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

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

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 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.

“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 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.

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 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.

“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 is Judah saved, and Israel dwelleth confidently, And this his name that Jehovah proclaimeth him, `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 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,

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 -- 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 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 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.

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

“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 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.

“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 A nd in prophets of Samaria I have seen folly, They have prophesied by Baal, And cause 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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

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 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 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 the prophets, and they have run, I have not spoken unto them, and they have 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 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 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 A God near I -- an affirmation of Jehovah, 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 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 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 that which the prophets said, Who prophesy in My name falsehood, 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 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 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 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.

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 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 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 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 iron that breaks a rock in pieces?

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

“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 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.

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 do ye say each unto his neighbour, And each unto his brother: What hath Jehovah answered? And what hath Jehovah 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 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 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 dost thou say unto the prophet What hath Jehovah answered thee? And what hath Jehovah 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 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 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, 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,

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

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