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

Woe unto the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith Jehovah.

2 T he 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.

Therefore thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel concerning the shepherds 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 Jehovah.

3 “ 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.

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 pastures; and they shall be fruitful and shall multiply.

4 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.

And I will raise up shepherds over them, who shall feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, saith Jehovah.

5 “ 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.

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, when I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, who shall reign as king, and act wisely, and shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

6 I n 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.’

In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell in safety; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, Jehovah our Righteousness.

7 S o 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.’

Therefore behold, days are coming, saith Jehovah, that they shall no more say, Jehovah liveth, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

8 B ut 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

but, Jehovah liveth, who brought up and who led back 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.

9 A s 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.

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

10 F or 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.

For the land is full of adulterers; for because of execration the land mourneth. The pastures of the wilderness are dried up; for their course is evil, and their force is not right.

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

For both prophet and priest are profane: even in my house have I found their wickedness, saith Jehovah.

12 “ 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.

Therefore their way shall be unto them as slippery places in the darkness; they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them in the year of their visitation, saith Jehovah.

13 “ 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.

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

14 I n 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.”

And in the prophets of Jerusalem have I seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in falsehood, and strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none doth return from his wickedness. They are all become unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

15 S o 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.”

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

16 T he 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.

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they lead you to vanity; they speak a vision of their own heart, not out of the mouth of Jehovah.

17 T hey 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.’

They say constantly unto them that despise me, Jehovah hath said, Ye shall have peace. And they say unto every one that walketh in the stubbornness of his heart, No evil shall come upon you.

18 B ut 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?

For who hath stood in the council of Jehovah, so that he hath perceived and heard his word? who hath hearkened to his word and listened?

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

Behold, a tempest of Jehovah, fury is gone forth, yea, a whirling storm: it shall whirl down upon the head of the wicked.

20 T he 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.

The anger of Jehovah shall not return, until he have executed, and until he have performed the purposes of his heart: at the end of the days ye shall understand it clearly.

21 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.

I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

22 B ut 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.”

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

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

Am I a God at hand, saith Jehovah, and not a God afar off?

24 C an 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.

Can any hide himself in secret places, that I shall not see him? saith Jehovah. Do not I fill the heavens and the earth? saith Jehovah.

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

I have heard what the prophets say, who prophesy falsehood in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

26 H ow 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?

How long shall be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, and who are prophets of the deceit of their own heart?

27 T hey 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.

who 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.

28 T he 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.

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

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

Is not my word like a fire, saith Jehovah; and like a hammer breaketh the rock in pieces?

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

Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith Jehovah, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

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

Behold, I am against the prophets, saith Jehovah, that use their tongues, and say, He hath said.

32 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.

Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith Jehovah, and that tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies and by their boasting; and I have not sent them, nor commanded them; and they profit not this people at all, saith Jehovah.

33 “ 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.’

And when this people, or a prophet, or a priest, ask thee, saying, What is the burden of Jehovah? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even cast you off, saith Jehovah.

34 A s 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.

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

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

Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother: What hath Jehovah answered? and, What hath Jehovah spoken?

36 B ut 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.

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

37 T his 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?’

Thus shalt thou say to the prophet: What hath Jehovah answered thee? and, What hath Jehovah spoken?

38 B ut 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.’

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

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

therefore behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off, far from my face, and the city that I gave to you and to your fathers.

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

And I will bring everlasting reproach upon you, and everlasting shame, that shall not be forgotten.