Jeremiah

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

1"How terrible for the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!" says the LORD.

NoteThe KJV word "pastors" here means shepherds. In the Bible, kings, priests, and other leaders are often called the shepherds of the people.

2Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

2So this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who are supposed to care for my people: "You scattered my flock. You drove them away. You did not look after them. So now I will look after you, and punish you for the evil you have done," says the LORD.

3And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

3"I myself will gather the rest of my flock from every land where I drove them. I will bring them back to their pasture, and there they will have many children and grow.

4And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

4I will put shepherds over them who will really care for them. My people will not be afraid or frightened again, and not one of them will go missing," says the LORD.

5Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

5"Look, the days are coming," says the LORD, "when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a new king from his family line. He will rule wisely and will do what is just and right in the land.

6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

6In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. This is the name he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.

7Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

7"So look, the days are coming," says the LORD, "when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought Israel up out of Egypt.'

8But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

8Instead they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought Israel's descendants up out of the northern land and out of every land where he had driven them.' Then they will live in their own land again."

9Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.

9About the prophets: my heart is broken inside me, and all my bones shake. I am like a drunk man, like someone knocked over by wine. This is because of the LORD and because of his holy words.

10For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

10The land is full of people who break their marriage promises. Because of the curse on it, the land is sad and the open pastures have dried up. The prophets run after evil, and they use their power wrongly.

11For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

11"Both prophet and priest care nothing for God. I have found their evil even inside my own house," says the LORD.

12Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

12"So their path will turn slippery. They will be pushed into the dark and fall down there. I will bring disaster on them in the year I punish them," says the LORD.

13And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.

13"Among the prophets of Samaria I saw something offensive: they prophesied by the god Baal and led my people Israel the wrong way.

14I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

14And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible. They break their marriage promises and live by lies. They help people who do evil, so that no one turns away from their wickedness. To me they are all like Sodom, and the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah."

15Therefore thus saith 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 is profaneness gone forth into all the land.

15So this is what the LORD of Hosts says about the prophets: "I will feed them bitter wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink. For the prophets of Jerusalem have spread godlessness through the whole land."

NoteWormwood is a plant with a very bitter taste. Bitter drink and poisoned water are pictures of punishment and grief.

16Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

16This is what the LORD of Hosts says: "Do not listen to what these prophets tell you. They are filling you with false hope. They speak visions they made up in their own minds, not words from the mouth of the LORD.

17They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

17They keep telling people who hate me, 'The LORD says you will have peace.' And to everyone who follows his own stubborn heart they say, 'Nothing bad will happen to you.'

18For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?

18But which of them has stood in the LORD's council to see and hear his word? Who has paid attention to his word and obeyed it?

19Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.

19Look, the storm of the LORD has broken out in anger, a whirlwind spinning down on the heads of the wicked.

20The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

20The LORD's anger will not turn back until he has finished what he planned to do. In the days to come you will understand this clearly.

21I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

21I did not send these prophets, yet they ran off with their message. I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.

22But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

22But if they had stood in my council, they would have told my people my words. They would have turned them back from their evil ways and deeds."

23Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

23"Am I only a God who is close by," says the LORD, "and not a God who is far away too?"

24Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

24"Can anyone hide in a secret place where I cannot see him?" says the LORD. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" says the LORD.

25I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

25"I have heard what these prophets say who tell lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!'

26How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

26How long will this go on in the hearts of prophets who prophesy lies? They are prophets of the tricks of their own minds.

27Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

27They think the dreams they tell each other will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name by worshiping Baal.

28The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.

28Let the prophet who has a dream just tell it as a dream. But let the one who has my word speak my word honestly. What is straw compared to grain?" says the LORD.

29Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

29"Is not my word like fire?" says the LORD. "Is it not like a hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?"

30Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

30"So look," says the LORD, "I am against the prophets who steal words from each other and say they came from me."

31Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.

31"Yes," says the LORD, "I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and announce, 'The LORD says so.'"

32Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

32"I am against those who prophesy made-up dreams," says the LORD. "They tell them and lead my people the wrong way with their careless lies. I did not send them or tell them to go. They do no good at all for these people," says the LORD.

33And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.

33"When these people, or a prophet, or a priest ask you, 'What is the burden of the LORD?' say to them, 'What burden? I am going to leave you, says the LORD.'

NoteThe Hebrew word for "burden" means both a message from God and a heavy load. The people were using it as a joke, as if God's words were only a weight to carry. That is why God tells them to stop using the phrase.

34And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.

34As for any prophet or priest or ordinary person who says, 'This is the burden of the LORD,' I will punish that man and his whole household.

35Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?

35Here is what each of you should say to your friend and your brother: 'What has the LORD answered?' or 'What has the LORD said?'

36And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.

36Do not talk about 'the burden of the LORD' anymore. If you do, your own words become the burden, because you twist the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God.

37Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?

37This is what you are to say to a prophet: 'What has the LORD answered you?' and 'What has the LORD said?'

38But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;

38But you keep saying, 'This is the burden of the LORD.' So this is what the LORD says: because you say those words, when I plainly told you not to say them,

39Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:

39look, I will surely forget you. I will throw you out of my presence, both you and the city I gave to you and your fathers.

40And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.

40I will bring on you shame that lasts forever and disgrace that never ends, and it will never be forgotten."