23:1 Woe unto the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith Jehovah.
23:1 "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!" declares the LORD.

23:2 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, against the shepherds 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 Jehovah.
23:2 Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: "You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds," declares the LORD.

23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
23:3 "Then I Myself shall gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and shall bring them back to their pasture; and they will be fruitful and multiply.

23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them, who shall feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking, saith Jehovah.
23:4 "I shall also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD.

23:5 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
23:5 "Behold, [the] days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land.

23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness.
23:6 "In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, 'The LORD our righteousness.'

23:7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that they shall no more say, As Jehovah liveth, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
23:7 "Therefore 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,'

23:8 but, As Jehovah liveth, who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land.
23:8 but, 'As the LORD lives, who brought 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. "

23:9 Concerning the prophets. My heart within me is broken, all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of Jehovah, and because of his holy words.
23:9 As for the prophets: My heart 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.

23:10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. And their course is evil, and their might is not right;
23:10 For the land is full of adulterers; For the land mourns because of the curse. The pastures of the wilderness have dried up. Their course also is evil, And their might is not right.

23:11 for both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith Jehovah.
23:11 "For both prophet and priest are polluted; Even in My house I have found their wickedness," declares the LORD.

23:12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery places 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 Jehovah.
23:12 "Therefore their way will be like slippery paths to them, They will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it; For I shall bring calamity upon them, The year of their punishment," declares the LORD.

23:13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
23:13 "Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.

23:14 In the prophets of Jerusalem also I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies; and they strengthen the hands of evil-doers, so that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them become unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
23:14 "Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood; And they strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

23:15 Therefore thus saith Jehovah 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 ungodliness gone forth into all the land.
23:15 "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets, 'Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood And make them drink poisonous water, For from the prophets of Jerusalem Pollution has gone forth into all the land.'"

23:16 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they teach you vanity; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Jehovah.
23:16 Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD.

23:17 They say continually unto them that despise me, Jehovah hath said, Ye shall have peace; and unto every one that walketh in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, No evil shall come upon you.
23:17 "They keep saying to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said," You will have peace"'; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, 'Calamity will not come upon you.'

23:18 For who hath stood in the council of Jehovah, that he should perceive and hear his word? who hath marked my word, and heard it?
23:18 "But who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened?

23:19 Behold, the tempest of Jehovah, (even his) wrath, is gone forth, yea, a whirling tempest: it shall burst upon the head of the wicked.
23:19 "Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.

23:20 The anger of Jehovah shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall understand it perfectly.
23:20 "The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it.

23:21 I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I spake not unto them, yet they prophesied.
23:21 "I did not send [these] prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied.

23:22 But if they had stood in my council, then had they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
23:22 "But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.

23:23 Am I a God at hand, saith Jehovah, and not a God afar off?
23:23 "Am I a God who is near," declares the LORD, "And not a God far off?

23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places so that I shall not see him? saith Jehovah. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith Jehovah.
23:24 "Can a man hide himself in hiding places, So I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD.

23:25 I have heard what the prophets have said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
23:25 "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, 'I had a dream, I had a dream!'

23:26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, even the prophets of the deceit of their own heart?
23:26 "How long? Is there [anything] in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even [these] prophets of the deception of their own heart,

23:27 that think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers forgat my name for Baal.
23:27 who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?

23:28 The 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 straw to the wheat? saith Jehovah.
23:28 "The prophet who has a dream may relate [his] dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have [in common] with grain?" declares the LORD.

23:29 Is not my word like fire? saith Jehovah; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
23:29 "Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?

23:30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith Jehovah, that steal my words every one from his neighbor.
23:30 "Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who steal My words from each other.

23:31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith Jehovah, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
23:31 "Behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who use their tongues and declare, '[The Lord] declares.'

23:32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy lying dreams, saith Jehovah, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their vain boasting: yet I sent them not, nor commanded them; neither do they profit this people at all, saith Jehovah.
23:32 "Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams," declares the LORD, "and related them, and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit," declares the LORD.

23:33 And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of Jehovah? then shalt thou say unto them, What burden! I will cast you off, saith Jehovah.
23:33 "Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, 'What is the oracle of the LORD?' then you shall say to them, 'What oracle?' The LORD declares, 'I shall abandon you.'

23:34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of Jehovah, I will even punish that man and his house.
23:34 "Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, 'The oracle of the LORD,' I shall bring punishment upon that man and his household.

23:35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, What hath Jehovah answered? and, What hath Jehovah spoken?
23:35 "Thus shall each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, 'What has the LORD answered?' or, 'What has the LORD spoken?'

23:36 And the burden of Jehovah shall ye mention no more: for every man's own word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of Jehovah of hosts our God.
23:36 "For you will no longer remember the oracle of the LORD, because every man's own word will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.

23:37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath Jehovah answered thee? and, What hath Jehovah spoken?
23:37 "Thus you will say to [that] prophet, 'What has the LORD answered you?' and, 'What has the LORD spoken?'

23:38 But if ye say, The burden of Jehovah; therefore thus saith Jehovah: Because ye say this word, The burden of Jehovah, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of Jehovah;
23:38 "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 !' "'

23:39 therefore, behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off, and the city that I gave unto you and to your fathers, away from my presence:
23:39 "Therefore behold, I shall surely forget you and cast you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers.

23:40 and I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
23:40 "And I will put an everlasting reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten."