| Berean Study Bible | New International Version |
| 1“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. | 1"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD. |
| 2Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the LORD. | 2Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the LORD. |
| 3Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply. | 3"I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. |
| 4I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD. | 4I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD. |
| 5Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. | 5"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. |
| 6In 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. | 6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior. |
| 7So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’ | 7"So then, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' |
| 8Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’ Then they will dwell once more in their own land.” | 8but 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." |
| 9As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, and all my bones tremble. I have become like a drunkard, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD, because of His holy words. | 9Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a strong man overcome by wine, because of the LORD and his holy words. |
| 10For the land is full of adulterers—because of the curse, the land mourns and the pastures of the wilderness have dried up—their course is evil and their power is misused. | 10The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land lies parched and the pastures in the wilderness are withered. The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly. |
| 11“For both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the LORD. | 11"Both prophet and priest are godless; even in my temple I find their wickedness," declares the LORD. |
| 12“Therefore their path will become slick; they will be driven away into the darkness and fall into it. For I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD. | 12"Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished," declares the LORD. |
| 13“Among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray. | 13"Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. |
| 14And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.” | 14And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that not one of them turns from their wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah." |
| 15Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says concerning the prophets: “I will feed them wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.” | 15Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says concerning the prophets: "I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, because from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land." |
| 16This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. | 16This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. |
| 17They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’ | 17They keep saying to those who despise me, 'The LORD says: You will have peace.' And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, 'No harm will come to you.' |
| 18But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and obeyed it? | 18But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word? |
| 19Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone out with fury, a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of the wicked. | 19See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. |
| 20The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His heart. In the days to come you will understand this clearly. | 20The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand it clearly. |
| 21I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. | 21I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. |
| 22But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and deeds.” | 22But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. |
| 23“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?” | 23"Am I only a God nearby," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away? |
| 24“Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD. | 24Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?" declares the LORD. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD. |
| 25“I have heard the sayings of the prophets who prophesy lies in My name: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ | 25"I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' |
| 26How long will this continue in the hearts of these prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the delusion of their own minds? | 26How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? |
| 27They suppose the dreams that they tell one another will make My people forget My name, just as their fathers forgot My name through the worship of Baal. | 27They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship. |
| 28Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For what is straw compared to grain?” declares the LORD. | 28Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?" declares the LORD. |
| 29“Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?” | 29"Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? |
| 30“Therefore behold,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words they attribute to Me.” | 30"Therefore," declares the LORD, "I am against the prophets 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 proclaim, ‘The LORD declares it.’ ” | 31Yes," declares the LORD, "I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, 'The LORD declares.' |
| 32“Indeed,” declares the LORD, “I am against those who prophesy false dreams and retell them to lead My people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent them or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people,” declares the LORD. | 32Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams," declares the LORD. "They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least," declares the LORD. |
| 33“Now when this people or a prophet or priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you are to say to them, ‘What burden? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.’ | 33"When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, 'What is the message from the LORD?' say to them, 'What message? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.' |
| 34As for the prophet or priest or anyone who claims, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ I will punish that man and his household. | 34If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, 'This is a message from the LORD,' I will punish them and their household. |
| 35This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his brother: ‘What has the LORD answered?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ | 35This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: 'What is the LORD's answer?' or 'What has the LORD spoken?' |
| 36But refer no more to the burden of the LORD, for each man’s word becomes the burden, so that you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God. | 36But you must not mention 'a message from the LORD' again, because each one's word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the LORD Almighty, our God. |
| 37Thus you are to say to the prophet: ‘What has the LORD answered you?’ and ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ | 37This is what you keep saying to a prophet: 'What is the LORD's answer to you?' or 'What has the LORD spoken?' |
| 38But if you claim, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ then this is what the LORD says: Because you have said, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ and I specifically told you not to make this claim, | 38Although 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.' |
| 39therefore I will surely forget you and will cast you out of My presence, both you and the city that I gave to you and your fathers. | 39Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. |
| 40And I will bring upon you everlasting shame and perpetual humiliation that will never be forgotten.” | 40I will bring on you everlasting disgrace--everlasting shame that will not be forgotten." |
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