(KJV) Jeremiah 23¹

⥃David’s Righteous Branch

[1] Woe² be unto the pastors³ that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. [2] Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have⁴ not vi⁵sited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. [3] And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.⁶ [4] And I⁷ will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither⁸ shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.

[5] [¶]Behold, the days⁹ come, sai¹⁰th the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch¹¹, and a King shall reign¹² and prosper, and shall¹³ execute judgment and justice in the earth. [6] In his days Judah¹⁴ shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell¹⁵ safely: and this¹⁶ [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS¹⁷. [7] Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;¹⁸ [8] But, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.¹⁹

⥃Lying Prophets

[9] Mine heart²⁰ within me is broken because²¹ of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken²² man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness.²³ [10] For the land is full²⁴ of adulterers; for because²⁵ of swearing²⁶ the land²⁷ mourneth; the pleasant²⁸ places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course²⁹ is evil, and their force [is] not right. [11] For both³⁰ prophet and priest are profane; yea, in³¹ my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord. [12] Wherefore their way shall be unto them as³² slippery [ways] in the³³ darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, [even] the year³⁴ of their visitation, saith the Lord. [13] And I have seen folly³⁵ in the prophets³⁶ of Samaria; they prophesied³⁷ in Baal, and³⁸ caused my people Israel to err. [14] I have seen also in the³⁹ prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing⁴⁰: they commit⁴¹ adultery, and walk⁴² in lies: they strengthen⁴³ also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom⁴⁴, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. [15] Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will⁴⁵ feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness⁴⁶ gone forth into all the land. [16] Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken⁴⁷ not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make⁴⁸ you vain: they speak a vision⁴⁹ of their own heart, [and] not out of the mouth of the Lord. [17] They say still unto them that despise⁵⁰ me, The Lord hath said, Ye⁵¹ shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination⁵² of his own heart, No⁵³ evil shall come upon you. [18] For who⁵⁴ hath stood in the counsel⁵⁵ of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard [it]? [19] Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.⁵⁶ [20] The anger of the Lord shall not return, until⁵⁷ he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the⁵⁸ latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. [21] I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.⁵⁹ [22] But if⁶⁰ they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then⁶¹ they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. [23] [Am] I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?⁶² [24] Can any hide⁶³ himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do⁶⁴ not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. [25] I have heard⁶⁵ what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed⁶⁶, I have dreamed. [26] How⁶⁷ long shall [this] be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, [they are] prophets of⁶⁸ the deceit of their own heart; [27] Which think⁶⁹ to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as⁷⁰ their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. [28] The prophet that hath⁷¹ a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak⁷² my word faithfully. What⁷³ [is] the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord. [29] [Is] not my word like as⁷⁴ a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces? [30] Therefore, behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.⁷⁵ [31] Behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use⁷⁶ the⁷⁷ir tongues, and say, He saith. [32] Behold, I [am] against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err⁷⁸ by their lies, and by⁷⁹ their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore⁸⁰ they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord.

⥃False Prophecies

[33] And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What⁸¹ [i⁸²s] the burden of the Lord? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the Lord. [34] And [as for] the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish⁸³ that man and his house. [35] Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the Lord answered? and, What hath the Lord spoken?⁸⁴ [36] And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for every⁸⁵ man’s word shall be his burden; for ye⁸⁶ have perverted the words of the⁸⁷ living God, of the Lord of hosts our God. [37] Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the Lord answered thee? and, What hath the Lord spoken? [38] But since ye say⁸⁸, The burden of the Lord; therefore thus saith the Lord; Because ye say this word, The burden of the Lord, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord; [39] Therefore, behold, I, even I⁸⁹, will utterly forget you, and I⁹⁰ will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, [and cast⁹¹ you] out of my presence: [40] And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten. ⁹²