Jeremiah 23:9-24
New American Standard Bible
False Prophets Denounced
9 As for the prophets:
My (A)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 (B)adulterers;
For the land (C)mourns because of the curse.
The (D)pastures of the wilderness have dried up.
Their course is evil
And their might is not right.
11 “For (E)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 (F)slippery paths to them,
They will be driven away into the (G)gloom and fall down in it;
For I will bring (H)disaster upon them,
The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.
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 a (L)horrible thing:
The committing of (M)adultery and walking in deceit;
And they strengthen the hands of (N)evildoers,
So that no one has turned back from his wickedness.
All of them have become to Me like (O)Sodom,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
15 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says concerning the prophets:
‘Behold, I am going to (P)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:
“(Q)Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are (R)leading you into futility;
They tell a (S)vision of their own [a]imagination,
Not (T)from the mouth of the Lord.
17 They keep saying to those who (U)despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, “(V)You will have peace”’;
And as for everyone who walks in the (W)stubbornness of his own heart,
They say, ‘(X)Disaster will not come on you.’
18 But (Y)who has stood in the council of the Lord,
That he should see and hear His word?
Who has paid (Z)attention to [b]His word and listened?
19 Behold, the (AA)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 (AB)anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has (AC)performed and carried out 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)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 (AH)near,” declares the Lord,
“And not a God far off?
24 Can a person (AI)hide himself in hiding places
So that I do not see him?” declares the Lord.
“(AJ)Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 23:16 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 23:18 Another reading is My
Jeremiah 23:9-24
English Standard Version
Lying Prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
(A)My heart is broken within me;
(B)all my bones shake;
I am like a drunken man,
like a man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and because of his holy words.
10 (C)For the land is full of adulterers;
(D)because of the curse (E)the land mourns,
and (F)the pastures of the wilderness are dried up.
(G)Their course is evil,
and their might is not right.
11 (H)“Both prophet and priest are ungodly;
even (I)in my house I have found their evil,
declares the Lord.
12 (J)Therefore their way shall be to them
like slippery paths (K)in the darkness,
into which they shall be driven and fall,
for I will bring disaster upon them
(L)in the year of their punishment,
declares the Lord.
13 In the prophets of (M)Samaria
(N)I saw an unsavory thing:
(O)they prophesied by Baal
(P)and led my people Israel astray.
14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen a horrible thing:
(Q)they commit adultery and walk in lies;
(R)they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that no one turns from his evil;
(S)all of them have become like Sodom to me,
(T)and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:
(U)“Behold, I will feed them with bitter food
(V)and give them (W)poisoned water to drink,
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness 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, (X)filling you with vain hopes. (Y)They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, (Z)‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who (AA)stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, (AB)‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”
18 For (AC)who among them has stood in the council of the Lord
to see and to hear his word,
or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
19 (AD)Behold, the storm of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
(AE)a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
20 (AF)The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and (AG)accomplished
the intents of his heart.
(AH)In the latter days you will understand it clearly.
21 (AI)“I did not send the prophets,
yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
22 (AJ)But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
(AK)and they would have turned them from their evil way,
and (AL)from the evil of their deeds.
23 (AM)“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 (AN)Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. (AO)Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.
Read full chapterNew American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
