1 “ Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the Lord.

“It is bad for the shepherds who are destroying and dividing the sheep of My field!” says the Lord.

2 T herefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord.

The Lord God of Israel says this about the shepherds who are caring for My people, “You have made My flock go everywhere and have driven them away, and have not cared for them. See, I am about to punish you for your sinful things you have done,” says the Lord.

3 “ Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply.

“Then I Myself will gather those who are left of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and will bring them back to their field. And they will have many children.

4 I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

I will have shepherds over them who will care for them. And they will not be afraid any longer, or filled with fear, and none of them will be missing,” says the Lord.

5 “ Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land.

“See, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a right and good Branch. He will rule as king and be wise and do what is right and fair and good in the land.

6 “ In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.’

In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will be safe. And this is the name He will be called by: ‘The Lord Who makes us right and good.’

7 “ Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’

So see, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, Who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of Egypt.’

8 b ut, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.” False Prophets Denounced

But they will say, ‘As the Lord lives, Who brought up and led the children of the people of Israel back from the north country and from all the countries where He had driven them.’ Then they will live in their own land.” False Preachers and Empty Words

9 A s for the prophets: My 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 the Lord And because of His holy words.

As for the men who speak for God, my heart is broken within me. All my bones shake. I have become like a drunk man, like a man who has had too much wine, because of the Lord and because of His holy words.

10 F or the land is full of adulterers; For the land mourns because of the curse. The pastures of the wilderness have dried up. Their course also is evil And their might is not right.

For the land is full of people who are not faithful. Because of the bad things that have come upon it, the land is filled with sorrow, and the fields of the desert have dried up. Their way is sinful, and they use their power in a wrong way.

11 “ For both prophet and priest are polluted; Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord.

“For both the men of God and the religious leaders are sinful. I have found their sin even in My house,” says the Lord.

12 “ Therefore their way will be like slippery paths to them, They will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it; For I will bring calamity upon them, The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.

“So their way will be a danger to them. They will be driven away into the darkness and fall down in it. For I will bring much trouble upon them in the year of their punishment,” says the Lord.

13 “ Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.

“In Samaria I have seen a very bad thing among the men of Samaria who tell what is going to happen in the future. They speak for the false god Baal, and have led My people into sin.

14 “ Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood; And they strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

In Jerusalem I have seen a very sinful thing among the men of Jerusalem who tell what is going to happen in the future. They do sex sins and tell lies, and give help to those who do sinful things, so that no one turns from his sin. All of them have become like Sodom to Me. The people of Jerusalem have become like Gomorrah.”

15 “ Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets, ‘Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood And make them drink poisonous water, For from the prophets of Jerusalem Pollution has gone forth into all the land.’”

So the Lord of All says about the men who tell what is going to happen in the future, “See, I will make them eat bitter food and drink water with poison. For from these men of Jerusalem sin has gone out into all the land.”

16 T hus says the Lord of hosts, “ Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the Lord.

The Lord of All says, “Do not listen to the words of those who are telling you what will happen in the future. They are filling you with empty hopes. They tell of dreams from their own thoughts, not from the mouth of the Lord.

17 “ They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “ You will have peace”’; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ‘ Calamity will not come upon you.’

They keep saying to those who hate Me, ‘The Lord has said, “You will have peace.”’ To every one who walks in the strong-will of his own heart, they say, ‘Trouble will not come to you.’

18 “ But who has stood in the council of the Lord, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened?

But who among them has listened to the Lord, that he should see and hear His Word? Who has given thought to His Word and listened?

19 “ Behold, the storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.

See, the strong wind storm of the Lord has gone out in anger. It will come down upon the head of the sinful.

20 “ The anger of the Lord will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it.

The anger of the Lord will not turn back until He has done all that He has planned in His heart. In the last days you will understand.

21 “ I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied.

I did not send these men who say they speak for God, yet they ran to tell their news. I did not speak to them, yet they spoke in My name.

22 “ But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.

But if they had listened to Me, then they would have made My words known to My people. And they would have turned them back from their sinful way and from the sinful things they did.”

23 “ Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off?

“Am I a God Who is near,” says the Lord, “and not a God Who is far away?

24 “ Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “ Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.

Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?” says the Lord. “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

25 “ I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a dream, I had a dream!’

“I have heard what the men say who speak false words in My name. They say, ‘I had a dream, I had a dream!’

26 H ow long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart,

How long will there be lies in the hearts of those who speak false words in My name, who speak the lies of their own heart?

27 w ho intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?

They plan to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they tell one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal.

28 T he prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the Lord.

The one who has a dream may tell about his dream, but let him who has My Word speak My Word in truth. How can straw be compared with grain?” says the Lord.

29 “ Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?

“Is not My Word like fire,” says the Lord, “and like iron that breaks a rock in pieces?

30 T herefore behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal My words from each other.

So I am against those who tell what is going to happen in the future,” says the Lord, “who steal My words from each other.

31 B ehold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who use their tongues and declare, ‘ The Lord declares.’

See, I am against these men,” says the Lord, “who use their tongues and say, ‘This is what the Lord says.’

32 B ehold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the Lord.

I am against those who have told false dreams,” says the Lord, “and have led My people the wrong way by their lies and foolish words of pride. I did not send them or tell them what to say, so they do not help these people at all,” says the Lord.

33 “ Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, ‘What is the oracle of the Lord ?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What oracle?’ The Lord declares, ‘I will abandon you.’

“When these people, or the one who speaks in My name, or a religious leader asks you, ‘What heavy load has the Lord placed on us?’ then you say to them, ‘You are the heavy load. And I will throw you off, says the Lord.’

34 T hen as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The oracle of the Lord,’ I will bring punishment upon that man and his household.

As for the man who speaks in My name, or the religious leader, or anyone of the people, who say, ‘The heavy load of the Lord,’ I will punish that man and those of his house.

35 T hus will each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, ‘ What has the Lord answered?’ or, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’

Each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or, ‘What has the Lord said?’

36 F or you will no longer remember the oracle of the Lord, because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God.

But you must not say, ‘The heavy load of the Lord,’ any more. For every man’s own word will be the weight upon himself. And you have made sinful the words of the living God, the Lord of All, our God.

37 T hus you will say to that prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’

This is what you should say to the man who speaks in My name: ‘What answer has the Lord given you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord said?’

38 F or if you say, ‘The oracle of the Lord!’ surely thus says the Lord, ‘Because you said this word, “The oracle of the Lord!” I have also sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The oracle of the Lord!’”’

But if you say, ‘The heavy load of the Lord,’ then the Lord says, ‘You have said, “The heavy load of the Lord,” when I told you not to say it.’

39 T herefore behold, I will surely forget you and cast you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers.

So I will pick you up and throw you away from Me, together with the city which I gave to you and your fathers.

40 I will put an everlasting reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”

I will put you to shame forever. You will always be ashamed, and it will not be forgotten.”