire’ – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘and like a hammer that pulverises rock? 30 Therefore, take note! I am against the prophets’(AS) – the Lord’s declaration – ‘who steal my words from each other. 31 I am against the prophets’ – the Lord’s declaration – ‘who use their own tongues to make a declaration. 32 I am against those who prophesy false dreams’(AT) – the Lord’s declaration – ‘telling them and leading my people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all(AU) to these people’ – this is the Lord’s declaration.
The Burden of the Lord
33 ‘Now when these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, “What is the burden[e] of the Lord? ” you will respond to them, “What is the burden? I will throw you away! This is the Lord’s declaration.” 34 As for the prophet, priest, or people who say, “The burden of the Lord,” I will punish that man and his household. 35 This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his brother: “What has the Lord answered? ” or “What has the Lord spoken? ” 36 But no longer refer to[f] the burden of the Lord, for each man’s word becomes his burden and you pervert the words of the living God, the Lord of Armies, our God. 37 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,” then this is what the Lord says: Because you have said, “The burden of the Lord,” and I specifically told you not to say, “The burden of the Lord,” 39 I will surely forget you.[g] I will throw you away from my presence – both you and the city that I gave you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring on you everlasting disgrace and humiliation(AV) that will never be forgotten.’
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