1 “ Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says 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 against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says 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 “ But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

“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 set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says 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,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

“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 I n His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now 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,” says the Lord, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the children 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 the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.” False Prophets and Empty Oracles

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 M y 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 has overcome, 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 because of a curse the land mourns. The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up. Their course of life 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 profane; Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness,” says 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 shall be to them Like slippery ways; In the darkness they shall be driven on And fall in them; For I will bring disaster on them, The year of their punishment,” says 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 “ And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal And caused My people Israel to err.

“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 A lso I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, 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 will feed them with wormwood, And make them drink the water of gall; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Profaneness has gone out 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 prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, 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 T hey continually say to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “You shall have peace”’; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall 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 F or who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, And has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it?

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 B ehold, a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury— A violent whirlwind! It will fall violently 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 T he anger of the Lord will not turn back Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.

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 have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet 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 B ut if they had stood in My counsel, And had caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings.

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 near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off?

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

24 C an anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says 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 lies in My name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’

“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 will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit 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 try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for 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 “ The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?” says 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 a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

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

30 “ Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” says the Lord, “who steal My words every one from his neighbor.

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,” says the Lord, “who use their tongues and say, ‘He says.’

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 prophesy false dreams,” says the Lord, “and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all,” says 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 “ So when these people or the prophet or the priest ask you, saying, ‘What is the oracle of the Lord ?’ you shall then say to them, ‘What oracle?’ I will even forsake you,” says the Lord.

“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 “ And as for the prophet and the priest and the people who say, ‘The oracle of the Lord!’ I will even punish that man and his house.

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 every one of you shall say to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ and, ‘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 A nd the oracle of the Lord you shall mention no more. For every man’s word will be his oracle, for 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 shall say to the 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 B ut since you say, ‘The oracle of the Lord!’ therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Because you say this word, “The oracle of the Lord!” and I have sent to you, saying, “Do 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, even I, will utterly forget you and forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and will cast you out of My presence.

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 A nd I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’”

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