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Jeremiah 23
EasyEnglish Bible
Jeremiah 23
EasyEnglish Bible
A righteous King
23 The Lord says, ‘Terrible trouble will come to the rulers of my people. They should have taken care of my people, as shepherds take care of their sheep. Instead, they have caused them to run away.’ 2 So the Lord, Israel's God, says to the leaders who rule over his people, ‘You have not taken care of my people. You have chased them away to other places. So now I will come and punish you, because of the evil things that you have done. I, the Lord, tell you that!
3 I myself will bring back together all my people who are still alive. I will fetch them from the countries where I have sent them. I will bring them back to the land that is their home. They will give birth to many children and they will grow in number. 4 I will choose rulers for them who will truly take care of them. My people will no longer be afraid. They will all be safe.’ That is what the Lord says.
5 The Lord says, ‘The time will come when I do this:
I will cause a descendant of David to be born.
He will be righteous.
He will grow like a branch on the tree of David's family.
He will rule as king in a wise way.
He will do what is right and fair in the land.
6 While he rules, the people of Judah will be safe.
And Israel's people will live in peace.
People will give this name to him:
“The Lord is our righteous Saviour.” ’
7 The Lord says, ‘Yes, a new time will come. When people make a promise, they will not say, “I promise to do this as surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites safely out of Egypt.” 8 Instead they will say, “I promise to do this as surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel safely back from the land in the north. He brought them back from all the places where he had sent them as prisoners.” At that time they will live in their own land.’
A message about the false prophets
9 I am very upset about what the prophets are doing.
My body is shaking.
I move like a man who has become drunk,
someone who has drunk too much wine.
I am afraid because of the Lord
and the holy message that he has spoken.
10 The land is full of people who are not faithful to God.
The prophets live wicked lives.
They use their power in a bad way.
Because of that, God has cursed the land.
The land is as dry as a desert,
and the fields have no grass.
11 The Lord says,
‘The prophets and the priests are all wicked.
I see the evil things that they do,
even in my temple.
12 Because of that, the paths that they travel on will be dark.
They will easily slip and fall to the ground.
I will cause terrible trouble to happen to them.
I will decide the time when I will punish them.’
That is what the Lord says.
13 ‘I saw the disgusting thing that the prophets in Samaria did.[a]
They used the name of Baal to prophesy.
Their messages deceived my people, Israel.
14 But now some prophets in Jerusalem do even worse things!
They are not faithful to their wives.[b]
They always deceive people.
They encourage people to do evil things.
They do not try to stop them.
They are as bad as the people of Sodom long ago.
The people of Jerusalem are as bad as the people of Gomorrah.[c]
15 So I, the Lord Almighty,
say this about these prophets:
I will cause them to have much pain and trouble.
They will eat bitter food.
They will drink water that is poison.
It is because of Jerusalem's prophets
that people do wicked things everywhere in the land.’
16 The Lord Almighty says to the people,
‘Do not listen to the messages that the prophets are telling you.
They are only deceiving you.
They speak about visions that are their own ideas.
They do not speak a message that comes from the Lord himself.
17 When people refuse to listen to me,
the prophets still encourage them.
They say to them,
“The Lord will give you peace.”
When people refuse to change their wicked way of life,
the prophets tell them,
“Nothing bad will happen to you.”
18 But none of those prophets has met with the Lord.
They have not seen him
and they have not heard his voice.
So none of them has ever listened to him
to know what he is saying.
19 But look! The Lord's anger will come
like a strong storm.
It will blow away the heads of those wicked people.
20 The Lord will not stop being angry,
until he has finished what he has decided to do.
When the time comes,
you will understand this clearly.
21 I did not send those prophets.
But they have still run to speak to you.
I did not tell them what to say,
but they have continued to prophesy.
22 If they had really met with me,
they would have spoken my message to my people.
They would have caused my people to turn away from their wicked way of life.
They would have stopped my people doing evil things.’
23 The Lord says, ‘Am I a God in only one place?
No! I see everything everywhere!
24 Do you think you can hide
in a place where I cannot see you?
You should know that I am everywhere,
in the heavens above and on the earth.’
That is what the Lord says.
25 ‘I have heard the lies that these prophets are saying. They say that they have messages from me. They say, “God has spoken to me in a dream!” 26 But all their words are lies. Their messages are their own ideas. When will they stop deceiving people? 27 They want to make my people forget who I am. They use their dreams to do this. They tell them to each other. They are as bad as their ancestors. They also forgot who I am when they worshipped the false god, Baal.
28 If a prophet has a dream, he should say what it is. If a prophet receives a message from me, he should speak that message faithfully. But dreams are very different from my messages. Straw is not the same as wheat! 29 A message from me is like a fire that burns things. It is like a hammer that breaks a rock into pieces.’ That is what the Lord says.
