Jeremiah 23

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 'Disaster for the shepherds who lose and scatter the sheep of my pasture, Yahweh declares.	1 Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the LORD.
2 This, therefore, is what Yahweh, God of Israel, says about the shepherds who shepherd my people,"You have scattered my flock, you have driven them away and have not taken care of them. Right, I shal takecare of you for your misdeeds, Yahweh declares!	2 Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them, but I will take care to punish your evil deeds.
3 But the remnant of my flock I myself shal gather from all the countries where I have driven them, andbring them back to their folds; they will be fruitful and increase in numbers.	3 I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them and bring them back to their meadow; there they shall increase and multiply.
4 For them I shall raise up shepherds to shepherd them and pasture them. No fear, no terror for themany more; not one shal be lost, Yahweh declares!	4 I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble; and none shall be missing, says the LORD.
5 Look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shal raise an upright Branch for David; he willreign as king and be wise, doing what is just and upright in the country.	5 Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land.
6 In his days Judah wil triumph and Israel live in safety. And this is the name he wil be called, 'Yahweh-is-our-Saving-Justice.' "	6 In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: "The LORD our justice."
7 'So, look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when people wil no longer say, "As Yahweh liveswho brought the Israelites out of Egypt,"	7 Therefore, the days will come, says the LORD, when they shall no longer say, "As the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt";
8 but, "As Yahweh lives who led back and brought home the offspring of the House of Israel from theland of the north and all the countries to which he had driven them, to live on their own soil." '	8 but rather, "As the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of the house of Israel up from the land of the north"--and from all the lands to which I banished them; they shall again live on their own land.
9 On the prophets. My heart is broken within me, I tremble in al my bones; I am like a drunken man, likea man overcome with wine, because of Yahweh and his holy words:	9 Concerning the prophets: My heart within me is broken, my bones all tremble; I am like a man who is drunk, overcome by wine, Because of the LORD, because of his holy words.
10 'For the country is ful of adulterers; yes, because of a curse, the country is in mourning and thepasturage in the desert has dried up; they are prompt to do wrong, make no effort to do right.	10 With adulterers the land is filled; on their account the land mourns, the pasture ranges are seared. Theirs is an evil course, theirs is unjust power.
11 Yes, even prophet and priest are godless, I have detected their wickedness in my own House,Yahweh declares.	11 Both prophet and priest are godless! In my very house I find their wickedness, says the LORD.
12 Because of this, their way wil prove treacherous going for them; in the darkness where they aredriven, there they wil fall. For I shal bring disaster on them, when the year for punishing them comes, Yahwehdeclares.	12 Hence their way shall become for them slippery ground. In the darkness they shall lose their footing, and fall headlong; Evil I will bring upon them: the year of their punishment, says the LORD.
13 'In the prophets of Samaria I have seen insanity: they prophesied in the name of Baal and led mypeople Israel astray.	13 Among Samaria's prophets I saw unseemly deeds: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.
14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: adultery, persistent lying, suchabetting of the wicked that no one renounces his wickedness. To me they are al like Sodom and its inhabitantsare like Gomorrah.	14 But among Jerusalem's prophets I saw deeds still more shocking: Adultery, living in lies, siding with the wicked, so that no one turns from evil; To me they are all like Sodom, its citizens like Gomorrah.
15 So this is what Yahweh Sabaoth says about the prophets, "Now I shal give them wormwood to eatand make them drink poisoned water, since from the prophets of Jerusalem godlessness has spread throughoutthe land."	15 Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts against the prophets: Behold, I will give them wormwood to eat, and poison to drink; For from Jerusalem's prophets ungodliness has gone forth into the whole land.
16 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this, "Do not listen to what those prophets prophesy to you; they are deludingyou, they retail visions of their own, and not what comes from Yahweh's mouth.	16 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Listen not to the words of your prophets, who fill you with emptiness; Visions of their own fancy they speak, not from the mouth of the LORD.
17 To those who despise me, they keep saying: Yahweh has spoken: you wil have peace! and to al whofol ow their own stubborn inclinations: No disaster wil touch you."	17 They say to those who despise the word of the LORD, "Peace shall be yours"; And to everyone who walks in hardness of heart, "No evil shall overtake you."
18 But who has been present in Yahweh's council and seen, and heard his word? Who has paidattention to his word and listened to it?	18 Now, who has stood in the council of the LORD, to see him and to hear his word? Who has heeded his word, so as to announce it?
19 Look, Yahweh's hurricane, his wrath, bursts out, a fearsome hurricane, to burst on the heads of thewicked;	19 See, the storm of the LORD! His wrath breaks forth In a whirling storm that bursts upon the heads of the wicked.
20 Yahweh's anger wil not withdraw until he has performed, has carried out, what he has in mind. In thefinal days, you wil understand this clearly,	20 The anger of the LORD shall not abate until he has done and fulfilled what he has determined in his heart. When the time comes, you shall fully understand.
21 'I did not send these prophets, yet they ran! I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied!	21 I did not send these prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.
22 Had they been present in my council, they could have proclaimed my words to my people and turnedthem from their evil way and from the wickedness of their deeds!	22 Had they stood in my council, and did they but proclaim to my people my words, They would have brought them back from evil ways and from their wicked deeds.
23 'Am I a God when near, Yahweh demands, and not a God when far away?	23 Am I a God near at hand only, says the LORD, and not a God far off?
24 Can anyone hide somewhere secret without my seeing him? Yahweh demands. Do I not fil heavenand earth? Yahweh demands.	24 Can a man hide in secret without my seeing him? says the LORD. Do I not fill both heaven and earth? says the LORD.
25 'I have heard what the prophets say who make their lying prophecies in my name. "I have had adream," they say, "I have had a dream!"	25 I have heard the prophets who prophesy lies in my name say, "I had a dream! I had a dream!"
26 How long are there to be those among the prophets who prophesy lies and are in fact prophets oftheir own delusions?	26 How long will this continue? Is my name in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy lies and their own deceitful fancies?
27 They are doing their best, by means of the dreams that they keep tel ing each other, to make mypeople forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name in favour of Baal.	27 By their dreams which they recount to each other, they think to make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name for Baal.
28 Let the prophet who has had a dream tel it for a dream! And let him who receives a word from me,deliver my word accurately! 'What have straw and wheat in common? Yahweh demands.	28 Let the prophet who has a dream recount his dream; let him who has my word speak my word truthfully! What has straw to do with the wheat? says the LORD.
29 Is my word not like fire, Yahweh demands, is it not like a hammer shattering a rock?	29 Is not my word like fire, says the LORD, like a hammer shattering rocks?
30 'So, then, I have a quarrel with the prophets, Yahweh declares, that steal my words from one another.	30 Therefore I am against the prophets, says the LORD, who steal my words from each other.
31 I have a quarrel with the prophets, Yahweh declares, who wag their tongues to utter prophecies.	31 Yes, I am against the prophets, says the LORD, who borrow speeches to pronounce oracles.
32 I have a quarrel with the prophets who make prophecies out of lying dreams, Yahweh declares, whorecount them, and lead my people astray by their lies and their bragging. I certainly never sent them orcommissioned them, and they serve no good purpose for this people, Yahweh declares.	32 Yes, I am against the prophets who prophesy lying dreams, says the LORD, and who lead my people astray by recounting their lies and by their empty boasting. From me they have no mission or command, and they do this people no good at all, says the LORD.
33 'And when this people, or a prophet, or a priest, asks you, "What is Yahweh's burden?" you mustanswer, "You are the burden, and I shal get rid of you, Yahweh declares!"	33 And when this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, "What is the burden of the LORD?" you shall answer, "You are the burden, and I cast you off, says the LORD."
34 'As for the prophet, the priest, or anyone else, who says, "Yahweh's burden", I shall punish that man,and his household too.	34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else mentions "the burden of the LORD," I will punish that man and his house.
35 This is what you must say to one another, among yourselves, "What answer has Yahweh given?" or"What has Yahweh said?"	35 Thus you shall ask, when speaking to one another, "What answer did the LORD give?" or, "What did the LORD say?"
36 But stop using the expression "Yahweh's burden", for what each man says will be his ownresponsibility. And you twist the words of the living God, of Yahweh Sabaoth, our God.	36 But the burden of the LORD you shall mention no more. For each man his own word becomes the burden so that you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.
37 This is the way to speak to a prophet, "What answer has Yahweh given?" or "What has Yahwehsaid?"	37 Thus shall you ask the prophet, "What answer did the LORD give?" or, "What did the LORD say?"
38 But if you say, "Yahweh's burden", then Yahweh says this, "Since you use the expression 'Yahweh'sburden', when I have warned you to stop saying, 'Yahweh's burden',	38 But if you ask about "the burden of the LORD," then thus says the LORD: Because you use this phrase, "the burden of the LORD," though I forbade you to use it,
39 believe me, I shal pick you up and fling you from my presence, you and the city I gave to you and toyour ancestors.	39 therefore I will lift you on high and cast you from my presence, you and the city which I gave to you and your fathers.
40 I shal bring down everlasting shame on you, everlasting and unforgettable disgrace." '	40 And I will bring upon you eternal reproach, eternal, unforgettable shame.