" aWoe to the shepherds
who are bdestroying
and scattering
the csheep
of My pasture
!" declares
the LORD
.
Therefore thus
says
the LORD
God
of Israel
concerning
the shepherds
who are 1tending
My people
: "You have scattered
My flock
and driven
them away
, and have not attended
to them; behold
, I am about to aattend
to you for the bevil
of your deeds
," declares
the LORD
.
"Then I Myself will agather
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
.
"I will also raise up ashepherds
over
them and they will 1tend
them; and they will bnot be afraid
any
longer
, nor
be terrified
, cnor
will any be missing
," declares
the LORD
.
"Behold, the adays
are coming
," declares
the LORD
, "When I will raise
up for David
a righteous
1 bBranch
; And He will creign
as king
and 2act
wisely
And ddo
justice
and righteousness
in the land
.
"In His days Judah
will be saved
, And aIsrael
will dwell
securely
; And this
is His bname
by which
He will be called
, `The cLORD
our righteousness
.'
" aTherefore 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
,'
abut, `As the LORD lives
, who
bbrought
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
."
As for the prophets: My aheart
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
.
For the land is full
of aadulterers
; For the land
bmourns
because
of the curse
. The cpastures
of the wilderness
have dried
up. Their course
also is evil
And their might
is not right
.
"For aboth prophet
and priest
are polluted
; Even
in My house
I have found
their wickedness
," declares
the LORD
.
"Therefore their way
will be like aslippery
paths
to them, They will be driven
away
into the bgloom
and fall
down
in it; For I will bring
ccalamity
upon them, The year
of their punishment
," declares
the LORD
.
"Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria
I saw
an aoffensive
thing
: They bprophesied
by Baal
and cled
My people
Israel
astray
.
"Also among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen
a ahorrible
thing
: The committing
of badultery
and walking
in falsehood
; And they strengthen
the hands
of cevildoers
, So that no
one
has turned
back
from his wickedness
. All
of them have become
to Me like dSodom
, And her inhabitants
like Gomorrah
.
"Therefore thus
says
the LORD
of hosts
concerning
the prophets
, `Behold
, I am going to afeed
them wormwood
And make them drink
poisonous
water
, For from the prophets
of Jerusalem
Pollution
has gone
forth
into all
the land
.' "
Thus says
the LORD
of hosts
, " aDo not listen
to the words
of the prophets
who are prophesying
to you. They are bleading
you into futility
; They speak
a cvision
of their own 1imagination
, Not dfrom the mouth
of the LORD
.
"They keep saying to those who adespise
Me, `The LORD
has said
, " bYou will have
peace
"'; And as for everyone
who walks
in the cstubbornness
of his own heart
, They say
, ` dCalamity
will not come
upon you.'
"But awho has stood
in the council
of the LORD
, That he should see
and hear
His word
? Who
has given
bheed
to 1His word
and listened
?
"Behold, the astorm
of the LORD
has gone
forth
in wrath
, Even a whirling
tempest
; It will swirl
down
on the head
of the wicked
.
"The aanger of the LORD
will not turn
back
Until
He has bperformed
and carried
out the purposes
of His heart
; cIn the last
days
you will clearly
understand
it.
" aI did not send these prophets
, But they ran
. I did not speak
to them, But they prophesied
.
"But if they had astood
in My council
, Then they would have bannounced
My words
to My people
, And would have turned
them back
from their evil
way
And from the evil
of their deeds
.
"Am I a God who is anear
," declares
the LORD
, "And not a God
far
off
?
"Can a man ahide
himself in hiding
places
So I do not see
him?" declares
the LORD
. " bDo I not fill
the heavens
and the earth
?" declares
the LORD
.
"I have aheard what
the prophets
have said
who bprophesy
falsely
in My name
, saying
, `I had
a cdream
, I had
a dream
!'
"How long
? Is there
anything in the hearts
of the prophets
who prophesy
falsehood
, even these prophets
of the adeception
of their own heart
,
who intend to amake My people
forget
My name
by their dreams
which
they relate
to one
another
, just
as their fathers
bforgot
My name
because of Baal
?
"The prophet who
has
a dream
may relate
his dream
, but let him who
has
aMy word
speak
My word
in truth
. bWhat
does straw
have in common with grain
?" declares
the LORD
.
"Is not My word like afire
?" declares
the LORD
, "and like a bhammer
which shatters
a rock
?
"Therefore behold
, aI am against
the prophets
," declares
the LORD
, "who steal
My words
from each
other
.
"Behold, I am against
the prophets
," declares
the LORD
, "who use
their tongues
and declare
, `The Lord declares
.'
"Behold, I am against
those who have prophesied
afalse
dreams
," declares
the LORD
, "and related
them and led
My people
astray
by their falsehoods
and breckless
boasting
; yet cI did not send
them or command
them, nor
do they dfurnish
this
people
the slightest
benefit
," declares
the LORD
.
"Now when this
people
or
the prophet
or
a priest
asks
you saying
, `What
is the 1 aoracle
of the LORD
?' then you shall say
to them, `What
1oracle
?' The LORD
declares
, `I will babandon
you.'
"Then as for the prophet or the priest
or the people
who
say
, `The aoracle
of the LORD
,' I will bring
punishment
upon that man
and his household
.
"Thus will each
of you say
to his neighbor
and to his brother
, ` aWhat
has the LORD
answered
?' or, `What
has the LORD
spoken
?'
"For you will no longer
remember
the oracle
of the LORD
, because
every
man's
own word
will become
the oracle
, and you have aperverted
the words
of the bliving
God
, the LORD
of hosts
, our God
.
"Thus you will say
to that prophet
, `What
has the LORD
answered
you?' and, `What
has the LORD
spoken
?'
"For 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
!' "'
"Therefore behold
, aI will surely
forget
you and cast
you away
from My presence
, along with the city
which
I gave
you and your fathers
.
"I will put an everlasting
areproach
on you and an everlasting
humiliation
which
will not be forgotten
."