Jeremiah 23:9-24
Legacy Standard Bible
False Prophets Condemned
9 As for the prophets:
My (A)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 (B)adulterers;
For the land (C)mourns because of the curse.
The (D)pastures of the wilderness have dried up.
Their course also is evil,
And their might is not right.
11 “For (E)both prophet and priest are polluted;
Even in My house I have found their evil,” declares Yahweh.
12 “Therefore their way will be like (F)slippery paths to them;
They will be driven away into the (G)thick darkness and fall down in it;
For I will bring their (H)evil upon them,
The year of their [a]punishment,” declares Yahweh.
13 “Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an (I)offensive thing:
They (J)prophesied by Baal and (K)led My people Israel astray.
14 Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen an (L)appalling thing:
The committing of (M)adultery and walking in lying;
And they strengthen the hands of (N)evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his evil.
All of them have become to Me like (O)Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts concerning the prophets,
‘Behold, I am going to (P)feed them wormwood
And make them drink [b]poisoned water,
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
Pollution has gone forth into all the land.’”
16 Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“(Q)Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are (R)leading you into vanity;
They speak a (S)vision of their own heart,
Not (T)from the mouth of Yahweh.
17 They keep saying to those who (U)spurn Me,
‘Yahweh has said, “(V)You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the (W)stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘(X)Evil will not come upon you.’
18 But (Y)who has stood in the council of Yahweh,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has given (Z)heed to [c]His word and heard?
19 Behold, the (AA)storm of Yahweh has gone forth in wrath,
Even a whirling storm;
It will whirl down on the head of the wicked.
20 The (AB)anger of Yahweh will not turn back
Until He has (AC)done and established the purposes of His heart;
(AD)In the last days you will clearly understand it.
21 (AE)I did not send these prophets,
But they ran.
I did not speak to them,
But they prophesied.
22 But if they had (AF)stood in My council,
Then they would have (AG)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 (AH)near,” declares Yahweh,
“And not a God far off?
24 Can a man (AI)hide himself in hiding places
So I do not see him?” declares Yahweh.
“(AJ)Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares Yahweh.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 23:12 Or visitation
- Jeremiah 23:15 Or gall
- Jeremiah 23:18 Or My
Jeremiah 23:9-24
Christian Standard Bible
False Prophets Condemned
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart is broken within me,(A)
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;(B)
the land mourns(C) because of the curse,(D)
and the grazing lands in the wilderness have dried up.
Their way of life[a] has become evil,
and their power is not rightly used
11 because both prophet and priest are ungodly,(E)
even in my house(F) I have found their evil.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
12 Therefore, their way will seem
like slippery paths in the gloom.(G)
They will be driven away and fall down there,
for I will bring disaster on them,
the year of their punishment.(H)
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.(I)
14 Among the prophets of Jerusalem also
I saw a horrible thing:(J)
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(K) 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(L)
and give them poisoned water to drink,(M)
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness[b] 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,(N) not from the Lord’s mouth.(O) 17 They keep on saying to those who despise me,(P) ‘The Lord has spoken: You will have peace.’(Q) 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(R) 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!(S)
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(T)
until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart.
In time to come you will understand it clearly.(U)
21 I did not send out these prophets,(V)
yet they ran.(W)
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.(X)
23 “Am I a God who is only near”(Y)—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?” (Z)—the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” (AA)—the Lord’s declaration.
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