Jeremiah 23:5-40

5“Behold, the 1days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous 23Branch; And He will 4reign as king and 5act wisely And 6do justice and righteousness in the land.6In His days Judah will be saved, And 7Israel will dwell securely; And this is His 8name by which He will be called, ‘The 9Lord our righteousness.’

7“10Therefore 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,’ 811but, ‘As the Lord lives, who 12brought 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.”

9As for the prophets: My 13heart 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.10For the land is full of 14adulterers; For the land 15mourns because of the curse. The 16pastures of the wilderness have dried up. Their course also is evil And their might is not right.11“For 17both prophet and priest are polluted; Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord.12“Therefore their way will be like 18slippery paths to them, They will be driven away into the 19gloom and fall down in it; For I will bring 20calamity upon them, The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.

13“Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an 21offensive thing: They 22prophesied by Baal and 23led My people Israel astray.14Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a 24horrible thing: The committing of 25adultery and walking in falsehood; And they strengthen the hands of 26evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like 27Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah. 15Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets, ‘Behold, I am going to 28feed them wormwood And make them drink poisonous water, For from the prophets of Jerusalem Pollution has gone forth into all the land.’”

16Thus says the Lord of hosts, “29Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are 30leading you into futility; They speak a 31vision of their own 32imagination, Not 33from the mouth of the Lord.17They keep saying to those who 34despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “35You will have peace”’; And as for everyone who walks in the 36stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ‘37Calamity will not come upon you.’18But 38who has stood in the council of the Lord, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given 39heed to 40His word and listened?19Behold, the 41storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.20The 42anger of the Lord will not turn back Until He has 43performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; 44In the last days you will clearly understand it.2145I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied.22But if they had 46stood in My council, Then they would have 47announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.

23“Am I a God who is 48near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off?24Can a man 49hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “50Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.

25“I have 51heard what the prophets have said who 52prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a 53dream, I had a dream!’ 26How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the 54deception of their own heart, 27who intend to 55make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers 56forgot My name because of Baal? 28The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has 57My word speak My word in truth. 58What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the Lord. 29“Is not My word like 59fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a 60hammer which shatters a rock? 30Therefore behold, 61I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal My words from each other. 31Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ 32Behold, I am against those who have prophesied 62false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and 63reckless boasting; yet 64I did not send them or command them, nor do they 65furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the Lord.

33“Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, ‘What is the 6667oracle of the Lord?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What 68oracle?’ The Lord declares, ‘I will 69abandon you.’ 34Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The 70oracle of the Lord,’ I will bring punishment upon that man and his household. 35Thus will each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, ‘71What has the Lord answered?’ or, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36For you will no longer remember the oracle of the Lord, because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have 72perverted the words of the 73living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. 37Thus you will say to that prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38For 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!’”’ 39Therefore behold, 74I will surely forget you and cast you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers. 40I will put an everlasting 75reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”