False Prophecy

33 “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message(A) from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake(B) you, declares the Lord.’ 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message(C) from the Lord,’ I will punish(D) 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?’(E) 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(F) the words of the living God,(G) 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(H) you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring on you everlasting disgrace(I)—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”

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33 When these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, “What is the Lord’s message?”[a] say to them, “What message? I will cast you off, declares the Lord.” 34 I will punish anyone, including prophet or priest, who says, “This is the Lord’s message.” 35 This is what you should ask each other: “What has the Lord said?” “What has the Lord declared?” 36 But you are no longer to mention the Lord’s message, because everyone thinks they have received a message from the Lord. You destroy the very word of the living God, the Lord of heavenly forces, our God. 37 So this is what you should say to the prophet: “What has the Lord said to you?” “What has the Lord declared?” 38 But if you insist on saying, “This is the Lord’s message,” the Lord says to you: Because you have made this claim—this is the Lord’s message—when I told you not to proclaim the Lord’s message, 39 I will lift you up[b] and cast you out of my presence, together with the city that I gave to your ancestors. 40 I will make you an object of disgrace and enduring shame that no one will ever forget.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 23:33 Or burden
  2. Jeremiah 23:39 LXX, Syr, Vulg; MT forget you