1 "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!" says Yahweh. 2 Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says against the shepherds who feed my people: "You have scattered my flock, driven them away, and have not visited them. Behold, I will visit on you the evil of your doings," says Yahweh. 3 "I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them. They will no longer be afraid or dismayed, neither will any be lacking," says Yahweh.

5 "Behold, the days come," says Yahweh,

"that I will raise to David a righteous Branch;

and he will reign as king and deal wisely,

and will execute justice and righteousness in the land.

6 In his days Judah will be saved,

and Israel will dwell safely.

This is his name by which he will be called:

Yahweh our righteousness.

7 "Therefore, behold, the days come," says Yahweh, "that they will no more say, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;’ 8 but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up and who led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will dwell in their own land."

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 has overcome,

because of Yahweh,

and because of his holy words.

10 "For the land is full of adulterers;

for because of the curse the land mourns.

The pastures of the wilderness have dried up.

Their course is evil,

and their might is not right;

11 for both prophet and priest are profane.

Yes, in my house I have found their wickedness," says Yahweh.

12 Therefore their way will be to them as slippery places in the darkness.

They will be driven on,

and fall therein;

for I will bring evil on them,

even the year of their visitation," says Yahweh.

13 "I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria.

They prophesied by Baal,

and caused my people Israel to err.

14 In the prophets of Jerusalem I have also seen a horrible thing:

they commit adultery and walk in lies.

They strengthen the hands of evildoers,

so that no one returns from his wickedness.

They have all become to me as Sodom,

and its inhabitants as Gomorrah."

15 Therefore Yahweh of Armies says concerning the prophets:

"Behold, I will feed them with wormwood,

and make them drink poisoned water;

for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone out into all the land."

16 Yahweh of Armies says,

"Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.

They teach you vanity.

They speak a vision of their own heart,

and not out of the mouth of Yahweh.

17 They say continually to those who despise me,

‘Yahweh has said, "You will have peace;"’

and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart they say,

‘No evil will come on you.’

18 For who has stood in the council of Yahweh,

that he should perceive and hear his word?

Who has listened to my word, and heard it?

19 Behold, Yahweh’s storm, his wrath, has gone out.

Yes, a whirling storm!

It will burst on the head of the wicked.

20 Yahweh’s anger will not return until he has executed

and performed the intents of his heart.

In the latter days, you will understand it perfectly.

21 I didn’t send these prophets, yet they ran.

I didn’t speak to them, yet they prophesied.

22 But if they had stood in my council,

then they would have caused my people to hear my words,

and would have turned them from their evil way,

and from the evil of their doings.

23 "Am I a God at hand," says Yahweh,

"and not a God afar off?

24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places

so that I can’t see him?" says Yahweh.

"Don’t I fill heaven and earth?" says Yahweh.

25 "I have heard what the prophets have said, who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, even the prophets of the deceit of their own heart? 27 They intend to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they each tell his neighbor, as their fathers forgot my name because of Baal. 28 The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the straw to the wheat?" says Yahweh. 29 "Isn’t my word like fire?" says Yahweh; "and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

30 "Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," says Yahweh, "who each steal my words from his neighbor. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets," says Yahweh, "who use their tongues, and say, ‘He says.’ 32 Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams," says Yahweh, "who tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their vain boasting; yet I didn’t send them or command them. They don’t profit this people at all," says Yahweh.

33 "When this people, or the prophet, or a priest, asks you, saying, ‘What is the message from Yahweh?’ Then you shall tell them, ‘"What message? I will cast you off," says Yahweh.’ 34 As for the prophet, the priest, and the people, who say, ‘The message from Yahweh,’ I will even punish that man and his household. 35 You will say everyone to his neighbor, and everyone to his brother, ‘What has Yahweh answered?’ and, ‘What has Yahweh said?’ 36 You will mention the message from Yahweh no more, for every man’s own word has become his message; for you have perverted the words of the living God, of Yahweh of Armies, our God. 37 You will say to the prophet, ‘What has Yahweh answered you?’ and, ‘What has Yahweh spoken?’ 38 Although you say, ‘The message from Yahweh,’ therefore Yahweh says: ‘Because you say this word, "The message from Yahweh," and I have sent to you, telling you not to say, "The message from Yahweh," 39 therefore behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off with the city that I gave to you and to your fathers, away from my presence. 40 I will bring an everlasting reproach on you, and a perpetual shame, which will not be forgotten.’"

