Chapter 23

Woe be unto the pastors⁶ that destroy¹⁸ and scatter⁵⁶ the sheep of my pasture! saith⁷ the LORD.

Therefore thus saith¹ the LORD God of Israel against the pastors⁶ that feed⁶ my people; Ye have scattered⁵² my flock, and driven them away,⁵⁵ and have not visited¹ them: behold, I will visit⁶ upon you the evil of your doings, saith⁷ the LORD.

And I will gather¹⁷ the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven⁵² them, and will bring them again⁵² to their folds; and they shall be fruitful¹ and increase.¹

And I will set up⁵² shepherds⁶ over them which shall feed¹ them: and they shall fear⁴ no more, nor be dismayed,¹¹ neither shall they be lacking,¹¹ saith⁷ the LORD.

Behold, the days come,⁶ saith⁷ the LORD, that I will raise⁵² unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign¹ and prosper,⁵² and shall execute¹ judgment and justice in the earth.

In his days Judah shall be saved,¹¹ and Israel shall dwell⁴ safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called,⁴ THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. ^{6664 3072}

Therefore, behold, the days come,⁶ saith⁷ the LORD, that they shall no more say,⁴ The LORD liveth, which brought up⁵² the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

But, The LORD liveth, which brought up⁵² and which led⁵² the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven⁵² them; and they shall dwell¹ in their own land.

Mine heart within me is broken⁸ because of the prophets; all my bones shake;¹ I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome,¹ because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.

For the land is full¹ of adulterers;¹⁸ for because of swearing the land mourneth;¹ the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up,¹ and their course is evil, and their force [is] not right.

For both prophet and priest are profane;¹ yea, in my house have I found¹ their wickedness, saith⁷ the LORD.

Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery [ways] in the darkness: they shall be driven on,¹¹ and fall¹ therein: for I will bring⁵⁵ evil upon them, [even] the year of their visitation, saith⁷ the LORD.

And I have seen¹ folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied⁹⁸ in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.⁵⁵

I have seen¹ also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery,² and walk² in lies: they strengthen¹⁴ also the hands of evildoers,⁵⁶ that none doth return¹ from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants⁶ thereof as Gomorrah.

Therefore thus saith¹ the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed⁵⁶ them with wormwood, and make them drink⁵² the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth¹ into all the land.

Thus saith¹ the LORD of hosts, Hearken⁴ not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy¹² unto you: they make you vain:⁵⁶ they speak¹⁷ a vision of their own heart, [and] not out of the mouth of the LORD.

They say⁶ still² unto them that despise¹⁸ me, The LORD hath said,¹⁴ Ye shall have peace; and they say¹ unto every one that walketh⁶ after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come⁴ upon you.

For who hath stood¹ in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived⁴ and heard⁴ his word? who hath marked⁵² his word, and heard⁴ [it]?

Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth¹ in fury, even a grievous¹¹⁴ whirlwind: it shall fall grievously⁴ upon the head of the wicked.

The anger of the LORD shall not return,⁴ until he have executed,² and till he have performed⁵³ the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider¹¹³ it perfectly.

I have not sent¹ these prophets, yet they ran:¹ I have not spoken¹⁴ to them, yet they prophesied.⁸

But if they had stood¹ in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear⁵⁵ my words, then they should have turned⁵⁵ them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

[Am] I a God at hand, saith⁷ the LORD, and not a God afar off?

Can any hide¹¹ himself in secret places that I shall not see⁴ him? saith⁷ the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith⁷ the LORD.

I have heard¹ what the prophets said,¹ that prophesy¹² lies in my name, saying,² I have dreamed,¹ I have dreamed.¹

How long shall [this] be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy¹² lies? yea, [they are] prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

Which think⁶ to cause my people to forget⁵³ my name by their dreams which they tell¹⁷ every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten¹ my name for Baal.

The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell¹⁷ a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak¹⁷ my word faithfully. What [is] the chaff to the wheat? saith⁷ the LORD.

[Is] not my word like as a fire? saith⁷ the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces?³⁴

Therefore, behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith⁷ the LORD, that steal¹⁸ my words every one from his neighbour.

Behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith⁷ the LORD, that use⁶ their tongues, and say,⁴ He saith.⁷

Behold, I [am] against them that prophesy¹² false dreams, saith⁷ the LORD, and do tell¹⁷ them, and cause my people to err⁵⁵ by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent¹ them not, nor commanded¹⁴ them: therefore they shall not profit⁵⁵ this people at all,⁵³ saith⁷ the LORD.

And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask⁴ thee, saying,² What [is] the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say¹ unto them, What burden? I will even forsake¹ you, saith⁷ the LORD.

And [as for] the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say,⁴ The burden of the LORD, I will even punish¹ that man and his house.

Thus shall ye say⁴ every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered?¹ and, What hath the LORD spoken?¹⁴

And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention⁴ no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted¹ the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.

Thus shalt thou say⁴ to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered¹ thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?¹⁴

But since ye say,⁴ The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith¹ the LORD; Because ye say² this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent⁴ unto you, saying,² Ye shall not say,⁴ The burden of the LORD;

Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly² forget¹ you, and I will forsake¹ you, and the city that I gave¹ you and your fathers, [and cast you] out of my presence:

And I will bring¹ an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.¹¹