30 ‘I tell you that I am against those prophets! They say that they speak messages from me. But they are using each other's ideas. 31 They say, “This message is from the Lord,” but it is their own words that they speak. 32 Yes, I am against those who have dreams and use them to deceive people. They are using cruel lies to lead the people away from me. I did not send those prophets to speak on my behalf. They do nothing to help my people.’ That is what the Lord says.
33 The Lord said, ‘Jeremiah, someone may ask you a question. He may be one of these people or a prophet or a priest. He may ask you, “What message of trouble is the Lord telling us now?” Then you must say to him, “You are the trouble! The Lord says that he will go away from you.” 34 If a prophet, a priest, or anyone else says, “I have a message of trouble from the Lord,” I will punish that person. I will punish his whole family too.
35 Instead, each of you should ask your friends, “What is the Lord's answer?” or “What has the Lord said?” 36 But you must not speak any more about “a message of trouble from the Lord”. It is the person's own message that brings the trouble. In that way, you change the true message of our God, the living God who is the Lord Almighty. 37 You should ask the prophet, “What answer did the Lord give to you?” or “What did the Lord say?” 38 You must no longer say, “What is the message of trouble from the Lord?” If you continue to say that when I have told you not to say it, this is what will happen: 39 I will pick you up and I will throw you away! I will send you all a long way away from me. I will chase out all the people of this city that I gave to you and to your ancestors. 40 I will make you very ashamed. People will never forget your great shame.’
Footnotes
- 23:13 Samaria was the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel.
- 23:14 ‘faithful to their wives’ or ‘faithful to God’.
- 23:14 There were not even 10 good men in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. So the Lord had destroyed those cities. See Genesis 18:20-33; 19:5-9.
Jeremiah 23
New International Version
Jeremiah 23
New International Version
The Righteous Branch
23 “Woe to the shepherds(A) who are destroying and scattering(B) the sheep of my pasture!”(C) declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds(D) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock(E) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil(F) you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant(G) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,(H) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds(I) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid(J) or terrified, nor will any be missing,(K)” declares the Lord.
5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up for David[a] a righteous Branch,(L)
a King(M) who will reign(N) wisely
and do what is just and right(O) in the land.
6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.(P)
This is the name(Q) by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.(R)
7 “So then, the days are coming,”(S) declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(T) 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”(U)
Lying Prophets
9 Concerning the prophets:
My heart(V) is broken within me;
all my bones tremble.(W)
I am like a drunken man,
like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and his holy words.(X)
10 The land is full of adulterers;(Y)
because of the curse[b](Z) the land lies parched
and the pastures(AA) in the wilderness are withered.(AB)
The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.
11 “Both prophet and priest are godless;(AC)
even in my temple(AD) I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore their path will become slippery;(AE)
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished,(AF)”
declares the Lord.
13 “Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal(AG)
and led my people Israel astray.(AH)
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible:(AI)
They commit adultery and live a lie.(AJ)
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,(AK)
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.(AL)
They are all like Sodom(AM) to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”(AN)
15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:
“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,(AO)
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness(AP) has spread throughout the land.”
16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen(AQ) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions(AR) from their own minds,
not from the mouth(AS) of the Lord.
17 They keep saying(AT) to those who despise me,
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’(AU)
And to all who follow the stubbornness(AV) of their hearts
they say, ‘No harm(AW) will come to you.’
18 But which of them has stood in the council(AX) of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
19 See, the storm(AY) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind(AZ) swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20 The anger(BA) of the Lord will not turn back(BB)
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
21 I did not send(BC) these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,(BD)
they would have proclaimed(BE) my words to my people
and would have turned(BF) them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.(BG)
23 “Am I only a God nearby,(BH)”
declares the Lord,
“and not a God far away?
24 Who can hide(BI) in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”(BJ)
declares the Lord.
25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies(BK) in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream!(BL) I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions(BM) of their own minds?(BN) 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget(BO) my name, just as their ancestors forgot(BP) my name through Baal worship.(BQ) 28 Let the prophet who has a dream(BR) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word(BS) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not my word like fire,”(BT) declares the Lord, “and like a hammer(BU) that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against(BV) the prophets(BW) who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31 Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’(BX) 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,(BY)” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray(BZ) with their reckless lies,(CA) yet I did not send(CB) or appoint them. They do not benefit(CC) these people in the least,” declares the Lord.
False Prophecy
33 “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message(CD) from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake(CE) you, declares the Lord.’ 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message(CF) from the Lord,’ I will punish(CG) them and their household. 35 This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’(CH) or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort(CI) the words of the living God,(CJ) the Lord Almighty, our God. 37 This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the Lord’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38 Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ this is what the Lord says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord.’ 39 Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast(CK) you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. 40 I will bring on you everlasting disgrace(CL)—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 23:5 Or up from David’s line
- Jeremiah 23:10 Or because of these things
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