A Righteous King for God’s People

23 “How terrible for the shepherds^[a] who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. ² Therefore, this is what the Lord God of Israel says about the shepherds who are shepherding my people, “You have scattered my flock and driven them away. You haven’t taken care of them, and now I’m about to take care of you^[b] because of your evil deeds,” declares the Lord. ³ “I’ll gather the remnant of my flock from all the countries where I’ve driven them, and bring them back to their pasture where they’ll be fruitful and increase in numbers. ⁴ I’ll raise up shepherds over them, and they’ll shepherd them. My flock^[c] will no longer be afraid or terrified, and none will be missing,” declares the Lord.

⁷ “Therefore, the time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives who brought up the Israelis from the land of Egypt,’ ⁸ but they’ll say,^[e] ‘As surely as the Lord lives who brought the descendants of the Israelis from the land of the north and from all the lands where I had driven them and brought them into the land.’^[f] Then they’ll live in their own land.”

An Oracle about False Prophets

⁹ Concerning the prophets:

¹⁵ Therefore, this is what the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies says about the prophets,

²⁵ “I’ve heard what the prophets who prophesy lies in my name have said: ‘I had a dream; I had a dream.’ ²⁶ How long will this go on?^[p] Is there anything^[q] in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy from the deceit that is in their hearts? ²⁷ With their dreams that they relate to one another,^[r] they plan to make my people forget my name just as their ancestors forgot my name by embracing^[s] Baal. ²⁸ Let the prophet who has a dream relate the dream, but let whoever receives my message^[t] speak my message truthfully. What does straw have in common with wheat?” declares the Lord. ²⁹ “My message is like fire or like a hammer that shatters rock, is it not?” declares the Lord.

³⁰ “Therefore, look, I’m against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal my words from each other. ³¹ Look, I’m against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who use their tongues to issue a declaration.^{[u] 32} Look, I’m against those who prophesy based on false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and relate them and lead my people astray with their lies and their recklessness. I didn’t send them; I didn’t command them, and they provide no benefit at all to these people,” declares the Lord.

The Oracle-Burden^[v] of the Lord

³³ “Jeremiah,^[w] when these people, the prophet, or a priest ask you,^[x] ‘What is the oracle^[y] of the Lord?’ say to them, ‘You are the burden,^[z] and I’ll cast you out,’” declares the Lord. ³⁴ “As for the prophet, the priest, or the people who say, ‘I have^[aa] an oracle of the Lord,’ I’ll judge that person and his household. ³⁵ This is what you should say to one another and among yourselves,^[ab] ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or ‘What has the Lord said?’ ³⁶ But you are to no longer mention^[ac] the oracle of the Lord, because the oracle is only for the person to whom the Lord gives his message,^[ad] and you have overturned the words of the living God, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, our God. ³⁷ This is what you should say to the prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or ‘What has the Lord said?’ ³⁸ Since you’re saying, ‘We have an oracle of the Lord,’^[ae] therefore this is what the Lord says: He will answer your message with this message, ‘Burden^[af] of the Lord,’ and I’ll send you away with these words: ‘Don’t say, “Oracle of the Lord.”’ ³⁹ Therefore I’ll surely forget you and cast you and the city I gave you and your ancestors out of my presence. ⁴⁰ I’ll bring on you everlasting reproach and everlasting humiliation that won’t ever^[ag] be forgotten.”