Jeremiah, 23

1. Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

1. "Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the sheep of my pasture!"

2. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

2. This is the message of Yahweh, God of Israel, to the shepherds in charge of my people, "You have scattered my sheep and driven them away instead of caring for them. Now I will deal with you because of your evil deeds.

3. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

3. I will gather the remnant of my sheep from every land to which I have driven them and I will bring them back to the grasslands. They will be fruitful and increase in number.

4. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

4. I will appoint shepherds who will take care of them. No longer will they fear or be terrified. No one will be lost."

5. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

5. Yahweh further says, "The day is coming when I will raise up a king who is David's righteous successor. He will rule wisely and govern with justice and righteousness.

6. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

6. That will be a grandiose era when Judah will enjoy peace and Israel will live in safety. He will be called Yahweh-our-justice!

7. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

7. "The days are coming," says Yahweh, "when people shall no longer swear by Yahweh as the living God who freed the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.

8. But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

8. Rather, they will swear by Yahweh as the living God who restored the descendants of Israel from the northern empire and from all the lands where he had driven them, to live again in their own land!"

9. Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.

9. About the prophets: My heart breaks within me, and all my bones tremble, I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine because of Yahweh and his holy words.

10. For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force [is] not right.

10. The land is full of adulterers. Because of this I put a curse on the country; it is in mourning and the desert grasslands have withered. They follow an evil path and readily act unjustly.

11. For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

11. Even the prophet and the priest are corrupt; I have found out about their wickedness in my House - word of Yahweh.

12. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery [ways] in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, [even] the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

12. That is why their path will become slippery in the dark, making them stumble and fall when I bring evil upon them in the year of their punishment.

13. And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.

13. I well know how stupid the prophets of Samaria were; they prophesied in the name of Baal and led my people Israel astray.

14. I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

14. But among the prophets of Jerusalem I have likewise seen horrors: for they are adulterers and liars! They encourage the evildoers so that none of them turns away from wickedness. For me all of them are like Sodom; and the common people like Gomorrah.

15. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.

15. That is why Yahweh the God of hosts speaks against the prophets: I will give them bitter food to eat and poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem evil has spread all over the land.

16. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, [and] not out of the mouth of the LORD.

16. Thus Yahweh warns, "Do not listen to what the prophets say. They give you false hope and tell you their own illusions, and not what comes from the mouth of Yahweh.

17. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

17. They dare say to those who despise me: 'Yahweh has spoken, be at peace'; and to those who follow their own stubborn hearts they say: 'No misfortune will come upon you!'

18. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard [it]?

18. Who then has been present in the council of Yahweh? Who has heard and understood his word? Who has paid attention to his word and is able to pass it on?

19. Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.

19. The storm of Yahweh's wrath breaks forth and a whirling hurricane bursts upon the head of the wicked!

20. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

20. Yahweh's wraths will not relent before the full accomplishment of his plans. The time will come when you will understand what it is.

21. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

21. I did not send these prophets, yet they went running. I did not speak, yet they prophesied!

22. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

22. Were they present in my council? Then let them proclaim my word to my people and have them turn away from their evil ways and their wicked deeds.

23. [Am] I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

23. Am I a God only when I am near - it is Yahweh who speaks - and not when I am far off?

24. Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

24. If someone hides in secret places do I not see him? - Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?

25. I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

25. I have listened and heard the lies that the prophets have proclaimed in my name. All said: 'I had a dream! I had a dream!'

26. How long shall [this] be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, [they are] prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

26. How long will there be prophets of lies who proclaim their own illusions?

27. Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

27. They would like to make the people forget my Name by the dreams they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot my Name when they followed Baal.

28. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What [is] the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.

28. The prophet who has a dream prophesies a dream, whereas the one who receives my word proclaims the word of truth. What have straw and wheat in common?

29. [Is] not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces?

29. Isn't my word like fire, like the hammer that shatters a rock?

30. Therefore, behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

30. That is why I oppose the prophets who steal from one another words that are supposedly mine.

31. Behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.

31. I am against the prophets who have only to move their tongues to utter oracles.

32. Behold, I [am] against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

32. I am against those whose prophecies are based on lying dreams, who lead my people astray with their trickery and pretensions. I did not commission or charge them to transmit my orders, so they are of no benefit to my people - word of Yahweh.

33. And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What [is] the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.

33. And when these people, or a prophet or a priest jestingly asks you: What is the 'Burden' of Yahweh? you will answer: 'You are the burden - and I am going to get rid of you.' This is Yahweh's word.

34. And [as for] the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.

34. And the prophets, priests or common people who say: 'Burden' of Yahweh, will be punished, and their household as well.

35. Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?

35. This is what you should say, each one to his friend or brother, "What is Yahweh's answer?" or "What has Yahweh said?"

36. And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.

36. But there must be no mention of 'Burden' of Yahweh for it shall be burdensome for the one who says it.

37. Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?

37. And if you want to know,

38. But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;

38. this is what Yahweh says:

39. Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, [and cast you] out of my presence:

39. Since you use this expression in spite of my prohibition, I will cast you off and thrust you out of my sight, - you and the city I gave to you and your fathers.

40. And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.

40. I will bring upon you everlasting shame and dishonor that will be yours forever.