False Prophets and Empty Oracles

My heart within me is broken
Because of the prophets;
(A)All my bones shake.
I am like a drunken man,
And like a man whom wine has overcome,
Because of the Lord,
And because of His holy words.
10 For (B)the land is full of adulterers;
For (C)because of a curse the land mourns.
(D)The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up.
Their course of life is evil,
And their might is not right.

11 “For (E)both prophet and priest are profane;
Yes, (F)in My house I have found their wickedness,” says the Lord.
12 “Therefore(G) their way shall be to them
Like slippery ways;
In the darkness they shall be driven on
And fall in them;
For I (H)will bring disaster on them,
The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.
13 “And I have seen [a]folly in the prophets of Samaria:
(I)They prophesied by Baal
And (J)caused My people Israel to err.
14 Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem:
(K)They commit adultery and walk in lies;
They also (L)strengthen the hands of evildoers,
So that no one turns back from his wickedness.
All of them are like (M)Sodom to Me,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

15 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:

‘Behold, I will feed them with (N)wormwood,
And make them drink the water of gall;
For from the prophets of Jerusalem
[b]Profaneness has gone out into all the land.’ ”

16 Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.
They make you worthless;
(O)They speak a vision of their own heart,
Not from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They continually say to those who despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, (P)“You shall have peace” ’;
And to everyone who (Q)walks according to the [c]dictates of his own heart, they say,
(R)‘No evil shall come upon you.’ ”

18 For (S)who has stood in the counsel of the Lord,
And has perceived and heard His word?
Who has marked His word and heard it?
19 Behold, a (T)whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury—
A violent whirlwind!
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
20 The (U)anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart.
(V)In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.

21 “I(W) have not sent these prophets, yet they ran.
I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in My counsel,
And had caused My people to hear My words,
Then they would have (X)turned them from their evil way
And from the evil of their doings.

23 Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord,
“And not a God afar off?
24 Can anyone (Y)hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?” says the Lord;
(Z)“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 23:13 Lit. distastefulness
  2. Jeremiah 23:15 Or Pollution
  3. Jeremiah 23:17 stubbornness or imagination

Concerning the prophets. My heart within me is broken, all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of Jehovah, and because of his holy words. 10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of [a]swearing the land mourneth; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. And their course is evil, and their might is not right; 11 for both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith Jehovah. 12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery places in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein; for I will bring evil upon them, [b]even the year of their visitation, saith Jehovah.

13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. 14 In the prophets of Jerusalem also I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies; and they strengthen the hands of evil-doers, so that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them become unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. 15 Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts concerning the prophets: Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of [c]gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is ungodliness gone forth into all the land.

16 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they teach you vanity; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Jehovah. 17 They say continually unto them that despise me, Jehovah hath said, Ye shall have peace; and unto every one that walketh in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, No evil shall come upon you. 18 For who hath stood in the council of Jehovah, that he should perceive and hear his word? who hath marked [d]my word, and heard it? 19 Behold, the tempest of Jehovah, even his wrath, is gone forth, yea, a whirling tempest: it shall burst upon the head of the wicked. 20 The anger of Jehovah shall not return, until he have [e]executed, and till he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall [f]understand it perfectly. 21 I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I spake not unto them, yet they prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my council, then had they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

23 Am I a God at hand, saith Jehovah, and not a God afar off? 24 Can any hide himself in secret places so that I shall not see him? saith Jehovah. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith Jehovah.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 23:10 Or, the curse
  2. Jeremiah 23:12 Or, in the year
  3. Jeremiah 23:15 Or, poison
  4. Jeremiah 23:18 Another reading is, his
  5. Jeremiah 23:20 Or, done it
  6. Jeremiah 23:20 Or, consider