1 Woe be unto the pastors that waste and scatter the sheep of my pasture! said the LORD.

2 Therefore thus hath the LORD God of Israel said unto the pastors that feed my people: Ye have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not visited them; behold, [I]visit upon you the evil of your doings, said the LORD.

3 And I will gather the remnant of my sheep out of all the lands where I have driven them and will cause them to return to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them; and they shall fear no more nor be dismayed neither shall they be lacking, said the LORD.

5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [shall be] his name by which they shall call him, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

7 Therefore, behold, the days come, said the LORD, and they shall no more say, The LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

8 but, The LORD lives, who caused the seed of the house of Israel to come up and out of the land of the north [wind], and from all the lands where I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their [own] land.

9 My heart is broken within me because of the prophets, all my bones shake; I was like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine has overcome, before the LORD, and before the words of his holiness.

10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of the oath the land is deserted; the booths of the wilderness are dried up, and their course was evil, and their force [was] not right.

11 For both prophet and priest are feigned; even in my house I have found their wickedness, said the LORD.

12 Therefore their way shall be unto them as slippery [ways] 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 the LORD.

13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal and caused my people Israel to err.

14 I have also seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: they committed adultery and walked by lies; they strengthened also the hands of evildoers, that none is converted from his malice; they are all of them unto me as Sodom and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

15 Therefore, thus hath the LORD of the hosts said against those prophets: Behold, I will cause them to eat wormwood and make them drink the waters of gall, for from the prophets of Jerusalem is hypocrisy gone forth upon all the land.

16 Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, [and] not out of the mouth of the LORD.

17 They say boldly unto those that stir me to anger, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto anyone that walks after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

18 For who has stood in the secret of the LORD and has seen and heard his word? Who has payed attention to his word and heard [it]?

19 Behold, that the whirlwind of the LORD shall go forth with fury, and the whirlwind which is ready shall fall [grievously] upon the head of the wicked.

20 The anger of the LORD shall not return until he has executed and until he has performed the thoughts of his heart: in the last of the days ye shall understand it with understanding.

21 [I]did not send those prophets, yet they ran; [I] did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.

22 But if they had stood in my secret, they would also have caused my people to hear my words, and they would have caused them to return from their evil way and from the evil of their doings.

23 [Am] I a God of the near [only], said the LORD, and not a God of the far?

24 Can any hide himself in hiding places that I shall not see him? said the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? said the LORD.

25 I have heard what those prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

26 How long shall [this] be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies and that prophesy the deceit of their own heart?

27 Do they not think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which each one tells his neighbour, so much that their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal?

28 The prophet with whom [the] dream came, let him tell [the] dream; and he with whom my word came, let him speak my true word. What [is] the chaff to the wheat? said the LORD.

29 [Is] not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaks the rock in pieces?

30 Therefore, behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words each one from his neighbour.

31 Behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the LORD, that sweeten their tongues and say, He said.

32 Behold, I [am] against those that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and did tell them, and caused my people to err by their lies, and by their flattery; yet I did not send them, nor command them; and they did not profit this people at all, said the LORD.

33 And when this people or the prophet or the priest shall ask thee, saying, What [is] the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will forsake you, said the LORD.

34 And [as for] the prophet and the priest and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will visit upon that man and upon his house.

35 Thus shall ye say each one to his neighbour and each one to his brother, What has the LORD answered? and, What has the LORD spoken?

36 And never again shall it come to [your] memory to say, The burden of the LORD; for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of the hosts, our God.

37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What has the LORD answered thee? and, What has the LORD spoken?

38 But if ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus hath the LORD said: 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 I, will utterly forget you, and I will uproot you from my presence and the city that I gave you and your fathers:

40 and I will place an everlasting reproach upon you, and eternal shame, which shall never be forgotten.: