1 W o to shepherds destroying, And scattering the flock of My pasture, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Woe to the shepherds (the civil leaders) who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasturing! says the Lord.

2 T herefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Against the shepherds who feed My people, Ye have scattered My flock, and drive them away, And have not inspected them, Lo, I am charging on you the evil of your doings, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for and feed My people: You have scattered My flock and driven them away and have not visited and attended to them; behold, I will visit and attend to you for the evil of your doings, says the Lord.

3 A nd I do gather the remnant of My flock Out of all the lands whither I drove them, And have brought them back unto their fold, And they have been fruitful, and multiplied.

And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries to which I have driven them and will bring them again to their folds and pastures; and they will be fruitful and multiply.

4 A nd I have raised for them shepherds, And they have fed them, And they fear no more, nor are affrighted, Nor are they lacking -- an affirmation of Jehovah.

And I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them. And they will fear no more nor be dismayed, neither will any be missing or lost, says the Lord.

5 L o, days are coming -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have raised to David a righteous shoot, And a king hath reigned and acted wisely, And done judgment and righteousness in the earth.

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch (Sprout), and He will reign as King and do wisely and will execute justice and righteousness in the land.

6 I n his days is Judah saved, and Israel dwelleth confidently, And this his name that Jehovah proclaimeth him, `Our Righteousness.'

In His days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name by which He shall be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.

7 T herefore, lo, days are coming, An affirmation of Jehovah, And they do not say any more, Jehovah liveth who brought up The sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,

Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when they shall no more say, As the Lord lives, Who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,

8 B ut -- Jehovah liveth, who brought up, And who brought in, the seed of the house of Israel, From the land of the north, And from all the lands whither I drove them, And they have dwelt on their own ground!

But, As the Lord lives, Who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries to which I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land..

9 I n reference to the prophets: Broken hath been my heart in my midst, Fluttered have all my bones, I have been as a man -- a drunkard, And as a man -- wine hath passed over him, Because of Jehovah, and of His holy words.

Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me, all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, a man whom wine has overcome, because of the Lord and because of His holy words.

10 F or of adulterers hath the land been full, For because of these hath the land mourned, Dried up hath been the pleasant places of the wilderness, And their course is evil, and their might -- not right.

For the land is full of adulterers (forsakers of God, Israel’s true Husband). Because of the curse the land mourns, the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. They rush into wickedness; and their course is evil, their might is not right.

11 F or both prophet and priest have been profane, Yea, in My house I found their wickedness, An affirmation of Jehovah.

For both prophet and priest are ungodly and profane; even in My house have I found their wickedness, says the Lord.

12 T herefore is their way to them as slippery places, Into thick darkness they are driven, And they have fallen in it, For I bring in against them evil, The year of their inspection, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Therefore their way will be to them like slippery paths in the dark; they will be driven on and fall into them. For I will bring evil upon them in the year of their punishment, says the Lord.

13 A nd in prophets of Samaria I have seen folly, They have prophesied by Baal, And cause my people -- Israel -- to err.

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

14 A nd in prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing, Committing adultery, and walking falsely, Yea, they strengthened the hands of evil doers, So that they have not turned back Each from his wickedness, They have been to me -- all of them -- as Sodom, And its inhabitants as Gomorrah.

I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they encourage and strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none returns from his wickedness. They have all of them become to Me like Sodom, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

15 T herefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, concerning the prophets: Lo, I am causing them to eat wormwood, And have caused them to drink water of gall, For, from prophets of Jerusalem Hath profanity gone forth to all the land.

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 and ungodliness have gone forth into all the land.

16 T hus said Jehovah of Hosts: Ye do not hearken unto the words Of the prophets who are prophesying to you, They are making you vain things, A vision of their own heart they speak, Not from the mouth of Jehovah.

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They teach you vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility) and fill you with vain hopes; they speak a vision of their own minds and not from the mouth of the Lord.

17 S aying diligently to those despising The word of Jehovah: Peace is for you, And every one walking in the stubbornness of his heart they have said: Evil doth not come in unto you.

They are continually saying to those who despise Me and the word of the Lord, The Lord has said: You shall have peace; and they say to everyone who walks after the stubbornness of his own mind and heart, No evil shall come upon you.

18 F or who hath stood in the counsel of Jehovah, And seeth and heareth His word? Who hath regarded My word, and hearkeneth?

For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord, that he should perceive and hear His word? Who has marked His word and has heard it?

19 L o, a whirlwind of Jehovah -- Fury hath gone out, even a piercing whirlwind, On the head of the wicked it stayeth.

Behold, the tempest of the Lord has gone forth in wrath, a whirling tempest; it shall whirl and burst upon the heads of the wicked.

20 T he anger of Jehovah doth not turn back Till His doing, and till His establishing, The thoughts of His heart, In the latter end of the days ye attend to it With understanding.

The anger of the Lord shall not turn back until He has executed and accomplished the thoughts and intents of His mind and heart. In the latter days you shall consider and understand it perfectly.

21 I have not sent the prophets, and they have run, I have not spoken unto them, and they have prophesied.

I did not send these prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.

22 B ut -- if they stood in My counsel, Then they cause My people to hear My words, And they turn them back from their evil way, And from the evil of their doings.

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

23 A God near I -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And not a God afar off?

Am I a God at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off?

24 I s any one hidden in secret places, And I see him not? an affirmation of Jehovah, Do not I fill the heavens and the earth? An affirmation of Jehovah.

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

25 I have heard that which the prophets said, Who prophesy in My name falsehood, saying, `I have dreamed, I have dreamed.'

I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

26 T ill when is it in the heart of the prophets? The prophets of falsehood, Yea, prophets of the deceit of their heart,

How long yet shall it be in the minds of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even the prophets of the deceit of their own hearts,

27 W ho are devising to cause My people To forget My name by their dreams, That they recount each to his neighbour, As their fathers forgot my name for Baal.

Who think that they can cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which every man tells to his neighbor, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?

28 T he prophet with whom a dream, Let him recount the dream, And he with whom My word, Let him truly speak My word. What -- to the straw with the corn? An affirmation of Jehovah.

The prophet who has a dream, let him tell his dream; but he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat ? says the Lord.

29 I s it not thus? My word as a fire, An affirmation of Jehovah. And as a hammer -- it breaketh in pieces a rock.

Is not My word like fire ? says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks in pieces the rock ?

30 T herefore, lo, I against the prophets, An affirmation of Jehovah, Stealing My words each from his neighbour.

Therefore behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who steal My words from one another.

31 L o, I against the prophets, An affirmation of Jehovah, Who are making smooth their tongue, And they affirm -- an affirmation.

Behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who use their tongues and say, Thus says the Lord.

32 L o, I against the prophets of false dreams, An affirmation of Jehovah, And they recount them, and cause my people to err, By their falsehoods, and by their instability, And I -- I have not sent them, Nor have I commanded them, And they are not at all profitable to this people, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, says the Lord, and tell them and cause My people to err and go astray by their lies and by their vain boasting and recklessness—when I did not send them or command them; nor do they profit these people at all, says the Lord.

33 A nd when this people, or the prophet, Or a priest, doth ask thee, saying, What the burden of Jehovah? Then thou hast said unto them: Ye the burden, and I have left you, An affirmation of Jehovah.

And when these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, What is the burden of the Lord ? then you shall say to them, What burden! And I will disburden Myself of you and I will cast you off, says the Lord.

34 A nd the prophet, and the priest, and the people, That saith, The burden of Jehovah, I have seen after that man, and after his house.

And as for the prophet, the priest, or the people, whoever says, The burden of the Lord, I will even visit in wrath and punish that man and his house.

35 T hus do ye say each unto his neighbour, And each unto his brother: What hath Jehovah answered? And what hath Jehovah spoken?

thus shall you say every one to his neighbor and every one to his brother: What has the Lord answered? or, What has the Lord spoken?

36 A nd the burden of Jehovah ye do not mention any more, For the burden to each is -- His word, And ye have overturned the words of the living God, Jehovah of Hosts, our God.

But the burden of the Lord you must mention no more, for every man’s burden is his own response and word; for you pervert the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God!

37 T hus dost thou say unto the prophet What hath Jehovah answered thee? And what hath Jehovah spoken?

Thus shall you say to the prophet: What has the Lord answered you? Or, What has the Lord spoken?

38 A nd if the burden of Jehovah ye say, Therefore thus said Jehovah: Because of your saying this word, The burden of Jehovah, And I do send unto you, saying, Ye do not say, The burden of Jehovah.

But if you say, The burden of the Lord, therefore thus says the Lord: Because you said these words, The burden of the Lord, when I sent to you, saying, You shall not say, The burden of the Lord,

39 T herefore, lo, I -- I have taken you utterly away, And I have sent you out, And the city that I gave to you, And to your fathers, from before My face,

Therefore behold, I, even I, will assuredly take you up and cast you away from My presence, you and the city which I gave to you and to your fathers.

40 A nd I have put on you reproach age-during, And shame age-during that is not forgotten!

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