Jeremiah 23

The Coming Messiah: the Righteous Branch

1“1Woe to the shepherds who are causing the 2sheep of My pasture to 3perish and are scattering them!” declares the Lord. 2Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says concerning the shepherds who are 4tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not been concerned about them; behold, I am going to 5call you to account for the 6evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord. 3“Then I Myself will 7gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4I will also raise up 8shepherds over them and they will 9tend them; and they will 10not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, 11nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

5“Behold, the 12days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous 1314Branch; And He will 15reign as king and 16act wisely And 17do justice and righteousness in the land.6In His days Judah will be saved, And 18Israel will live securely; And this is His 19name by which He will be called, ‘The 20Lord Our Righteousness.’

7“21Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of Egypt,’ 822but, ‘As the Lord lives, who 23brought up and led the descendants of the household of Israel back from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”

False Prophets Denounced

9As for the prophets: My 24heart is broken within me, All my bones tremble; I have become like a drunken man, And like a man overcome by wine, Because of the Lord And because of His holy words.10For the land is full of 25adulterers; For the land 26mourns because of the curse. The 27pastures of the wilderness have dried up. Their course is evil And their might is not right.11“For 28both prophet and priest are defiled; Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the Lord.12“Therefore their way will be like 29slippery paths to them, They will be driven away into the 30gloom and fall down in it; For I will bring 31disaster upon them, The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.

13“Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an 32offensive thing: They 33prophesied by Baal and 34led My people Israel astray.14Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a 35horrible thing: The committing of 36adultery and walking in deceit; And they strengthen the hands of 37evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like 38Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah. 15Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says concerning the prophets: ‘Behold, I am going to 39feed them wormwood And make them drink poisonous water, For from the prophets of Jerusalem Ungodliness has spread into all the land.’”

16This is what the Lord of armies says: “40Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are 41leading you into futility; They tell a 42vision of their own 43imagination, Not 44from the mouth of the Lord.17They keep saying to those who 45despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “46You will have peace”’; And as for everyone who walks in the 47stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ‘48Disaster will not come on you.’18But 49who has stood in the council of the Lord, That he should see and hear His word? Who has paid 50attention to 51His word and listened?19Behold, the 52storm of the Lord has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.20The 53anger of the Lord will not turn back Until He has 54performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; 55In the last days you will clearly understand it.2156I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied.22But if they had 57stood in My council, Then they would have 58announced 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 59near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off?24Can a person 60hide himself in hiding places So that I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “61Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.

25“I have 62heard what the prophets have said who 63prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a 64dream, I had a dream!’ 26How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the 65deceitfulness of their own heart, 27who intend to 66make My people forget My name by their dreams which they report to one another, just as their fathers 67forgot My name because of Baal? 28The prophet who has a dream may report his dream, but let him who has 68My word speak My word truthfully. 69What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the Lord. 29“Is My word not like 70fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a 71hammer which shatters a rock? 30Therefore behold, 72I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal My words from each other. 31Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who 73use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares!’ 32Behold, I am against those who have prophesied 74false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and reported them and led My people astray by their lies and 75reckless boasting; yet 76I did not send them nor command them, nor do they 77provide 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 7879pronouncement of the Lord?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What 80pronouncement?’ The Lord declares, ‘I will 81abandon you.’ 34Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The 82pronouncement of the Lord,’ I will bring punishment upon that person and his household. 35This is what each one of you will say to his neighbor and to his brother: ‘83What has the Lord answered?’ or, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36For you will no longer remember the pronouncement of the Lord, because every person’s own word will become the pronouncement, and you have 84perverted the words of the 85living God, the Lord of armies, our God. 37This is what you will say to that prophet: ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38And if you say, ‘The pronouncement of the Lord!’ for that reason the Lord says this: ‘Because you said this word, “The pronouncement of the Lord!” I have also sent word to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The pronouncement of the Lord!’”’ 39Therefore behold, 86I will certainly forget you and thrust you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers. 40I will put an everlasting 87disgrace on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”