The Burden of the Lord

33 “Now when these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden[a] 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[b] 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.[c] 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(A) that will never be forgotten.”

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Footnotes

  1. 23:33 The Hb word for burden (Ex 23:5; 2Sm 15:33) can also mean “oracle” (Is 13:1; Nah 1:10).
  2. 23:36 Or longer remember
  3. 23:39 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg read surely lift you up

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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